Post Holiday Ramble

This year Christmas came and went without much fuss. Stacey and the crew hung out with us most of Christmas Day at home followed by a nice walk through the neighborhood after dark. We talked about what to do our last day together on the 26th, and the consensus was to hit Central Park. I'd already promised the girls a carriage horse ride over Winter Break so that worked out just fine for us. And since they wanted to take cousin Mimi with them, I did my best to make that happen. So we got up and ready on the 26th and headed into the city all together while Nacho was en route to New York from LA. The subway dumped us right at the edge of Fifth Avenue and the park, so we made our way across the street and I began to look for the right carriage to take. With such a tourist trap as a carriage ride, I wasn't sure what to expect exactly and I really didn't want to feel scammed the whole time we were riding. Fortunately I found a good Irishman with a horse named Clint to take us for a spin around the park and all worked out just fine. Elisa looked sufficiently pleased and I think even Mia got into it for a bit. Carolina was happy enough to sit on the edge of the seat and lean over as she took it all in. And I have to say, it was a perfectly spent 20 minutes. The girls even got to feed then horse some carrots afterwards which was fun. I know there's quite a bit of talk of banning the carriages from the city for lots of reasons, but I am glad we managed to do this once. The girls really loved it and I think it was worth the price which isn't always the case in this city. 

From there, we met up with Mark and Jordan near Poet's Walk and took in the fountain and walked past the Boat House for our obligatory bathroom break. I was enjoying testing out my new 35mm lens which I'm really loving so far, so the day felt like we had a little something for everyone. Then I thought why not the Ramble and a walk towards the edge of the park where we could exit and hit Shake Shack for lunch? It was nice to get lost a little in the trails that take you past the pond and through the old stone wall. We even had the pleasure of spotting an owl up in one of the trees and got to talk to a park conservancy member about it while we borrowed his binoculars. It was a gray day and slightly cooler than Christmas, but still very nice for a walk through the park in December. As we made it to Shake Shack, I started to think we might be up for a wait and eating outside. But no, it all worked out and we found a table downstairs and got to enjoy our meal in relative peace (minus Elisa who was sulking after Mia upset her and playing sick to get some attention I think). Anyway, we ate and indulged in some ice cream and then it was off again to the subway home. The girls goofed and I made the mistake of thinking the B train runs on the weekend, but hey, eventually we got back to Times Square and then on towards Queens. Not bad for a last day together in the city, and I think my girls will remember their special ride through the park for a while to come.