11-13 Oct 2014
Our last few days in New York settled into a comfortable routine. On Saturday we awoke to the gentle sound of rain on the windows. Rain, for the first time since arriving in the US four weeks ago. We love the rain so stepping out into a light drizzle today, didn’t bother us at all. 

After a huge day yesterday, we decided a day of shopping in Manhattan was in order. Shopping within the constraints of luggage weight limitations, obviously. And Columbus Circle has an indoor shopping mall perfect for a rainy day. The rain soon stopped so we also spent time browsing along 5th Avenue and agreed to rendezvous at Rue 57 for a late lunch.

Rue 57 was jumping. We had to wait a few minutes for a table and chatted while we waited. David had been into a woodblock print gallery and was busy telling me about his experience when our table was ready. 

Tucked into a corner table we ordered mussels to start and the house special: steak frites, beans and cream spinach. It was delicious! The muscles dish was really something- white wine, Dijon mustard, cream and parmesan sauce, with bread croutons lying in wait at the bottom. I wanted to drink the left-over sauce straight from the pan.

It was a 20min walk home through Central Park which was a bit of a struggle on a full stomach. 
“We can’t continue eating like this!” Lamented David back in the room.
“No, we can’t!” I agreed rubbing my tummy. 
“Running and no eating out tomorrow!” We agreed. 

We were good to our word the next day. Before breakfast we walked / jogged for 7km through Upper Westside to Central Park and around the Reservoir. It was a gorgeous crisp autumnal day. I was surprised by the number of people out in the park, until we realised that the New York triathlon was happening.

After a light lunch at an open air cafe in the park, we followed the sound of music coming from the distance. Rounding a grassy hill we found the source- it was an impromptu roller-disco! There were people of all ages, from all walks of life, on roller skates. It was a street party. Some where dancing together, others were busting clumsy moves or grooving on the spot. People without skates danced in the middle. The mobile DJ playing disco classics, skated around with huge speakers on a trolley. 

We stayed and watched for a while and were both caught up in the emotion of the moment. It was amazingly uplifting, with so much goodwill towards each other. We loved it! I tried and tried to capture the mood on film, unsuccessfully.