Today was bittersweet. It was a gorgeous, sunny and mild Fall day in New York City. It was also our last day in the city.

We slept in late from a late night of seeing the Rockettes in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular followed by dessert and warm drinks with friends before returning to our hotel. When we woke, we had a big breakfast, packed our bags to leave them at reception and then headed out for the day.

One place we really wanted to introduce our girls to in NYC was Central Park. We walked through it on our first day and watched the girls climb the rocks and skip along the paths. We returned that night, after a full day of sightseeing, to have dinner at Tavern on the Green, a lovely restaurant that’s beautiful at night when it’s glowing from the lights and candles glimmering through its clear glass walls.

For today, our last day, we decided that Central Park was the best place to finish off our weekend get-away in NYC. After a morning of sightseeing around the northern part of the city, we headed back to the park to see a man about a horse.

Adventure-A-Day: Day 9

Her name is Patrizia. She is a beautiful horse and she led us all around the park this afternoon, showing us its pavilions, lakes, skating rinks and sites of famous movie scenes.

While we sat in the carriage with a warm blanket covering our legs we took in all the sights and the people of New York going by. Adding to our adventure was the warm salty pretzels and roasted chestnuts that we had picked up from the numerous vendors inside the park to nibble on. The only thing that could have made the whole experience even better would be having a famous New Yorker (an actor or musician) walk by. Our driver told us that he’s had numerous stars in his carriage over the years, his favourite being Robert De Niro. We didn’t see any famous people during our ride but maybe they were out there in their dark glasses and hats looking at us.

There were so many people in the park today – walking, biking, running, sailing little boats on one of the lakes and cheering on street performers and musicians. We could have easily spent the entire day there soaking it all up. But the airport was calling. We had to end our horse-drawn carriage ride and start the walk back to the hotel.

I was glad to have had the experience though, short as it was. Riding in a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park is the stuff of movies and great memories. I hope my girls will remember it fondly when they’re older and thinking back on their first visit to NYC.

Tomorrow I will wake up at home, in my own bed. Another adventure over but not forgotten.

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