Central Park Run

Moving right along to my New York City posts to finish out the year.  I arrived around midnight in Time Square on Wednesday night, but took the opportunity of being alone in NYC to head out for my very last run of the year through Central Park.  Everybody was a bit worried about the weather & snow conditions as I headed up to NY & there was still quite a bit of snow on in TS & even more on the side roads that morning.

I’ve traveled to NYC a few times for work, but haven’t *visited* the city properly since I was in high school with my church youth group.  I was staying at the north end of Times Square, so in just a few short minutes, I’d made it to the south end of Central Park.   There was still a significant amount of snow on the ground in the park & the crowd out on the ice skating rink was fairly light.

Lots of snow,  lots of trails, lots of gorgeously ornate bridges that I’d love to check out.

The main fountain was obviously all snowed it, but I can only imagine how spectacular it is during the summer.

Past more frozen ponds & ornate bridges, I arrived at the Jackie Kennedy Reservoir- some of it frozen, the fountain sill going & a few birds trying to keep warm.

The view was stunning as the morning sun drenched the skyline in a warm glow.

Continuing my run, I discovered there are quite a few hills on the main road.  After 1 particularly good slip on the ice, I decided to stick to the main paved roadway which was mostly clear.  There were tons of people out running, but I’d occasionally get the break where I’d feel all alone.

Back on the other side of the formidable reservoir, the view was even better.  There was a dirt(mud/slush) walking trail around this side & the adjacent skyscrapers are very close.

I was so stoked to say I’ve run through Central Park & I’m even more hopeful that I can get into the New York City Marathon some year.

Exiting the park, I came across the horse-drawn carriage area & it’s much more smelly than romantic.  There are so many fun buildings & secret winding paths through the park that I’d love to explore during the summer.

I headed out of the park & wanted to take a different route around to see a few more things on my way back to the hotel.  Lots of Christmas decorations (and crowds!) along 5th Avenue & I decided to make a literal quick dash to the grocery store to stock up the room on snacks for our big NYE party in our room.  That’s what $25 worth of groceries gets you in the Big Apple.

My Garmin didn’t work worth a flip in the city surrounded by all the buildings, but I was geeked out to get this map of my running path around Central Park.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Another afternoon at home tomorrow, hopefully catching up on year-end stuff, photos and blogging.