Central Park, New York City, New York

When you visit a place like Central Park, you have expectations. And mine included a vast area of nature in the middle of a sprawling urban jungle. It sort of was that and it sort of wasn’t. I think I forgot that it was a park like any other one I could find in my own city and not an actual wilderness full of untouched human land. I don’t even know why I had this concept of Central Park to begin with. I’d seen enough photos of Mariah Carey walking her dog on the concrete pavements to know better.

There WAS plenty of beautiful greenery to be sure. We went out when it was getting dark and the lights turned on. Not going to lie, I was a total tourist gaping at the fireflies. They were kinda magical and turned the place into an enchanted forest.

The fact that there seemed to be an actual castle/fortress/THING did nothing to detract from the magical. Oh and the horse and carriage rides that I did NOT take advantage of because, come on, I’m not THAT touristy.

I do have to confess though that Central Park did surprise me in a few other ways. Like seeing skyscrapers rising over the treetops or women running through the park alone as night crept in. The city right outside reminded me that we were right in the middle of the ultimate concrete jungle and as a result I expected the same type of crime that comes with such cities. No one else seemed to feel that way though. I know back at home there was no way in hell I’d go jogging through the park alone at night. No Way in Hell. But it was the norm in Central Park.

Even though the park was filled with non-nature things like castles, fair rides (really?!) stone structures galore, and skyscrapers looming above, it still was a great escape from the honking cab drivers and busy world outside. Seeing the locals and how they escaped here made me also appreciate home–I could have a baseball game in dozens of spots, finding an open field and a place to run isn’t difficult. But in New York? This park is a veritable wonderland.