Every once in awhile I like to walk around NYC for no particular reason other than to take it in and today was one of those days. I had some time to kill before heading to a live interview with NPR (yeah, it was one of those awesome kind of days), so I decided that I would enjoy the cool breeze, the sculptures, and a long walk from 34th St to Columbus Circle (59th Street).

Enjoying the sculptures

I made my way to 42nd street to see what was going on so far. Bryant Park is also starting to set up shop, literally. The holiday shops, ice skating rink, restaurants and bar, all part of Citi Pond are getting ready to open on October 26, 2012 and will continue to deliver winter fun till March 3, 2013. Just watching all the construction taking place made my holiday-loving-heart giddy.

Making my way uptown the streets were windy and a bit chilly. Instead of walking through the busier avenues, I decided to avoid the crowds by walking through the recently developed 6 1/2 Avenue. Have you heard of it? It’s pretty fun. It runs from 51st and 57th streets, through a series of opened and enclosed walk ways. It lies between 6th and 7th avenues, and I love it because it also offers plenty of options to stop in for eating or grabbing a warm drink, not to mention, it’s off the beaten path allowing you to cross through quickly and maybe even meet a few friendly workers along the way, as I did.

I love this “in between” time in New York City. Though the foliage is almost reaching its peak in most parts of the state, in the city Fall is just starting to show signs, with plenty of green still to be seen among the slowly changing colors in Central Park. That’s not to say the views aren’t beautiful and definitely worth a stroll through.

If near the 59th Street entrance to the park, check out The Tatzu Nishi: Discovering Columbus exhibit taking place right now as part of the Public Art Fund. It runs till November 18, 2012 and passes are free (you can reserve yours here). The exhibit was built around the famous Christopher Columbus statue erected in 1892 designed by the Italian artist Gaetano Russo to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas. It stands 75 feet above street level, and provides a bird’s eye view of the area as well – a definite must.

Time Warner Center, right next door, may not look like much right now, but give it a few days. They are already working on stringing lights around the trees, and it remains one of my favorite places to visit during the holidays, especially when they set up their annual holiday stars.

In just two weeks, come November, the energy of the city will completely take on a new life. Lights, music, the sense of festivities and celebration will take over. But, until then, there is no doubt that NYC has a lot to offer just before then.

Hope you get to enjoy all that Fall in the city!

Carol Cain

Carol is her happiest when on an adventure, either close to home or farther away. She's the mom to three fun boys and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives in New Jersey with her happy crew, but will always be a girl from Brooklyn. You can read her full profile here.

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