Bryant Park

From Macy's, we walked north on 6th Avenue towards Times Square. My cousin Cody, his wife Caureen, and their three kids were visiting the city, and they had invited us to dinner that night. We were going to meet up with them at an Italian restaurant in Times Square. We still had some time to kill before our arranged time, so when we reached Bryant Park (6th Avenue and 42nd Street) we decided to stop and hang out there for a bit.

I really like this park. It is a nice size (bigger than most parks in Manhattan, but much smaller than Central Park) and sits just behind the NY Public Library. We've been there a few times before, but usually around the holidays when its expansive lawn is converted into an ice skating rink, and the surrounding terrace and walkways are full of booths for the holiday fair. It wasn't very crowded at all when we were there last Friday, which was a nice change.

We found a seat at a table nearby the large fountain at the park's west end, and I left Brian to go find a bathroom. I'd heard that Bryant Park had really great bathrooms, but had never found them before. This time, we weren't in a rush to see anything else, so I had time to walk around and find them (they're on the east end, near the library). The bathroom was surprisingly nice, for being a small public restroom in NYC. Classical music was playing in the background, and very pretty flower arrangement greeted me when I first walked in the door. There was a small vase of fresh blooms on the counter by the sinks, and the air smelled of potpourri. The whole room was very clean, maybe just because the worker was in the process of cleaning it, but it seemed like it is generally in a much better state than most public bathrooms. 

I took my time walking back to Brian. I love the rows of maple trees that run around the park. Their bark is so beautiful, and they provide such a soft contrast against the steel and glass of the buildings just across the street. I also loved the beautiful blue and yellow pansies that were planted throughout the park. Their happy faces were loving the cool, moist weather.

    

As all parks in NYC, it is ringed by towering buildings on all sides. It was strangely quiet and calm in the park, even with the continuing bustle of foot and vehicle traffic on the streets running around it's perimeter. 

The east end of the park runs right up to the back of the NYPL. The back of the library building isn't as ornate as its front exterior.

Brian just loves it when I ask him to take a selfie with me...but he is a good sport and will stand there as I take multiple pictures, trying to get the best one.

From the park, we walked the couple blocks west to Times Square. On the way, we found this sculpture that Brian wanted to stop and look at. He thinks it is supposed to be a modern take on Michelango's David, and after looking at this picture of it again, I think he's right. It was kind of cool.

We made our way through the crazy crowds of Times Square, reminded once again why we avoid this place. This time, instead of just the normal costumed characters like Elmo and Mickey Mouse, and the not so costumed characters like the naked cowboy, we glimpsed a couple of girls walking topless through the crowds with U.S. flags painted across their bodies. When we realized what we were seeing, we quickly looked away and quickened our pace, but it wasn't quick enough to unsee that. We knew Times Square was New York's Las Vegas strip, but we'd never run into complete nakedness before. Yikes!

We were meeting my cousins at Bucca di Beppo, and Italian Restaurant on 45th Street just off of 7th Ave. It shares a building with Planet Hollywood. We got there a bit early and waited outside by the entrance for Cody and family to arrive. We almost go swallowed up in a high school tour group lining up to go inside. We didn't have to wait too long before we saw them coming down the street. It was so nice to see familiar faces!

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We took the elevator up to the restaurant, and were greeted with the delicious smell of pasta and tomato sauce as exited the elevator. The walls were covered with pictures and photographs. A black and white picture of an enormous man (probably 300 to 400 pounds) sitting on a stool was the first to catch our attention. He was a big dude, and probably had way too many of the restaurant's 1/2-pound meatballs! 

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We were seated at a large round table, underneath a ceiling decorated with wine bottles. The restaurant is family style, so we ordered three or four dishes to share. We tried the baked ziti (my personal favorite), and order of the spaghetti with the baseball-sized meatballs, and shrimp diavolo. It was a fun place, and we enjoyed the food and the company. It was so nice to catch up with them, and see their kids. We miss all of our family and friends from home, and love the opportunity we get to see any of them. Hint, hint. *ahem* After a dessert of Italian creme cake and cheesecake with raspberry sauce, we packed up to go. They were so nice, and told us to take all the leftovers home with us. We ate it for dinner the next two nights!

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As we headed out the restaurant, I thought for a moment that it was still light outside, but then remembered where we were and that said light was not from the sun but all the billboards of Times Square. What a crazy place! We said goodbye to them outside and split ways. We walked back towards Bryant Park, because the night was so nice. On our way we got a great view of the Empire State Building all lit up for Easter.

It was quite pretty. Just before heading down into the subway, we caught a good view of the Chrysler Building as well. It's such a fun building, and looks even cooler when it's lit up at night.

    

After our busy day, it was nice to get to spend the next two days at home together, watching General Conference. It's one of my favorite times of the year. Since it was Easter, we made eggs benedict for breakfast. We'd only tried to make this once before when we lived in Idaho, and it hadn't turned out very good. But it is an Easter tradition in Brian's family, so we tried our hand at it again. This time our efforts were met with success and it was delicious. I think we have the hang of poaching eggs now, and our homemade Hollandaise sauce turned out perfectly. It was a wonderful weekend and a beautiful Easter Sunday.