Day Four – Central Park
We slept in until 10. Weather hasn’t changed much overcast and cold again.

We catch the Subway to 57th Street to get to Central Park. We sort of have the ticketing system worked out and Kate is directing us to the correct stations by using her phone app. Wi-Fi is available at all the stations which certainly is a great help to tourists. Couple of old ladies across from me are interesting to say the least. One of them is continually rubbing her fingers and hands as if she is trying to shed all her skin while the other old lady has a nice little conversation with herself. A busker dressed in bright red pants starts playing a violin between stops. I seem to be relating my New York experiences to Seinfeld episodes. Fair enough as the series was set in New York. Before I left I watched an old episode where Jerry talks about catching the subway to Coney Island which is incidentally the line we travel on daily. He said something along the lines of .. I caught the Subway to Coney Island
and it took an hour and a half, after riding the subway for that long there way no way I was going to get scared riding the roller coaster!

Just a short walk to Central Park but you have to run the gauntlet of the hustlers trying to sign you up for a buggy ride. I am an easy take and would have taken up one of the offers. Kate put her foot down and said we should walk. One of the hustlers in desperation even offered us the ‘Chinese Price.’
We purchased a $2 map and set off on a fantastic 2 hour plus walk through the park. Time was 11:30 and we grabbed a hot dog and a drink. There is still ice on one of the smaller ponds. There is a hell of a lot to see such as the fountain that features on a Friend’s episode, Ice Skating, beautiful bridges and statues including a magnificent Alice in Wonderland. Kate has spotted her first squirrel and has gone all gooey. I bought some hot cashews then we stopped to watch another squirrel that was not to shy. Kate turned her back on the said rouge man-eater and when she turned back it was just about in her back pocket. The scream echoed around the park. I dropped a small nut on the ground and our new friend decided to follow us and then another squirrel did the same. I could have finished up like the Pied Piper of Hamlyn.
Of course Central Park in now also famous for a part of the park named Strawberry Fields. An area set apart to pray for peace and pay respect to John Lennon who was assassinated just across the road at the Dakota Building. We crossed the road to the infamous doorway which is now guarded 24 hours a day. There was scaffolding all around the lower floors and it was for me like going to Rome and seeing the colosseum hidden by scaffolding. All in all a very enjoyable morning and early afternoon.

Not far from the park is the Nike store and Tiffany and Co. More shopping in store. Five floors of Tiffany and Co. was just to much for me. I went around the corner to the Donald Trump building and had myself a coffee.
We decided to walk back up to Time Square. Manhattan itself is not overly big and walking between districts is not to tiring. I heard a couple chatting and they had very strange accents. They are from Burnie in Tasmania.

Dinner for the night was at Olive Garden in the Square. Sort of like an upmarket LaPorchettas. The food was excellent as was the service. Kate may want to change the R.S.L menu when she gets back there. Her chicken parma came with a side of spaghetti bolognese in her words ‘my two favourite

Rob Rowe