Central Park

I had a dentist appointment in midtown last Wednesday. Not the chair-gripping kind- just a routine cleaning.

Actually I don't mind the dentist at all- never did. Whether it's because I'm not prone to cavities and thus have mostly escaped the dreaded drilling, or because my dentists have always seemed like genuinely nice people, uncharacteristically short on sadistic tendencies- I'm not sure. Even the dental hygienist is pleasant. We had a nice chat and she complimented me on the condition of my gums. She was quite pleased- apparently her entire morning was otherwise filled with non-flossers. Ew.

In any case my appointment was over lickety-split, and with new toothbrush in hand I left the office and made my way over to Central Park for a visit.

Ah, Central Park. One of my favorite places in the entire world. I love it for so many reasons: its natural beauty, its architectural charm, its people-watching potential and its history. It's a quiet spot to contemplate, and the center of it all- depending where you walk or sit.

I entered through the southeast entrance, at Grand Army Plaza- pausing to watch the condo conversion work at the Plaza Hotel for a few moments, and notice the peeling gold leaf on Sherman's statue as I walked past.

At The Pond I spotted a great blue heron perched at the edge, and watched it for a while. There are wonderful bird-watching opportunities in the park, for amateurs and pros alike. In fact, I noticed that The Dairy had Cal Vornberger's new book for sale.

I tipped a really good saxophone player as I wandered over to The Mall. Here I sat for an hour or so, putting together the talking points for our book club meeting, which was scheduled for 5:30pm.

"Guys, can I ask you to walk on this side? They're shooting a commercial." And so they were. The tourists meandering through, the kids on summer break and the nannies with strollers all good-naturedly moved to the west side of the lane, where I had sat by happy coincidence. I couldn't really make out what the commercial was about, but it seemed to involve a man on an old-fashioned bicycle, a dog-walker and a guy reading the paper on a bench in the distance. They were also blowing orange leaves around on the ground. Who knows? I might see the final take on a Bank One commercial someday while channel-surfing. If it's not movie shoots that happen on your walk to class, it's an art movie or commercial being shot on the street. That's New York for you.

I had to hurry over to meet a friend for drinks before the book club meeting, but before I left the park I made sure to venture up to Bethesda Terrace, my favorite spot of all, and a famous place for people-watching. Here you'll see a grand confluence of locals and tourists and students and children. EVERYONE comes through at some point in the day. Musicians play around the fountain, wedding photos are taken nearby, youth groups march past, dogs pace and bark at the edge of The Lake (just waiting for someone to toss in a tennis ball), and couples tryst for coffee on benches along the perimeter.

It's peaceful and entertaining and dreamy, all at the same time. Now I know where to go to find the rest of the people who "lunch" instead of working on Wednesdays.