I have actually lived in New York City but I have never had such a good day there as my family did today. OK, it doesn’t hurt that it was an exceptionally beautiful, warm (60 degree) day in late December. The city was packed – crazier than I had ever seen on previous holiday trips. People flocked to the park to enjoy an unseasonable Christmas holiday.
Central Park is very large – 2 1/2 miles by a 1/2 mile. It is the most visited and most filmed park. There is so much to do – that you could probably spend a week here and still not see and do everything in the park. Of course the best (and cheapest) activity is a stroll in the park. There are so many paths and trails – you can jog, rollerblade, bike or just take a leisurely walk. We had a great walk today and ended up spending a good part of the day there.
For the first time, we enjoyed the famous Central Park Zoo. We actually bought our tickets on line as we were in the queue – and saved 10% and time. It’s a small but surprising zoo with snow leopards, penguins, seals and a rainforest area (and more). There is also a “Children’s Zoo” – just a short walk from there, where we entered FREE with our admission to the regular zoo. It’s fun for the kids – with interactive activities, a petting zoo and a screened in aviary area. Both zoos are small enough to see in a couple of hours but you can take your time and really enjoy a quality visit as well.
We then got a strawberry/Nutella/banana crepe from a food truck – it was very good (coming from someone who lived in France). We sat on a bench and people watched, then climbed rocks as all the kids loved to do. There are TONS of rocks to climb in the park.
We walked over to the queue for the carriage rides through Central Park. I love carriage rides and my daughter even more so. The driver was very cool and let her climb in the driver’s seat and help drive – PRICELESS. The rides aren’t cheap – $60 for the ride (NOT per person charge) but if you go with bunch of people, not a bad cost for 20 minutes. Much cheaper than skydiving!
We were going to ice skate but it was a mob scene – being such a temperate day. It costs $12-$19 adults, $5 -$9 seniors and $6 for youth. It is CASH ONLY and skate rental is $9.
No matter what you do, don’t forget to visit Central Park – there’s something for everyone!
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