Walk 3 Miles in My Shoes

9 a.m. on a sunny spring day, I enter Central Park at 110th Street.




Once past the Harlem Meer pictured above, I round the conservatory gardens and prepare for my version of Heartbreak Hill.


I always step off the paved road halfway up and finish the incline by puffing up this little pathway, just because it's nicer to feel the dirt under your feet.


On this particular day I was greeted by this unusual sight! Not a normal vehicle to see in busy Manhattan. This one was moving through the park, so I guess it was assigned to important Central Park business.


Next up are the blooming cherry trees around the reservoir. Prepare to be pinked!








Eventually, many steps later, I get to 59th St, Columbus Circle. This is where tons of pedicab drivers hang out in the morning, preparing for a busy day of hassling and haggling with tourists. These guys are sharks to do business with, but they do line their bicycles up nicely to avoid hogging the path.


Impromptu jazz performance right behind one of the big Columbus Circle statues. I think this one is for Jose Marti, or for the victims of "The Maine," the US ship that mysteriously blew up in a Cuban harbor 'lo those many many years ago.


Columbus Circle! Looks weird in this picture, doesn't it? That's the Time Warner building, and CNN's home, and there's a Whole Foods in there too that I sometimes shop at.


I think this guy was supposed to be pulling the tractor I saw earlier in the park! He and I are both about 10 blocks away from work yet. He's headed east on Central Park South to get to The Plaza, where horse carriages gather. I'm still headed south, about 10 minutes away from my final destination: My desk.