Fall in the City

Since the trees at school have started changing colors, my friend and I figured that it would be a perfect time to see the start of the Autumn season in Central Park. Since we're both from Southern California, we obviously still get the different seasons, but we wanted to really see and experience the change (and not just in terms of the weather).We met up with my aunt, who decided to take us around for some sight seeing and shopping before lunch at The Central Park Boathouse.

We met at the subway and our first stop of the day, after a quick bite at Starbucks, was Time Warner Center. Now, back home in the Valley, we have a Warner Center, but I would choose NYC's Time Warner Center and The Shops at Columbus Circle over the one back home any day! This mall is absolutely stunning, making an impact architecturally, in the selection of stores and boutiques, and even in the food department. We didn't spend too much time there since we had a busy day and lunch time was fast approaching (I'm not the nicest when I'm hungry). However, we were able to fit in a little shopping, both window and actual, and my aunt showed us some of the popular eateries like Bouchon Bakery and per se, and made vows to come back ASAP.

We walked around The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, looking at dates, times, and trinkets, and did some more shopping, we finally made our way over to Central Park. My aunt pointed out The Dakota, where John Lennon lived and was shot, walked by Strawberry Fields, and while by the Bethesda Terrace we were able to listen to the different groups of people singing and playing various instruments and get our fall scenery pictures like this one. I'll admit we were a bit early for the shots we wanted, but it was still pretty and perfect weather as well.

After our stroll, we headed up to The Loeb Boathouse, ready to eat a hot lunch and enjoy the view of The Lake. Unfortunately, they did not accept reservations and we arrived at the peak of lunchtime and they we're 100% booked till dinner time. We decided to just eat at the cafe behind the restaurant, which was also so busy, that they had run out of the majority of the food on the menu. We ended up with two vegetarian chilis and a tuna sandwich and took our meal outside. The chili was actually stock full of giant chunks of assorted vegetables, very filling, and was a delicious meal on the cool day.

After our lunch, we continued to stroll around Central Park and made our way over to Bryant Park to check out the kiosks and booth that were recently set up. We did some more window shopping, checked out the trinkets, and eagerly accepted the free samples at Max Brenner ("Nuts", caramelized pecan rolled in praline paste and fine cocoa powder, are too die for!)  and other vendors. Overall it was a beautiful day with a lot of walking, sightseeing, and great food that we ate and can't wait to eat.