Picnic in Central Park

I wish I had a picture or two to go along with this post, but alas... I do not. Instead, try to imagine a beautiful spring day in New York City. A heat wave has come along, and the afternoon is sunny and suddenly 85 degrees after a long spell of gray cold rain. Everyone is outside enjoying the day, including me. My coworker gave me the idea to have a picnic in the park, so I did.

Having invited everyone that I know who lives in the city, and having baked a supply of food to bring, on Saturday morning I packed it all into E's rolling cart along with blankets, a radio, plates and cups, drinks, games, a book, and whatever else I could fit. I forgot forks, but luckily there is a bodega on every corner, and the one I stopped at had a cute kitten in it, so I consider it a blessing.

The park was gorgeous. The trees have tiny buds, not yet leaves, so any shade was dappled sun. It was hot, but atop the Great Hill blew a refreshing breeze. My friends joined me and we ate fried chicken, biscuits, fruit, cake, cookies, and cheetos. We played a few rounds of Uno, taking breaks every now and then to receive phone-calls from friends who needed help finding us. Mostly we just laid around talking and eating, enjoying the warmth. Friends from work, school, and church intermingled. Kids played frisbee and ran relay races around us. Nearby, people played guitars and others practiced tai chi. People sunned and napped.

There's not much else to say except that it was the best afternoon ever. I would love to spend every day in the park--it's so beautiful and peaceful. I will definitely be having more picnics there soon!