Manhattan

Saturday night movie in Central Park.

Arguably one of the coolest things I've ever done in this city.

After a full day at the beach, me and Susan got off the LIRR at Penn Station and headed immediately to Central Park to catch the last night of the Central Park Conservancy's free Film Festival. It was a spontaneous decision. One that I am so very glad we made!

It was the loveliest of summer evenings -- warm, but not hot, slightly chilly after the sun went down, very little humidity, a light breeze. Even though we arrived an hour and a half before the sun went down, Sheep's Meadow was already packed with movie-goers. We picked out a spot as close to the screen as we could find, spread out our beach towels. And waited.

Had we planned on attending, we obviously would have packed a movie-watching picnic. It was the perfect atmosphere for a lil wine, some cheese and crackers and fruit. But since we didn't quite plan this activity in advance, we weren't prepared with any of those treats.

Luckily for us, the good people at the Central Park Conservancy provided complimentary snacks. Or perhaps they were provided by the good people at Bloomberg? Regardless, free snacks, win.

Oh. And we had a giant big-as-your-head chocolate chip cookie + lemonade from La Pain Qui...you know, that French bakery I can never pronounce. Yum.


Neither Susan or I had ever seen Woody Allen's Manhattan and weren't quite sure what to except. So we certainly didn't expect to see these opening scenes to Mr. Allen's black and white love letter to this fair city of ours. A fitting and pleasant surprise.


Sitting there under the City lights, muted from the Central Park trees, with a few hundred fellow New Yorkers, watching a black and white movie, appropriately titled Manhattan, about a man who adores and over-romanticizes the same city that I adore and over-romanticize. It was a perfect New York evening. Definitely one to write about.

Guess I do still love you New York.

"Boy, this is really a great city, I don't care what anybody says...it's really a knock-out, you know?"
~Woody Allen, Manhattan