a walk in the park

At ten this morning, M and I meet Sid in Central Park.  He is going to be our tour guide.

Months ago I bought a Groupon for Gotham City Tours; today I use it.  It is sunny but cold.  And in the park it’s windy.  Not the best day for walking and talking.  

Sid, who is Albanian and Turkish, grew up all over the world.  He has visited 48 countries, went to school at Hunter, and is an expert on the history of Central Park.

I have been in the Park hundreds of times, seeing but not seeing.

We start with the whispering bench.  M sits on one side; I sit on the other, and our whispers are amplified from one end to the other.

Sid takes us through the southern half of the park.

We see the 1959 bronze statue of Alice in Wonderland. It includes a caricature of the philanthropist George Delacorte who commissioned the statue for the children of New York.

Hans Christian Andersen is a better looking guy.

The park was designed to allow a steady stream of traffic.  But to keep the park separate from the noise of urban life, the roads were all built below the level of the park grounds.

It costs $7,500 per year to have a plaque on a park bench.  I like this one.

It really is a beautiful place.  Although this I knew before today's tour.

 Before leaving, we pay our respects to John.

And even see a little bit of spring, struggling to make its way out.