Out For a Walk

I went for a walk today, mostly through Central Park. The weather was beautiful, sunny with just a hint of mist in the morning light.

I entered the park at 67th street by Tavern on the Green. When you walk a ways up the road you pass by this gentleman.

Daniel Webster

Very serious isn't he? Walk a little further and you come upon this guy:

He's The Falconer, a replica of a statue in England. He's having a bit more fun than Mr. Webster.

The park is full of statues. Almost all of them men. There are only two women. One is winged angel on top of a fountain and strictly speaking she isn't really a woman, she's a concept in female form. (She was designed by a woman, Emma Stebbins.) The other is Alice in Wonderland, a fictional character. We're definitely underrepresented.

Here's Alice.
She suffers many indignities with people crawling all over her. I mean kids sure, I did it myself when I was little, but adults? What do you think Lewis Carroll would say if saw a strange man sitting on her lap?


And here is a little tidbit for all those fabulous Worst. Mamas. Ever.

In case you can't read it, it says: "Speak roughly to your little boy and beat him when he sneezes. He only does it to annoy because he knows it teases." It's a wonder no one's had it removed as politically incorrect. Or tried to sue the parks' department for emotional damage. Thank goodness.

Here's some budding actors at the band shell.

This man is playing a zither, really a zither and he's really good. I dropped some money in his little box and saw that he sells his cd's. I was tempted but part of what made it so wonderful was hearing the music live in the park. I think it would lose some of its magic if I played it in my living room.

At this point I firmly resisted taking a picture of two women park's department officers on horseback. I did get to overhear them chastise a pedi-cab driver and tell him to be a good boy.
Those pedi-cab people are amazing. They must be in some kind of shape to ferry bundled tourists around town while keeping up the guide routine.

Here's a woman amazed by an assortment of dogs. I wish I could have gotten you a better picture but I was a little slow on the draw.

This is my favorite statue in the park. He's perched right above the bike path, ready to pounce. I always wonder how many people actually see him as they go by.


The leaves have been very slow to turn this year. Some trees are still green. These guys still have green tops, like little caps.


I exited the park right by The Museum of Natural History. They've got a couple friends standing outside looking festive. I think they give the Library Lions a run for their money.


I wish I could make this picture scratch and sniff.

Further down 81st Street I passed Planterium Travel. I think it may be my favorite travel agency. I mean, look at this store front. I just love the little camel and the ship in the snow globe.


For my last picture I give you the First Baptist Church of New York. I love that tall tower, like something out of a fairy tale. But doesn't that lower tower on the left look oddly two dimensional, like it's been drawn onto the building in the back? Very strange.

All in all, a very nice day in the city.