NYC Parks

Most of our weekends are filled with strolls around different neighborhoods and through the various parks in the city. Even a small gathering of trees gets me pretty excited these days. Before moving here, I didn't realize how much I would miss green space. I actually thought that everything being made out of concrete and steel would be a positive, mostly to relieve my allergies. But as it turns out, there are enough other particles in the air that the good ol' allergies are still in full swing, leading me to the realization that there is probably no city on Earth where they will totally disappear. 

Anyway, we love finding new parks, even if they are only one block wide. I'll cover my favorites in this post, all of which are totally free! (the best part!) 

The High Line

From their website: 

"The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It is owned by the City of New York, and maintained and operated by Friends of the High Line. Founded in 1999 by community residents, Friends of the High Line fought for the High Line’s preservation and transformation at a time when the historic structure was under the threat of demolition. It is now the non-profit conservancy working with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to make sure the High Line is maintained as an extraordinary public space for all visitors to enjoy. In addition to overseeing maintenance, operations, and public programming for the park, Friends of the High Line works to raise the essential private funds to support more than 90 percent of the park’s annual operating budget, and to advocate for the preservation and transformation of the High Line at the Rail Yards, the third and final section of the historic structure, which runs between West 30th and West 34th Streets."

This is one of my all-time favorites. Raised up a few stories and extending over more than 20 blocks, the High Line is definitely one of a kind. It's adjacent to the Hudson River on Manhattan's west side and gives you great views of some of the trendiest parts of town. It's great for a stroll during a hot summer day, as there are tons of scattered vendors selling ice cream and other frozen goodies. Personally I like the park best at night when you have views of Manhattan's skyline lit up and sparkling. 

Carl Schurz Park 

At the entrance to the park

Casey and I explored this little gem last weekend, and loved it! We even checked out apartments close by afterwards, only to find that they are just as expensive as living right near Central Park. And here I thought we were the first ones to realize that living close to Carl Schurz Park would be awesome. Blast. 

Anyway, this is much smaller than the High Line, but is unique in that the trees are old and huge, and you feel like you have escaped the city once you enter. It overlooks the East River and you also have views of Roosevelt Island and Queens right across the river. From their website, here is a bit of history about the park: 

"The Carl Schurz Park Conservancy is the oldest community-based volunteer park association in the city of New York. In the 1970s, concerned parents banded together and organized a funding campaign to supplant drastic parks budgetary cuts and save the Carl Schurz Park playground from further ruin.  Working in close partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the Conservancy has become the citizen caretaker of Carl Schurz Park, allocating its operational and capital funds as the City and the Conservancy assess the state of the park, and the programs the community will enjoy and value."

We actually saw a volunteer working on the weekend, pulling weeds and digging for new plants - not a bad way to spend an afternoon. There was also a dog park and basketball courts! The walking path also extends south beyond the park along the East River, following the FDR freeway - it's a bit more noisy there but still a nice view for a job, for those who are so inclined. Here are a few more pictures from our tour: 

One of the buildings overlooking the park

Escape from the concrete jungle

The East River and northern end of Roosevelt Island

The East River and a view of a bridge going to Queens

John Jay Park

The first accessible pool I've seen in NYC!!! It was nestled right in John Jay Park, a few blocks south of Carl Schurz and also situated near the East River. This park also has basketball courts, outdoor squash, and vendors selling tasty snacks. Not to mention-- a POOL! 

Riverside Park

Riverside park is located on Manhattan's upper west side, and is one of the most spectacular places to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. From the NYC Parks website: 

"Stretching four miles from 72nd to 158th streets along the Hudson River, Riverside Park is widely regarded as Manhattan's most spectacular waterfront park. As one of only eight officially designated scenic landmarks in the City of New York, it has a long and storied history.

Since 1875, the landscapes of Frederick Law Olmsted have offered escape from the city and opportunities for people of all incomes to relax, play, and socialize in tranquil settings. These landscapes contain rocky precipices, sylvan lawns, and groves of mature elm trees. From Riverside Drive, the land terraces down steeply in three levels to a manmade shoreline and promenade, constructed between 1937 and 1941 under the administration of Robert Moses. The designers, Gilmore D. Clarke and Clinton Lloyd, added 134 acres to the park and twenty-two modern recreational facilities. They wove through this extraordinary collection of active recreation and scenic areas a vital north-south automobile artery and a railroad running in a tunnel under the entire park."

We have a couple of friends who live on the upper west side, less than a block from Riverside, and we never miss an opportunity to visit the park when we see them! 

Central Park 

The Great Lawn with a shot of one of the T-ball fields

 And who can write about parks in New York City without mentioning this little guy? I can't even begin to cover everything that this magical place has to offer, so I will just leave you with a brief description of our favorite spot so far. There is a set of benches just south of the Great Lawn that are completely covered by a canopy of interlacing trees. From here, you can hear the seemingly far away cheers from proud parents watching their child's first T-ball game. You can also hear the soft melodies from a jazz group that sets up in the same spot every week, and it is as if the park itself is playing a song, just for you. There is the laughter of the child set free to run on real grass, and the tears from the child who has to go home, always too soon. There are people sitting silently, lost in a good book, and people talking too loudly into their phones about some important deal that needs to be reworked. From our bench, we have a glimpse into so many human lives - the joys, sorrows, and anticipations that constitute people's days - and we always seem to lose track of time here. So, Central Park, and all of the parks in NYC that remind us that there is more than just cabs and skyscrapers in the city, here's to you!

A spot where you can rent paddle boats and tour the pond

The Bronx Zoo

As promised, I will continue in the blasting of new posts. Last weekend Casey and I went to the Bronx Zoo for my birthday. It was awesome! We just took the express subway train north for about 25 minutes, and walked to the zoo from there in about 5 minutes. Living on the upper east side makes getting to the Bronx super convenient, and super cheap! Plus tickets were only $16 per person, which is one of the cheapest ways to spend an afternoon outdoors (besides Central Park) in NYC.

I was amazed at how enormous and green the zoo was. Casey said it's the largest urban zoo in the world, and I totally believe it. We were there for over 3 hours and probably got to only two thirds of the exhibits. Highlights included the polar bears and regular bears, tigers, giraffes, a reptile house (from which a Cobra escaped a few months ago!), the rodent palace, a section devoted to animals from Madagascar, and lots of other interesting creatures. And of course, no zoo trip is complete without a stop at the ice cream stand! Here are a few photo highlights from the day:

So much green!

Glorified donkeys. Still awesome. 

Felt like I could almost reach out and touch the giraffes.

Failed attempt to get a giraffe in the background.

The only animal that seems to be allowed to roam all over every zoo. Too fat to fly, maybe?

Explanation for why peacocks stick around: Sun Chips. 

I think this guy is from the Madagascar exhibit. 

Snoozing polar bear

The bears were super active!

Favorite image of the day - he was trying to scratch his chest!

I think this would be my dad's favorite critter...

Pretty lawn / hang out area

More dudes from Madagascar 

Lemurs!

Sea lions in the distance

Another favorite - Tiger mountain

A Charity Gala and a Decision

Hi friends and family! I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog post - time has managed to slip away from me. Hopefully I can make it up to you by blasting a bunch of posts all at once! First, just a few updates. Casey is still working pretty long hours at his job, so no huge updates there. To make the hours seem less terrible, every once in a while the company throws swanky parties and invites everyone to come. A few weeks ago they threw a charity party for KIPP - a system of public charter schools founded in Houston back in 1994. The theme was a "Casino Night" and they had lots of fancy foods and fancy people. Here are a few photos from their professional photographer:

The next cover of GQ? I think so!

Most non-charity-party days at work are a little less glamorous, and look something like this in my mind:

In other news, I finally came to a decision as to which school I'll be attending after months of (what I wish I could say was) well-thought-out deliberation. I decided about a week before the deadline that I will be going to Cornell this fall - classes begin in late August. Both Mount Sinai and Cornell had revisit weekends where you get to talk to current students, faculty, and other students who have been accepted. They show you around the city, feed you free meals, and give short lectures on why their programs are the best. After both weekends, I ended up kind of just going with my gut where I felt like I fit in, but both schools are great places to study and I don't think I could have made a bad choice. That being said, I am super excited to start at Cornell in the fall! Especially excited about their curriculum, which uses a lot of small group case-based studies in conjunction with the normal lectures. Plus, classes only go from 8-1 every day, so I'm hoping to have a lot (or at least some) free time to continue exploring the city. And writing my blog!

Well, I think that is it for updates over the past month or so. We're excited for the summer to begin and have heard that summers in the city are a ton of fun. Some of the things that are on the list are Shakespeare in the Park, exploring Coney Island / other beaches in the area, and concerts by the NY Philharmonic in Central Park. If you have any ideas of what we should do, feel free to comment! We are definitely open to suggestions.

We're also looking forward to doing a little traveling - next week we're going to LA and San Diego. Casey will be attending a conference for work, and I will be poolside most of the day. Later in the summer we also hope to make a trip to the Midwest and New Mexico to catch up with family and friends. That's all for now, thanks for reading!