Quiet week into a quiet weekend

Which was fine by me.

Saturday morning I headed out to my favorite Starbuck’s and wrote for a bit before SB called. It was such a beautiful day, we took a walk, Ellie in tow of course, stopping at Sephora’s to ogle beauty products we didn’t need.

Afterwards we had lunch at her place – well, SB and I did. Ellie licked cream cheese off pita bread (gross) and then resisted her nap, getting crabbier by the minute. When she finally ate, the faces she made while immensely enjoying some delicious banana were hilarious. Are all kids this expressive?

That afternoon I spent a lot of time in the Park – wrote on a bench and ran the Loop. 6.1 miles! Woohoo! While I was running, my left hamstring and knee were achy, but today my leg feels okay. Maybe the pilates is working.

There are some excellent hills on the Loop. It’s interesting to see the entire jogging/biking/rollerblading population start to move in slow motion when we hit a steep one. Suddenly we runners are pulling ahead of rollerbladers, and some cyclists start walking their bikes. Then of course when we reach the downhill portion, everyone’s zipping past us.

I love the Loop because it takes me to parts of the Central Park I don’t otherwise see, like who knew there was a giant public pool? Probably lots of folks, just not me.

I was thinking yesterday how it’s taken me two years to really begin exploring the city. My first summer I was caught up with getting used to this new life, post-divorce, living on my own again. I spent most weekends wandering up and down 3rd or Park Avenue, visiting the same museums over and over.

Last summer I was caught up with dating DK, but I did start to get to know the Park a little then. Sometimes we’d meet at the Bandshell, and since he lived almost directly west from me, I learned to maneuver across the Park, rather than taking the very slow bus.

This summer I’ve finally gone out of my way to delve into this huge playground just a few blocks from my place, whether it’s reading by the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, climbing up Belvedere Castle, or trying to find peace in Shakespeare’s Garden.

On July 4th, I went running in the rain, and on my way home, I passed the little pond where people sail miniature boats. Usually that area is packed, but that day of course it was empty, and I was amazed at how peaceful it was with the rain falling on the water.

Yesterday I did some more exploring, this time walking to the East River. It’s pretty nice from the low 60s to about 75th Street, but after that you’re pretty much on the FDR, which between the fumes and kicked up grime, is not so fun.

I also woke up with a sore throat yesterday and was feeling kind of run down. So I didn’t mind staying in for most of the day and working my writing. I ended up revising three pieces, two of which are close to being finished, one of which kind of stinks.

This morning I was hoping to get up early and go to the gym, but last night some idiot stood below my window and screamed into his cell phone for a solid hour. I didn’t get to sleep till after midnight.

My throat hurts today too, and I still have that fatigued feeling. Lots of liquids and vitamin C, and a light workout at lunch. Hopefully, it’ll go away in a day or so, and not grow into a full-blown cold.

1 comment

  1. You painted a beautiful picture of life in the park. Good for you for getting out and enjoying it.

    The loop run sounds nice. I love running on hills.