Headphones and Nail Polish: Typical Day in the Park

I think I just had one of the most relaxing weekends that I've had in a while. I had no set plans with anyone so I just decided to spend some time cooking and doing other domestic things that I normally put off.

I also got to do one of my favorite things in the city, which is walk around town and just observe everything around me. This weekend's chosen neighborhood, the upper west side. There's just something about this area that makes me feel so calm. Even in my worst mood, I will cheer up instantly. There's a perfect ratio of shops, restaurants/bars, park space (it's sandwiched between Riverside Park and Central Park), and it's fun place to people watch in an area of mostly senior citizens and families with small children.

One of the things I usually avoid in NYC are the typical tourist attractions. After living here for almost 3 years, I have discovered so many things that this city has to offer, that I don't even go near tourist areas unless I have out of town visitors. This time, however, I wanted to test out a new telephoto lens that I recently got as a gift, and I figured Central Park would be a great spot. The zoom on this lens is so ridiculous that this place would be perfect for someone to walk around with a "paparazzi" dslr.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day:

I love how candid this one is! It's like one couple going in, one going out.

While I was in Colorado during Christmas, I took a similar photo, where the lake was completely frozen, and there were children (and my two siblings) walking on the ice, can't do that here.

An opportunity to use the 300mm zoom across the lake. The father and son were throwing bread to the ducks, and I thought that was so cute.

This guy was playing guitar and a harmonica at the same time, I hung around to listen as I was taking pictures, but everyone else seemed to just walk by.


I don't particularly like how the tree branch is in focus and the people are not, but I thought it would be fun to photograph other people taking a photo.

After I left the park, I decided to go get my groceries for the week, but of course I got sidetracked by something else. I was passing by a flea market that is only open in a school yard on Sundays, and I couldn't help but check out what unique things it had to offer.