Central Park

Laszlo, Emma, Ria and Gina at the Park

Contrary to what I've seen in the movies, Central Park does not seem to be simply a haven for muggers. 

It is primarily a lovely and peaceful greenspace in the heart of the ultimate urban setting, where you can buy a horse and buggy ride or walk freely to your heart's content. 

Emma

At the suggestion of Z, who was unable to join us, we met up with Gina, Emma and Ria at Columbus Circle to stroll around Central Park.  For $2 each, I bought a bran muffin form myself and a hotdog for Julie at a cart by the park's entrance, which made a tasty breakfast.  Jay had already eaten a muffin he picked up at Grand Central Station. We mostly walked and talked, checking out the baseball fields and monuments, enjoying a very pleasant outing and giving the world the opportunity to see Emma in her stroller.

Emma, Gina, Laszlo

In the end, this was primarily a family visit with a few sites mixed in, but Jay checked out some chessmen from a recreation building and proceeded to whip me at chess on one of the outdoor chessboard tables that could have been a set for a movie.  In fact, there was a couple playing chess two tables over who had an impressive-looking movie camera pointed at them from the adjacent table. 

Emma and her Mommy

As we found in subway stations and trains, there were also street musicians and other buskers performing for coins or folding money.

We planned to go for lunch, but after getting some Jamba Juice from a nearby underground supermarket, we realized we needed to head over to Emma's afternoon doctor appointment, to which we walked.

Sleeping Emma

The photos in this post actually weren't from our visit.  My son-in-law Laszlo, who had to work the day we went to Central Park, gave me a CD of photos as we were leaving, and these are some of the photos from that disk.  I am embarrassed to say that I forgot to bring a camera and relied on Jay's camera, and now we can't find the cord necessary to upload his pictures.  Anyway, aren't Emma and her parents beautiful?

Emma and her Daddy