Central Park in the Fall

This past Saturday was a beautiful day. Mike and I decided to go into NYC for a picnic in Central Park. We did it in the Fall last year as well, and we had such a good time that we said we have to do it next year. I had despaired of doing it this year; after all, it is November, and I certainly did not want to sit on a blanket in Central Park in bitterly cold conditions. I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather-even though I come from the Great North. But Saturday dawned warm and sunny without a hint of wind and so off we went. It was loads of fun! We wandered around FAO Schwartz (a huge toy store), and managed to leave with no purchases tucked under our arms! I was tempted to buy a stuffed giraffe for Nanna (she loves giraffes), but Mike informed me that the large giraffe cost $800.00. Sorry, Nanna. No giraffe for you this year. (Last year we bought a small stuffed animal - Pluto - but it never made it home. He was left in Central Park). Then we went to a deli, bought some sandwiches, and made our way to the park. We picked a spot on a hill close to the outdoor skating rink, and Jules and Mike wandered around making friends with all the people who had dogs. (Gregarious doesn't even begin to describe my husband). We also were near the building located on a hill that houses chess games. People can wander up to it and the building has all these outdoor tables with an inlaid chess board in them. You go inside, get your chess pieces, and play a game. It was very cool - I never noticed that place before. After our picnic, we walked near the Plaza hotel and watched some black guys perform some acrobatics. (As we walked up to them, they shouted at the largely white crowd, "Don't be afraid folks. We're just a bunch of black guys dancing. We won't hurt you!") Interesting. As we turned to leave, a person dressed as Elmo came walking down the sidewalk. Jules didn't know what she saw! Then, off to the Apple store. Not my idea of fun, but you have to please the hubby, and Mike really wanted to see it. After that, it was a bit of window shopping, I could have had my picture taken with some Abercrombie model, but informed Mike I would pass. And Mike shrugged and said, "Why do you need a picture with him? Look at what you've got!!!" So, that was our picnic in Central Park.
P.S. not that I really wanted a picture with that dude, anyway. Just in case you get the wrong idea. :)