Quiet in the City

Although the noises of the city have their own charm, sometimes it's nice to find some peace and quiet. That's easier said then done in NYC, but there are a few spots in Central Park in which you might momentarily forget that you're in the most populous city in the U.S. 

The dirt paths in The Ramble offer an opportunity to stroll through the woods with few other people around. In fact, I've never seen more than two other people on these paths. 

Shakespeare Garden is another peaceful place to explore. It's generally a bit more crowded than The Ramble but still provides a fairly quiet retreat. I love the stone paths and wooden fences. 

Dance & Fashion

Yesterday, I checked out the new Dance & Fashion exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology museum and it was great (and free!). It showcases dance costumes and designer clothing that was inspired by dance fashion. It's really cool to see how these two art forms come together. Some examples of the influence that dance has had on fashion include ballet flats, harem pants, and lightweight cropped sweaters like this. The outfits cover different time periods (from the 1800's to present) and include costumes from ballet, modern dance, and flamenco. It was beautiful and I would definitely recommend going if you get the chance! The exhibit runs through January 3rd. 

Something else dance-related: I recently watched First Position, a fantastic documentary about young ballet dancers training for the Youth America Grand Prix. It's amazing to see the dedication, talent, and passion that these kids have for dance! If you're interested, you can find it on Netflix. 

Governor's Island

I had been wanting to take the ferry out to Governor's Island for weeks and finally got around to it this weekend. It was amazing! Such a great (and inexpensive!) escape from the city. The ferry was just $2 and there are also certain times when you can catch it for free. We packed bread, salami, and cheese for lunch and had a picnic as soon as we got there (we had to eat fast though, there were quite a lot of bees). Then we rented a tandem bike and just biked around the island for a few hours, enjoying the fantastic views of the city and the Statue of Liberty. 

We caught the ferry from Manhattan at the Battery Maritime Building. While waiting for the ferry to leave we watched helicopters take off and land at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. 

I loved all the houses with cute porches on the island, it reminded me of a small town in New England with a town square. 

Neither of us had used a tandem bike before, but luckily we caught on fast. 

Riding on the backseat and not being able to steer was an adjustment but pedaling was (obviously) much easier with two. That said, if you're trying to actually exercise, these probably aren't the best option.

 I just couldn't get enough of those views. ^

You're allowed to bring food onto the island, but there are also a lot of food trucks. We took a break from biking and indulged in some dairy-free strawberry ice cream from Alchemy Creamery. We tried the cookie crumbs topping and it was SO good.

I loved this telephone sculpture! ^

Right before returning our bikes, we saw these awesome paddle-boarders. It looked like so much fun!

Next time I want to go with a group and rent one of the surreys! ^

Before we left, we relaxed in the shade for a while and listened to a concert (part of the Rite of Summer music festival).

I'd love to go back to Governor's Island! The bike paths are amazing, and although the island is small, there's really a lot to see and do!

Stargazing on the High Line

Last Tuesday night we decided to head over to the High Line to check out the free stargazing put on by the Amateur Astronomers Association and Friends of the High Line. For those who don't know, the High Line is a beautiful park re-purposed from an old railroad in lower Manhattan. Every Tuesday night (from April to October) members of the Amateur Astronomers Association set up telescopes for the public to use beneath the Standard Hotel. Keep in mind that this is NYC and is not particularly ideal for stargazing, so you won't get to see much. It's still fun to get a better look at the craters on the moon, though. We were told that after it got a bit darker some stars could be seen as well. 

One of the best parts of the event was actually just experiencing the High Line at night. I'd never visited in the evening and I loved seeing the moon, the city skyline, and all of the flowers lit up (photos below). The weather was also perfect- warm with a nice breeze coming off the river. I'd highly recommend making an evening trip, even if it's not for stargazing.

Afterwards, we stopped by Chelsea Market (just a few blocks away) for a bite to eat. We grabbed tacos from Los Tacos No. 1 and our favorite gelato from L'Arte del Gelato. We ended up getting a pint with two flavors because there's no such thing as too much gelato. We tried pistachio and mascarpone and while both were great, the mascarpone was the clear winner.

Have you visited the High Line at night? More importantly, anyone ever seen stars in NYC?