Central Park on a Summer Saturday

The Mall and the Literary Walk -- One of My Favorite Spots in the Park

I finally feel like I'm settling into life in the city. My nephew was visiting this weekend, so we trekked all over Manhattan but spent a couple of hours in Central Park in the afternoon. I only live 10-12 blocks from the southern end of the park now, and I'm really not taking enough advantage of it. (I did go running in the park a few weeks ago but got overzealous, ended up around 96th street somewhere and realized that I had 50 blocks to walk home ... bad plan.) The sights from yesterday definitely inspired me to spend some more time there.

Feeding time for the sealions at the Central Park Zoo

Jam session

Statue in Honor of Balto the Sled Dog

Rowboats on The Lake

My West Coast Trip Highlight #6: Sea Lions

Beautiful Day on San Francisco Bay within View of Alcatraz

I only got to spend a day-and-a-half in San Francisco, but I enjoyed it immensely. We had extraordinarily good weather. (I even managed to get a sunburn in Oakland watching the ballgame, and I'm told that's only possible about 10 days a year.) Now since I live about two blocks from Times Square, usually I go out of my way to avoid touristy areas, but I had to see the Sea Lions down near Fisherman's Wharf. Showing up on a Saturday, it probably couldn't have been much more crowded, but it was well worth it. Since the earthquakes in 1989, sea lions have taken up residence near Pier 39, and now they're a major attraction. (See video below.)

We stayed in a great place near Chinatown, had fancy cocktails at the Fairmont Hotel, and ate at some great restaurants, but watching these guys snoozing on the pier was my favorite part of my visit. My next vacation is definitely going to involve more time just snoozing in the sun.