Van in New York City (1) Visiting Northamerica

Hey guys,

I still can't believe that it happend and that I've been to NYC. I wanted to visit the city that never sleeps for such a long time and finally, I had the chance to do so.

I've experienced so great things abroad and I'm still completely overwhelmed of all the impressions and adventures there. Because there's so much stuff I'd like to tell you, I've decided to split the posts into several parts and topics.

Starting with the northern part of Manhattan - or New York - because people say that when they talk about 'New York', they talk about 'Manhattan'.

Picnic in Central Park

Following a suggestion in our travel guide, we had a picnic in Central Park. Directly around the corner at Columbus Circle you find Whole Foods Market, a market selling organic and premium food with non GMO (Genetic Modification). In comparison to other markets or grocery stores, the products are a little bit more expensive but therefore very healthy. You find a really big selection of grocerys and in my opinion, especially people having food allergies or intolerances find a lot of food there. Several counters serve fresh prepared food like sandwiches, salads, soups, sushi, ..., and if you want you can prepare your own lunch package from a fresh buffet. This is what we did. We both created our own salad lunch package and after having chosen some fruits for dessert we went into Central Park to find a nice place for having a picnic.

I fell in love with the view around us. We were sitting in a huge park surrounded by skyscrapers and other high buildings directly in the middle of a lively, stressful city full with people. This is the place whereto you can escape to chill out.

Some streets in the park are free for cars but the traffic is quite light. The other park paths are free for pedestrians, bikes and joggers. On the grassed areas you see parents playing with their children, students having a break and /or learning in groups, couples cuddeling in the park, people having a nap or reading a book... So many people come together in the park and you recognize clearly that they really enjoy their time there.

Of course, Central Park is filled with tourists and, but that's mainly at the entrance, a lot of people who want to sell their stuff to them, like souvenirs and park guides. They offer horse buggies or rides through the park and not to forget, there are many stands selling food and drinks. For me, all this 'catch for tourists' was a little bit annoying but that's what you have to handle in such a big city. So don't let yourself get distracted from flashy people - focus on the park itself. Central Park is amazing and endlessly beautiful!

There are not only grassed areas and little pathways in the park - there are also some small lakes. If you like you can book a boat trip on them or just sitting there next to them and getting influenced by the atmosphere, like I did.

Besides Central Park, what is definitely the biggest park in Manhattan, you find also some smaller parks in the city, like Bryant Park next to the Public Library, Madison Square Park and Union Square Park.
We liked sitting in a park having a picnic so on one day we had lunch at Bryant Park and then we enjoyed dinner in Madison Square Park on a warm and nice evening.

Did you ever visited Central Park or any of the others in NYC? Which one was your favorite?

I hope to see you again for the next upcoming blogpost about my trip to New York City! :-)

Kisses,
Van