Tag Archive: Central Park


Back to running

Filed under: Health
November 7, 2015

Last Friday (October 30) I started running again, it was a good idea badly executed. I decided to run at night on the path by the East River. Going through a dark spot I didn’t notice the path was broken up and down I went. On my face, ouch.

This was supposed to be my first run after my ankle healed. My ankle was feeling good and now my face, wrist, and knees were not. My Friday ended with a trip to the Emergency Room, where the doctor looked at my face, ignored my knees, ordered a tetanus shot and had the nurse give me some bacitracin. I was sent home, no cat scan, no x-rays, not even a bandaid for my open bleeding wounds. Just instructions to see my doctor in two day.

So I made an appointment with my Doctor, he checks me out and says “Don’t stop running.” What? With my knees hurting? “Give it a few days.”

Today I went out to run, a few more days than he suggested, in addition to my knees hurting my ankle decided it wanted to hurt also. At 2K I decided my doctor is insane. My knee told me it was quitting. “No” I said to my knee (actually to myself) we are running 4K. My knee whimpered and wobbled. I walked for a minute and decided if I couldn’t run, I would walk very fast. Except that cramps my shins so I had to run, my knee shut up and I went to the diner when I was done. I run this body, my friend says that and I was never sure what it meant. Until today.

My time was pretty good, which is good considering my run is next Sunday. I hope to do great, by great I mean finishing without puking, fainting, or dying.

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Sliding backwards

Filed under: Family N Friends, Health
September 30, 2015

“On Sunday, November 15, I will follow in the footsteps of the New York Yankees as part of the seventh annual Damon Runyon 5K at Yankee Stadium – a unique fundraising run/walk that uses the Stadium as its course. I’ll get to explore the concourses and ramps, climb stairs between levels, and take my own victory laps around the warning track that circles the field. – See more at: LINK“

This is not a plea for money, however if you want to click on the link and donate I would appreciate it. Rather I posted this so readers would know why I am running. I don’t really like running, I do like how I feel afterwards and I like raising money for Cancer Research. It is a charity that is near and dear to my heart.

There is an app that tracks exercise and besides that I am listing them in a spreadsheet. This is how I know the last four runs I am getting slower. Each run slower than the one before. I’m still faster than when I started and not discouraged.

While I’m tempted to blame this on a variety of factors, blisters on my toes, sore legs, twisted ankle and/or worsening asthma, part of me realizes this is probably just the ups and downs of running and human physiology.

Today I did not want to run. I made a compromise, that I would only run 2 miles. My time was terrible, a friend who I admire as a runner commented on my Facebook post that a “bad run is better than no run”. Support strengthens my resolve.

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Bike riding in Central Park

Filed under: Family N Friends, Manhattan
July 4, 2011

Last Friday Gwen and I went bike riding in Central Park. It would be more accurate to say we started in Central Park, since we did ride through the city a little bit, mainly to get refreshments. We started off at Tavern on the Green, even though it’s permanently closed the building is still there, and headed down the bike paths. All the road going through Central Park are one way and along the road to Belvedere Castle there is a cat that watches you.

Knowing where the Castle is located is important, the bathrooms are to the left of the Castle. When we got to the north end of the park we went out of the Park to find a place called Screme, we had a Groupon for two free drinks. On the way there Gwen’s seat slipped, we went through a traffic circle, I almost got taken out by a cab and we had to go around two double parked cars. I resisted the urge to yell at the stupid double parked people. At Screme, I got a coffee gelato drink and Gwen got passion-fruit. They were good, but very thick and the straws were very skinny.

Unfortunately the place didn’t have a bathroom and I needed one. Since we also needed lunch we went across the street, there was a Peruvian Restaurant, too much seafood, a sushi bar, same problem, and then an Italian Restaurant. So we went in the Italian Restaurant. I don’t know what it is about restaurants in the city, but some seem to want to cram as many table in as physically possible so there is almost no room for customers.

I got a Panini and Gwen got lasagna. Then we went back to the park, when we got back to Tavern on the Green, Gwen wanted to turn the bikes in, even though it was only 3:00. After that we just kind of walked around. Got ice cream at a truck, I bought a couple half-price books at the Strand. Then we came home. That was pretty much our day. To see all the pictures I’ve taken in NYC this year, click on the photo link in the right sidebar.

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Pictures from NYC

Filed under: Family N Friends, Manhattan
July 2, 2011


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More on Saturday

Filed under: Beauty, Environment, Health, Manhattan — 2 Comments
May 9, 2011

Saturday was good, and it was beautiful day. I was just so tired yesterday, and I had to write a blog post about the Yankee game and a review post about Yorkville Crêperie where we had lunch Saturday. So I actually did post more then just the pictures Sunday, but I wanted to come back and talk about the day. We started with lunch, during which Em decided she needs to make her nail appointment either early in the day or last thing before we leave. While she was getting her nails done I decided to get a pedicure. I forgot to tell her to use my lotion, an oversight I regretted later, but I’ll get to that later.

After the nail appointment, Em was going to a store she didn’t want me to come in with her (adult toy store). She said she was afraid I would giggle and get us thrown out. Probably would have. So I went to the park (Central Park) to wait for her. While I was waiting there were some men putting on a show. Then Em sent me a text and I went to meet her, then we cut through the park. Spring is in the air, I started sneezing. So we had to leave the park, later as we were walking on the sidewalk past the park, my nose started itching. I hate allergies.

Later when I took my socks and shoes off, I really hated them. I had a rash from the lotion. Nasty red bumps that itched. I don’t normally worry about the lotion, normally I am wearing sandals, but that day I had socks and sneakers on, so the lotion really got rubbed in, and I had shaved my legs in the past week or two. Sometimes, it is really hard being a girl.

And that is all, says she.

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The great hill

Filed under: Manhattan, Miscellanea
February 20, 2011

Friday and Saturday were busy days that I am now paying for. While I rest I am going to try to catch up on my blogging.

Friday was spent in the city with Gwen. Em had a Groupon for bike rental in Central Park so we started off early. Even with stopping for breakfast (o.k. it was just coffee and yogurt at Starbucks) and walking we were there before the place opened. So we got strawberry tarts.

There is a bike path that bicycles are supposed to stay on with arrows pointing the direction you are supposed to ride in, I almost called one bicyclist a ‘dumbass’ right in front of Gwen. Oops. After I while I determined we were on the small loop, we wanted to get the whole park experience. We had the bikes for the whole day. This nice man with a poodle (a standard poodle, not one of the annoying midget versions) helped us figure out the way to get out of the circle, then he pointed to the far north part of the map, “Take the easy path over, you don’t want to go up or down this hill.” That sounded good to me, considering I can’t remember how long it had been since I had been on bike before Friday. It is true however, that you never forget.

When we spoke to this man we were between the Sheep Meadow and the Tavern on the Green, heading south, since we couldn’t turn around we continued south, looped around past the Carousel, the Mall and the Playfield to the exit for 72nd which is where the big loop starts. I knew I had made the right turn when the Loeb Boathouse came into view. Here is some very important information, when you see the sign for Belvedere Castle on the left side of the road and turn in, the way to Belvedere Castle is to the right, if you go on the path to the left (you should walk your bikes down here, its the law) you come to this building. Why is this important? This building at the edge of the Ramble, has bathrooms! Ladies to the left, Mens to the right. If you’re looking for it on the map, its the Ramble Shed.

We get back on the road and start riding and riding, I keep looking off to the left for the ‘easy’ trail, suddenly I notice we are riding next to Central Park West and ahead of us is the Great Hill. Gulp, oh boy. We made it, we conquered the Great Hill! We are amazing. We even rode the bikes on Broadway when we left to have lunch.

After we dropped the bikes off we did some shopping and stuff, but what made the day amazing was the bike ride in Central Park.

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>I took these pictures

Filed under: Manhattan, Weather
March 30, 2010

>

Last time Em and I were in the city. Spring flowers! And it was a pretty nice day too, not like recent weather. Actually these were taken in our yard. I told Stitch you know it is spring when the Crocuses stick their little purple heads up (I know they look kind of blue, but they are really purple). They are all flattened on the ground now because of all the rain, and have been overpowered by the daffodils.

I have no idea the name of these pinkish purple flowers, but they were blooming in Central Park so I snapped their picture. We were walking down a road through the park, I don’t remember where we were going at the time, we were either coming from or going to the Cold Water Creek store. I got a nice dress there on a really good sale. I kept stopping to take pictures so Em got way ahead of me. Of course she stopped and waited for me.

We stopped at Maxie’s Grill for lunch, Em said she thinks in the future we will just go there for drinks and dessert. We were hoping to see some of the game, instead they had on girl’s softball.

And these,

are Forsythia, not Forsynthia like some people say, there is no ‘n’, they are also a flower (or bush) that when I see it think of spring.

I don’t know what this last flower is but I know you see a lot of them during springtime,

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>I always do this

Filed under: Manhattan — 1 Comment
February 21, 2010

>Everytime Em and I go to Manhattan, I say, to myself usually, that I am going to blog about it Sunday. Everytime. And here I am again, a week later and nothing is written about it. Not to mention all the other things I have floating around in my head waiting to be blogged about. I have these wonderfully written posts written in my head and that is exactly where they stay, in my head until they disappear and then I sit here thinking, Now what was I going to say?

The last time we went to the city, which was a week ago yesterday, don’t want anyone to get their Saturdays confused here, we took Tigger and Fred. It had snowed and they wanted to see Central Park covered in snow, they also wanted to go to the Apple Store. When we got to GCT, Em was leaving for her nail appointment, leaving the boys with me, and they wanted to leave. I told them, I have to have my tea and yogurt from Starbucks, they wanted to know if they could start off and I catch up, Em and I both said, “NO”. So they waited. We left GCT and as we were walking down 42nd Street to 5th Avenue, one of them says, “I need a bathroom.” HUH? Weren’t we just at GCT, where there are bathrooms and why didn’t you say something then? ‘I didn’t have to go then.’ So So SO aggravating. The only place I could think of to take them was the library, and then I walked the wrong way on 5th Ave. Then I told them not to lose sight of me, and they said they didn’t, but I couldn’t see them. I was a little annoyed. Then in the park they started kicked a snow clot around. It got smaller and smaller until it was no more, no problem, they just got another. I was annoyed, as Em said later, she would have just ignored them. But since I’m not their mother, I don’t have that luxury. I tried to ignore them, watching the seals swim around and around, don’t they know how cold it is? Then Tigger gave me the camera, because he didn’t want anything to happen to it in his quest for revenge. Then Fred came back to stand between me and the fence, away from Tigger and when I looked at Tigger he had ice on his face and he was bleeding. When I told him that, he announced that Fred was now dead. This video was taken with my cell phone.
http://www.youtube.com/get_player

The cuts on his face from the ice weren’t that bad, and his eye didn’t swell up too bad, and he did eventually forgive his brother. Em met up with us in the park, pretty steamed up because she had a hard time finding us. Partially my fault, I told her we were near Wollman Rink. I said that because there was a sign with an arrow, guess we weren’t really that close to it. We took a carriage ride through the park (Em had promised Fred), with a smelly rug that was supposed to keep our legs warm. The driver pointing out where all the celebrities owned apartments. None of them were celebrities we cared about.

We finished up the day meeting a friend of the boys at Annie Moore’s for dinner. Em was proud of herself for not getting a scotch. Next up I will tell you about yesterday. Not nearly as exciting.

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Last Saturday

Filed under: Beauty, Manhattan
January 23, 2010

Em and I went to the city. Normally we go down together, but this time we didn’t. Em likes to be on the train platform 20 minutes before the train arrives. I am content to be there 20 seconds before the train arrive. How have we managed to stay friends so long? **shrugs**

She went down first because she had to be there for her nail appointment. I get mine done on Friday evenings normally, yesterday I went early because of going to see the movie. That will be in a later post. I wonder if I can do 10 posts today? I went down on the next train and stopped at Sephora (looking for new perfume) before going to the nail salon to see how much longer she would be. I also stopped at a discount fragrance store. They didn’t have the perfume I was looking for.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, to pretty to stay at the salon and wait for her, so I went to Bryant Park. It is pretty near the salon and Em said she wanted to go to Central Park after her appointment. I couldn’t decide if this man was (a) people watching, (b) waiting for someone or (c) guarding the park entrance. I came in a different way so if he was guarding the entrance, I managed to slip past him.

There was ice skating at the park so I watched the skaters for a while, then Em showed up and we went to Central Park. You can see how bright and clear the sky was, the temperature was above freezing but the ponds were still partially frozen. We both had our cameras. I had my little one and Em had her nice one and we were both taking pictures of the ice. In my sidebar is a slideshow with all the pictures I took.

Walking around looking at the ice on the ponds reminded me of the very first time I visited Central Park. It was also the very first time I was ever in New York, city or state. D and Em were living in Brooklyn and I was living in Florida (I grew up in Florida, remember that for the trivia contest), I had come up to visit them, it was November. Being from Florida I of course was not used to cold and did not have proper clothing. Em loaned me a coat and took me shopping for boots. We went to Central Park with a friend of theirs, a very nice young man named Andy. I took a picture of him, but I have no idea where it is now, if it even still exists. We took a carriage ride. I don’t remember much about it, just that we took one. We bought doughnuts and threw them on the ice for the ducks. Yes I know, I KNOW. I used most of my roll of film (pre-digital camera days) trying to get a picture of the ducks landing on the ice. They were coming in to land on the ice to eat the doughnuts, and sliding and falling on their beaks. It was so funny and I wanted a picture of it. I didn’t get one. Anyway, that is what walking around the park last Saturday looking at the frozen ponds made me think of, and I haven’t thought of that in years. I wonder which one of my many albums the pictures are in.

We went to a new restaurant for dinner. I don’t know where Em finds these places. The restaurant is called Rothmann’s NYC and was very nice. Not super fancy (I mean, they had a TV in the bar with the game on!) but very nice. A place you can dress up to go to but you don’t have to be in super formal clothes (I was wearing jeans). So we each had a drink, Em got a salad and we split a steak. She got dessert and I got a second drink, however, the dessert was big enough to share (hear me laughing at how clever I was?).

All in all, another great day in the city.

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>Sorry folks

Filed under: Manhattan
January 17, 2010

>I am seriously behind on my blogging. For that I apologize to my readers.

Yesterday Em and I went to the city. It was a beautiful day. I took lots of pictures and have to blog about it. Until I do, enjoy the updated slide show or go to my facebook account (if you are a friend of mine on facebook) and look at the pictures I took. I will be back later to blog about yesterday. Promise.

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