Well, not quite. Not the land of Fred Flintstone and family. It was actually an unexpected trip to New York City that had us up from 3 in the morning to 1 the following morning. It started with a one hour ride to get to the bus that would take us on a 4 hour ride to NYC. After a brief 20 block walk on an incredibly gorgeous morn, we arrived where we needed to be, did our business (ahem), and proceeded to spend the rest of the day soaking up mid-town Manhattan before we had to return to complete our business.
We made a quick dash for fuel at a Barnes & Noble Starbucks, then another 20 block walk to Central Park. I’ve been to NY two or three times before. But now that I’ve walked in Central Park I feel I can honestly say that I’ve been to NYC.
We went everywhere on foot, because there was just so much to see and absorb. However, bicycles were a big part of the day as they were everywhere. Our introduction to biking in NY was almost watching a delivery truck take out a bicyclist just past the Lincoln Tunnel.
Turns out our bus driver was an amazing driver. He managed to fit that huge bus between said delivery truck (which was parked along side cars parked along the curb) and a parked car parked along the curb on the other side. Basically, it was a three lane road that the delivery truck turned into a four lane road by necessity. Cars got through without much problem. But a big hulking bus? Not so much. How our driver got our bus that far without a scratch is beyond me. I think his other vehicle must be a TARDIS.
The looks on the delivery truck driver’s face and the face of the traffic cop were priceless. They were obvious “how the hell did he get that thing that far without touching anything” looks.
Anyway, with a little prodding the delivery truck driver reluctantly pulled ahead and parked next to the curb on the other side of the street, almost running over a bicyclist in the process. I used that as a teaching moment for Henergy-On-Wheels™ to always be alert when on a bike.
And while it was heartening seeing all the bicycling going on in the Big Apple (especially while it’s totally optional and not the only legal form of personal transportation available), it was soooo much cooler seeing, walking, and being part of Central Park.
What wowed me and really appealed to the science geek in me was the prevalence of bedrock throughout the park. Not just stones and boulders, but actual, honest-to-gosh, primordial bedrock with all the air and moisture long squeezed out of it and sags from molten slags back in the day.
It was just SO. UNBELIEVABLY. COOL! It felt like I was walking on baby Earth.
Did I mention how cool it was?
And it was all over the park. We know, because we walked over half the park. We didn’t go to the zoo, but we saw a few ponds, the nature area, the skating rink, baseball fields, food vendors, paths and paths and paths and bicyclists. The amphitheater too. I even got in a game of chess with
Henergy-On-Wheels™ at the Chess & Checkers House.
Finally, after about 6 to 7 hours of walking around Central Park we decided to end the day at the Bethesda Fountain. This landmark figured prominently into the opening number of the 1973 movie Godspell and was one of the many places your Buang Biker™ had long wanted to visit.
We had just enough time before our afternoon business appointment to rest a little while. Henergy™ and Mrs. Biker were so wiped out they literally fell asleep on bedrock.
Bedrock. So coooooool.
Until next time (when I talk about the bolts on the drains in Central Park):
Pedal on!