23: Central Park 1: Childproof

Long time, no post! We - okay I - am a lazy bum. We have been on 3 walks since our last post!!! I cannot believe this absurd delay. My instinct is to dish out excuses, but I will spare you the fluff. This walk (which happened mid-May) was our first through Central Park, and we got to experience many of the park's children attractions. Jared, Jill's husband, decided to join us for the first time!!! This may be because I forgot to wear my purple shirt, and therefore Jared was free to dress sans purple without judgment. Whatever the reason, we were stoked that he came.


Jared is SO excited to be at this statue marking the beginning of our walk. We are at East 67th and 5th Ave., and this sculpture is a monument to the 107th New York Infantry in World War I. While that seems mildly uninteresting - there is a cool part: it was designed by Karl Illava, who was a member of that Infantry Regiment. Holla.


This is the lush and lovely entrance to the park at East 67th. It was not hot as hell that day; it is today, just FYI


The happy couple posing on a cute little bridge. Okay - so this picture is corny to the max, I made them participate and yet it is kind of tender.


Another happy couple - of BFFs - chillin' in a gazebo. Side note: You know how many parks are named after obvious historical figures (i.e. Thomas Jefferson) or important, yet completely unknown local people (i.e. a park in my native St. Charles is called Blanchette Park, after our city's founder Louis Blanchette)? This little playground area in Central Park was called "Diana Ross Park." I love New York and the Supremes.


We posed next to these purple flowers to let that beautiful color know that we have not forgotten her completely.


As I was flipping through our pictures, it took me a minute to figure out the significance of this particular one. I am blind as a bat. Central Park is an amazing place to people watch; one can only hope that they will encounter a man using suspenders to hold up his elastic-waist heart, heart, heart pants.


This is the Delacorte Music Clock. I just thought it was a fun clock with animals, but little did I know that on the half hour, a nursery rhyme plays and these whimsical little instrument-wielding creatures move around the clock. We apparently were there around the quarter hour and therefore were completely and totally gyped.


Nothing like an awkward handhold to welcome us to the Central Park Children's Zoo. (they started skipping shortly thereafter)


Isn't this a great little sign? It talks about the fast lane but shows a turtle, which is known for being slow. How unique, funny and clever.


Okay - so these signs in the children's zoo are obviously cheesy to the max. Jared is pointing out his lack of a black tie. Jill is pointing out the appropriate penguin on Jared's polo. Apparently, if Jared did don a black tie - he would wear it much lower than most men.



Don't worry! While Jill is having a baby - it is not a walrus. The future papa is very disappointed.



First - the gift shop is called "Zootique," which, you must admit, is awesome. Second - this family went a bit nutso at the Zootique and felt that they needed to take home two huge grocery sacks full of memories.


"Enough pidgeons"!! BWAHAHA! Those clever sign makers are at it again!


Behind us are the sea lions. I have an overall aversion to animals, but nonetheless, I am totally fascinated by zoos. Bunches of people come to look at creatures stand there or swim or eat. I suppose it makes sense - but whatevs. Interesting fact: the Central Park Zoo is one one-hundreth the size of the Bronx Zoo.


This is a really long tunnel is central park. Jill appears to be line dancing. Jared would never line dance.


My computer screen is so very dark that I cannot see what is happening in this picture. I will revisit when I am at home. (Not that I blog while at work or anything)



There are always a bunch of performers in the park looking to earn a few bucks. Confession: Like this man, I too play the saxophone - well played the saxophone. Notice how this man, even in his pleated khakis, looks sort of jazzy. As you can tell by my corn-ball smile - I am zero percent jazzified - which is why I quit. That and the fact that being on the math team was far cooler than being in the band.


Remember the movie "Return to Oz"? Jill and I are being gnomes in one of Central Park's collections of big rocks.


In the winter, this is Wollman's Skating Rink. In the summer it is this carnival thing. In the winter, I loved walking home through the park and watching the families ice skate. Such a pleasant, happiness-inducing cold weather activity.


Jared grows weary.



This is the south end of the park. Jill and I both love views from in the park where you can see the tops of some tall buildings. It is sort of beautiful.


This little cottage is the Dairy. Apparently, there used to be a real dairy in Central Park. Weird. Now this building is a visitor's center and holds the park's reference library. I find it interesting that the park lacks a dairy but has a reference library. Do all parks have reference libraries and I was just unaware?



Jill and I began taking versions of this tree-peeking picture starting at youth conference 1999ish. I think we have photos of us peeking out from behind at least 7 trees over the 9 years. See - this is not a new thing. We have ALWAYS been nerdfaces.


Jared contemplates his move. He thinks he is so smart, because he just graduated from law school.


CHECKMATE! Just look at the surprise on his face as I dominate in this game of fake chess.


At this fun little gazebo chess/checker board place - these dudes are actually playing chess for real. They are super intense, and I really, really want to challenge one of them to a match - which I will undoubtedly lose. The fun part will be in seeing how quickly I lose.


Carriage rides through the park are a very popular thing. For this reason, Central Park South constantly smells like horse bum. Just so you know.



We have arrived at the carousel, aka the most fun thing ever.



Unlike me, Jared does not wear his emotions on his sleeve. He is actually more excited than I look. If you look closely you can tell.



My mouth is 14 times the size of any of my other facial features.



Jared's first close up! It really was too fun to have his company on the beebop. Jill looks minuscule in this picture. Or Jared looks huger than huge.



Jill and friend.


Jared and friend.


I accidentally deleted the picture of Meg and friend. AND my writing is mysteriously underlined now, and I have no control of it, and it will not stop.


The next few shots are of the most exellent carousel scenery. AND underlining continues.

I used to wonder why people were afraid of clowns. Maybe it is because they strap rockets to themselves, carry around shady black purses, wear Clark Kent glasses and have smiles that remind me of Satan himself.



These lovely swans are positioned right above the Lucifer clown. Such uniform decor.



This clown lacks the creeper smile, but has a hand that is both three times the size of his face and the exact size of his one button.



Jill pulled a fast one here. This blue-haired beauty was juggling just outside the carousel and was charging a dollar to juggle or have your picture taken. Jill caught him in the act without giving him a cent. A resume worthy accomplishment.



Our walk ends with us posing by the baseball fields.


It was, as you can see, the most enthralling part of our walk - so we had to take two pictures.




Now - this is a video of us on our absolutely too-much-fun carousel ride. I have not seen it but feel confident that I will be embarrassed.

22: NYC Street Fair

Sorry for the long absence. We missed a week due to an intense headache (Meg) and are late in posting solely due to laziness (me). Luckily, we're over it now, so get ready for TWO posts this week!

So two Saturdays ago we headed off to do a Rockefeller Center walk, but were distracted by one of our favorite things...

A NYC street fair! We love these. They are scattered all over town on the weekends throughout the summer, and always have the same stuff. The same awesome stuff!

Megan is kind of addicted to rings, and picked one up for a bargain price at this jewelry stand.

We had a fun time trying out sunglasses and both bought a pair at this stand (but not these). I love the sunglasses at the street fairs because they are only $5 - so I can lose or break them without feeling too bad.

I think this pink pair suits Meg's outrageous personality. Not quite her style though. (Sadly, this is something that was totally my style in high school - I had a pair of red sunglasses with red lenses that I sported for a while).

Another great part of the street fairs is the food. You can depend on seeing gyros on every block, along with fresh fruit smoothies, roasted corn on the cob, lemonade, deep fried this and that, etc. Yum.

A tricky part of the street fair is that we want to try on everything without actually talking to the salespeople (who are generally pretty pushy). It was a mad dash to photograph the most ridiculous item in the shop and run - like these weird "sunglasses."

(sidenote: I actually saw a person walking down the street in real life this past weekend, wearing these shades in orange)

Meg is one cool cookie.

We admired the earrings,

and bracelets,

thought of countless sock-animal possibilities,

pretended to shop for hideous bags,

and summer dresses (Meg bought one later after I ran off to a baby shower - I still haven't seen it but trust that it is cuter than this red number).

Meg thought about updating her look with more spikes and leather. We got caught by the salesman at this booth who encouraged the change. What do you think? Is she tough enough to pull it off?

I busted out some percussion skills from years past.

we get excited about really ugly stuff.

Meg came this close to buying this halter. It is one of those hideous "one-size-fits-all" numbers that really should be worn by no person or beast.

Did I mention that there are lots of gyros at the street fair? One thing we noticed is that hot 80's chicks really love their gyros.




I was most unhappy that there was not a churro stand in sight (even this Mexican food stand did not make them). That is actually what got us into this mess in the first place. You see, my body is not my own these days and the baby was demanding a churro - another street fair staple. I kept telling Megan, "just one more block," to find the churros, thus leading us further and further away from Rockefeller Center until we had reached a point of no return. We were fully committed to the street fair.

Isn't Megan cute?

I liked all the blue at this stand.

At last, we have reached our favorite part of any street fair - the finger puppet bin. We spent at least a half an hour here. These finger puppets are not all created equal. You have to really dig through the bin to find the best designs and craftsmanship. That's how they get you.

Look how awesome!!!!

Meg bought like 6 for nieces and nephews and I bought three for Jared and I to distract children with during church. Works every time.

Flashback: This was not our first visit to the bin - Meg and I were first suckered in when she came to visit me before moving here in the summer of 2007. We are powerless to resist the puppets.

So - hope you didn't mind looking at endless photos of us trying things on! We heart NYC street fairs.