#Wendy hall is finally given something more to do than make the tea and take calls. She actually gets a bit of plot this week!

[timeagainreviews]

The Great Con-Junction

For a place like the world-famous Elstree Studios in London, history is made on the regular. Movies like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Hot Fuzz," and even "Star Wars" have all been captured to celluloid moving at twenty-four frames per second. However, it was a lesser-known, though no less ambitious film that had eager fans lining up around the block on a mild February morning nearly forty years later. The film I speak of is none other than Jim Henson's 1982 cult-classic "The Dark Crystal." Myself and at least 200 other attendees were gathered for the first official Dark Crystal convention, celebrating both the film and the Netflix series. Taking place at the very studio where the movie was filmed, Thames Con's "The Great Con-Junction," was also the biggest reunion of the original cast and crew since the film's release. Once again, history was being made at Elstree Studios.

Upon learning of the convention I was filled with both desire and regret. Desire to go, and regret that I most likely wouldn’t be able. I live in Glasgow which is 6.5 hours away from London by car, and I don’t drive. On top of that, I hadn’t any money saved for such an occasion. But through the generosity of several friends, my mother, and my boyfriend willing to drive me there, the impossible was suddenly very tangible. With only twenty days until the convention, I was one of the lucky few able to attend this momentous affair.

It may seem odd that such a niche convention could draw someone from as far away as Glasgow, and in some cases the US and Australia. But if you’ve ever been to a Star Trek or My Little Pony convention, you may have some idea as to the sort of passion we’re dealing with. For many, Dark Crystal isn’t merely a great creative property, it’s life-changing. As a child, Jim Henson’s work left an indelible mark upon my soul. Projects like "Fraggle Rock," "Storyteller," and "The Flintstones," inspired creativity in me and filled me with the desire to one day work for the Jim Henson Company. Sadly, years of adulting did their best to dull that flame to a mere ember. However, after last year’s premiere of "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance," that ember grew into a roiling fire.

For the past month, I’ve been a ball of excited energy leading up to the convention. I’ve immersed myself in all things Jim Henson. Whether it be rewatching the Netflix series for the umpteenth time, revisiting Labyrinth, or reading JM Lee’s YA Dark Crystal novels, it’s been all I could do not to crack up. In the final week leading up to the event, I directed this nervous excitement into creating a cosplay as the Crystal of Truth, wrapped in black chains and metal claws. When the day finally arrived and I found myself waiting in line with other excited fans decked out in purple, or cosplaying as Deet or Rian, I knew I was with my people. The air was abuzz with excitement as we were slowly ushered into the building.

The event hall at Elstree was decorated with posters of scenes from the movie along with mood lighting. Part of the ticket cost afforded each attendee a beautiful signed print by Brian Froud. A bar at the entrance was selling official Dark Crystal merch including the ThinkGeek Fizzgig puppet only available in the states. Right away I had blown most of my budget, but my new furry friend would agree I made the right choice! I’d been there not two minutes, and already my arms were full of swag. I took this opportunity to get my Fizzgig and a book signed by both Brian and Wendy Froud, who were very generously autographing people’s items for free.

Usually, conventions leave a bad taste in my mouth as they seem like supremely capitalist ventures. And while there were plenty of things to buy, the Frouds’ generosity set the real tone of the event. Not only were they generous with their autographs, but they were also incredibly generous with their time. It seemed as though every person that talked to them was given an opportunity to gush and share their personal stories. As I told them both how much their work meant to me, they were treating it as though it were the first time they had heard it that day. Brian even took the time to doodle a little Fizzgig and Skeksis for me alongside his whimsical signature. The impression they left me with is that they were both very genuine and down to earth people, and meeting them is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

One of the things Mr Froud shared with me was that in his experience, people’s reaction to the Dark Crystal is usually always something creative. People go off and make fan art, cosplays, puppets, or even their own artistic endeavours. You could see proof of this all around the room that day. I met a brilliant artist from Seattle named Nori (@noriretherford​​), who in exchange for doodles from attendees was giving beautiful prints of her fan art. I drew my best skekTek from memory and have the cutest depiction of Seladon, Tavra, and Brea playing as children to show for it. There were cosplays with humbling levels of detail and even the occasional puppets of people’s original characters. All around you, creativity was swirling, and people were passionately sharing their enthusiasm with one another.

These initial couple of hours were dedicated to meet and greets with the cast, crew, and fellow attendees. Everyone seemed just as interested to listen as they were to share. One attendee remarked to me how she had never before felt more encouraged to speak to strangers than she had at the convention. Even my boyfriend, who is generally shy, was coming out of his shell and joining in the conversations. I was also pleased that the convention was managed well enough that I didn’t spend my entire day waiting in line to meet someone while he was relegated to watching my things. I was actually able to share this experience with him as opposed to relaying it through dreamfasting later. This made meeting the guests less of a thing to check off a list, and more of an experience.

My only real qualm with the structure of the convention was the Skeksis tea which was offered as part of the ticket price. Since I was unaware that the guests would be available all day, I was a bit late to lunch meaning the banquet was completely picked over by the time we had gotten there. No amount of cute creative table displays or impressively crafted Nebrie cake could obscure the fact that we were forced to find our lunch at the McDonalds across the road. Furthermore, I was unaware that the lunch was buffet style, which meant that if someone wanted to be as gluttonous as skekAyuk, it would leave the rest of us hungry. We were not alone in this, as several others were left to look upon the empty tables with dismay. That being said, for a first-time convention, it’s impressive that so little went awry.

For me, the biggest highlight of the day was getting to actually see the Gelfling puppets along with their respective puppeteers. Both Beccy Henderson and Neil Sterenberg had Deet and Rian with them. I’m not ashamed to admit that I hugged Deet. Being able to see the detail of the puppets and feel the various textures employed by the brilliant fabricators at the Jim Henson Creature Workshop was mindblowing. Not to mention that both Beccy and Neil were just as generous with their time as the Frouds. Though I would have to say the most exciting puppet I met that day has to go to Hup, as Victor Yerrid was actually puppeteering him and speaking directly to attendees in Podling. Hearing Hup say my name and talk to me was overwhelmingly exciting! That man is a brilliant puppeteer.

Throughout the day there were also several panels with guests from both the TV show and the movie. It was fascinating to listen to each of them tell their stories. Whether it be anecdotes about Jim Henson or tales about trying to navigate hot costumes under studio lights, it was a treasure trove of information. Listening to these stories was a constant reminder of the sheer amount of history present in the room. Each one of these guests had their own incredible careers, and here they all were, ready to share their fantastic stories. Yet despite this being an intimate gathering of a small group of creatives reuniting after 38+ years, it never once felt like it was all about them. You didn’t feel like an interloper or an evesdropper. We were all part of this wonderful experience together.

It was puppeteer Louise Gold’s remarks to the crowd about this that really put into words what we were all thinking. Through stifled tears, she remarked that she had initially come to see all of her old friends, but had found herself equally enriched by meeting the fans. Seeing all of us come together and sharing our stories was as inspiring to her as it was for us. Hearing her impassioned words moved quite a few of us to tears, myself included. She was easily one of my favourite people I met yesterday, and not just because she was so wonderfully extra. Her words spoke the same truth as Brian Froud's- what has resulted from this fandom is something creative. The Dark Crystal hasn’t simply entertained, it has changed lives.

Of course, like any good convention, it wasn’t just the guests in the spotlight. The cosplay contest allowed for an opportunity for the fans to strut their stuff. Much like the ticket giveaway the organisers had done, they couldn’t decide on just one winner. There was so much goodwill and positivity flowing that honourable mentions were given prizes as well, and with good reason. There were so many incredible costumes that I doubt I could have picked the best of the lot. There were Gelflings, Skeksis, a Hup, and even an urRu! My favourite of the lot was a mother-daughter duo who went as Brea and Kira respectively. But that may just have to do with the fact that I’m a big Brea fan and her costume was incredible!

Were I to think of any one word to explain how I feel about being able to attend this convention it would be grateful. I left feeling rejuvinated. My boyfriend even commented that I was “glowing.” I wish everyone in the fandom could have the same experience. I’ve seen so many passionate fans online in the last day wishing they could have gone, and I very easily could have been one of them. It’s proof to me that this fandom has more to it than just a few people toiling away in their basements. There is a real desire for these types of events. It’s not hard to imagine people declaring their Gelfling clan like Harry Potter fans might declare themselves Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws. (I’m totally a Vapran.) If you look online, you can see people’s OCs of both Gelfling and Skeksis. Even I’ve considered putting together my own Gelfling Gathering here in Glasgow. I’m hopeful that this is a sign of things to come, and that we won’t have to wait a thousand trine for the next Great Con-Junction.

[eliz1369]

The Light of Fairy Tail

Never written for Fairy Tail before, but this seemed as good an opportunity as any to give it a shot. Thank you to @impracticaldemon for giving me a heads up on this and to @fic-writer-appreciation for putting up the challenge. It was a lot of fun :)

Brief Summary: The members of Fairy Tail may be their own brand of crazy, but their hearts are always in the right place.

"Hey Lucy… What's wrong?" Lucy dragged herself onto the open barstool next to Wendy and let her head thump down on the wood surface with a moan. "I think you mean what isn't wrong." Behind the bar Mirajane smiled understandingly as she put a cup of tea in front of the bedraggled blonde. "What did those two do this time?" "Those two…" It took a second, but Wendy's eyes widened when she realized who Mira meant, "You mean Natsu-san and Happy?" Next to her and sipping at her own exceed sized cup of tea, Carla gave a dainty sniff as she said, "Who else would it be. No one causes more trouble than those two." On Lucy’s other side, Cana was seated on the bar top and draped comfortably around a large barrel of whatever alcoholic beverage she'd chosen that morning. She grinned as Lucy took a long drink of the tea and sighed, holding the cup like it was a lifeline. "Must've been pretty bad if they have you this bent out of shape. What'd they do?" Lucy reluctantly set down the tea and began ticking off on her fingers, her voice and expression growing more and more irritated the longer the list went on. "The two of them broke in last night and thought it was a good idea to sleep in my bed. I woke up freezing at the ungodly hour of 4am to find they'd managed to wrap themselves in all the blankets. By the time I’d booted them out of bed and told them off, I was too worked up to go back to sleep so I went to take a shower and get ready. I came out to find the idiots had tried to make breakfast, but Natsu only succeeded in nearly torching the kitchen and Happy got fish scales everywhere." Her irritation somewhat spent, Lucy dropped her head back down on the countertop, her next words muffled slightly by the wood. "I told them to clean everything up and left before I decided to go with my original idea of strangling them. I don't even want to think what will happen if my landlady finds out…" Mira patted Lucy comfortingly on the shoulder as she said, "I'm sure they'll have everything set right in no time." Wendy nodded reassuringly, but Cana nearly choked on her drink as she tried not to laugh and Carla gave disbelieving sniff. "Luuucy!" Everyone in the group, minus Lucy, who’d buried her head under her arms with a low groan, turned to see Happy soaring toward them, closely followed by a grinning Natsu. Upon noticing Carla, Happy excitedly landed by the white exceed and pulled a fish wrapped in red ribbon out of his bag. "I got this for you from Lucy's fridge!" Lucy's head popped up from the bar as she shot a glare at the blue cat. "You what?!" "No thank you." Carla ignored Happy's depressed expression as she got up and moved to Wendy's lap with her nose in the air. Wendy frowned as she looked between the two exceeds. "Carla, that's not very nice." "Well I don't want it." In the time it had taken for Carla to turn down Happy, Natsu had made it to the bar. He frowned in confusion as Lucy buried her head in her arms again. "What's wrong Luce? I thought we were gonna go on a fun job today." "I don't want to. I'm too tired to do anything." She hadn't meant for it to come out as a whine, but between the lack of sleep and the stress, it just kind of slipped out. Quick to rebound from Carla's refusal, Happy shoved his paws against his mouth to suppress his snicker as he said, "You should get more beauty sleep, Lucy. You really look like you could use it." "Damn cat." With more speed than should have been possible given her previously slumped form, Lucy lunged for Happy. Unfortunately for her, the exceed had been expecting this reaction and had already taken flight, leaving her palms to smack emptily against the wood as he made the short hop to land on Natsu's head. "Natsu! Help! Lucy's being mean again!" She shot a glare at the winged cat now buried safely out of reach in Natsu's pink hair. "I am not! You're the one saying rude things about my appearance!" "But I can't help it if it's the truth!" "That's it." With little thought of what she was actually doing Lucy snagged the nearest object, which happened to be Happy's beribboned fish, and chucked it at the blue exceed. Natsu's quick reflexes saved both him and Happy from getting a fish in the face, but the two people who'd had the misfortune to be walking behind him weren't so lucky. Juvia was in the midst of trying to convince a more than panicked looking Gray to try one of the Gray-shaped cookies she'd baked that morning, when she felt something pass through her and smack Gray in the face. Normally Juvia was more careful of what she let pass through her, but she'd already been slightly fluid due to her unintentional daydreaming. She gagged slightly at the oily, fishy taste left behind in her water, while Gray looked behind her and yelled, "Oi, what was that for?!" Lucy clapped her hands to her mouth in shock, while Natsu bent nearly double laughing, knocking Happy off his perch on top his head. "What's so funny flame-brain?" Gray all but growled, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "Your face, ice princess," Natsu shot a grin and a thumbs up at a still wide-eyed Lucy, "Good shot Luce." Happy sat on the floor where he'd been dumped, staring at the now bruised and battered fish, his eyes filled with crocodile tears. "My fish! Lucy that was mean!" Mira tried to diffuse the situation before it turned into a full on brawl. "Now, now, why don't we all just calm down," but no one was listening to her by that point. Gray shot a ball of ice at Natsu, and the Dragon slayer was quick to flip out of the way. Unfortunately, Cana's barrel of sake didn’t have the same level of dexterity and it exploded on impact, drenching the group in the strong spirits. All except Mira, who'd somehow managed to remain completely dry. As for Cana, she was knocked back over the bar and landed with a thump on the floor. "Now I'm all fired up!" Natsu yelled excitedly as his hands became wreathed in flame, igniting the alcohol still dripping off him. With a grin that was far more cheerful than it should have been, he leapt at Gray and the two of them rolled away across the floor, trading punches and sending spurts of flame and ice flying off in all directions. "Juvia will not let Love Rival use petty annoyances to steal Gray-sama's attention." "What?!" Lucy turned to find Juvia giving her a heated glare and she waved her hands frantically in protest. "No! It's not like that!" As water began to gather around Juvia, Cana dragged herself up off the floor and cursed as she leaned against the bar, cards already glowing in her hand. "Where's Gray?" Juvia gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Another Love Rival! Juvia will not let you touch Gray-sama." Scooping Happy up off the floor, Lucy threw herself out of the way just as Cana's cards hit Juvia's wall of water. Carla had been way ahead of them and already had Wendy up near the ceiling, well out of the way of the expanding brawl. Off to Lucy's left Levy was yelling and pulling futilely at Gajeel's arm, trying to keep him from entering the fray, but only ended up getting herself dragged in after him. The pair were mirrored almost exactly on the other side by Lisanna and Elfman, who was yelling some nonsense about fighting being a man. An explosion from near the front door caused everyone to pause and turn in that direction. Natsu and Gray both looked up from their sprawled position on the floor to find Erza standing over them. Erza herself seemed fine, almost without a hair out of place despite the detonation of fire and ice that had occurred mere feet from her, but the large strawberry cake in her hands hadn't been quite as lucky. The entire hall fell silent as Erza stared in shock at the half frozen, half burnt mess. Ever so slowly, a charred strawberry slid off the top and hit the floor with a wet thump. Erza stayed motionless for several more seconds, before she mechanically placed the ruined cake on a half-demolished table next to her. No one dared to breath as they waited for the inevitable explosion. In a flash, Erza's eyes narrowed to a glare that promised completely disproportionate retribution as she turned to face the quivering forms of Natsu and Gray. Her sword appeared in her hand and she leveled it at the pair as she called, "Prepare yourselves for judgment." "Troublesome brats," Markarov muttered into his drink as Erza, after giving them a thorough walloping, finally sent the two delinquents flying out the front door. With a sigh, he eyed the extensive damage from his seat at the end of the bar. Next to him Mavis laughed, her eyes sparkling as she swung her bare feet over the edge, "Maybe they are, but their spirit is the light that will lead Fairy Tail forward."

[wendysloane]

Brilliant Brown’s Hotel

A night away from the kids in five-star luxury

About half-way into the school year is the time parents need a break most. You are exhausted, the children are exhausted, and everyone’s tempers are frayed beyond recognition. 

What better time to get away from it all – and them? And what better place to do it than at a luxury hotel? 

Living in London, perhaps one of the nicest things about going to Brown’s Hotel was the short journey there. One minute the children were waving goodbye, less than an hour later we were had been whisked by Tube into a different world. A world of calm. A world of peace. A world of grown-ups. 

The first hotel to open in London, Brown’s originally began welcoming visitors way back in 1837. Five years ago it joined the The Rococo Forte Collection of luxury hotels and underwent a £24 million facelift. With 117 bedrooms (including 29 decadent suites), it now advertises itself as offering “genteel accommodation for discerning people”. 

With a health club, English Tea Room, lively bar and and elegant restaurant, it certainly lived up to its reputation. We loved our room (although the only view was of the wall opposite), with the super-comfortable bed and seemingly homemade cake adorned with tropical fruit that was there to greet us. 

We loved walking around the elegant common rooms and we loved the breakfast, with freshly squeezed orange juice and large plates of Eggs Benedict, which is favourite for both of us. We also loved being right in the heart of London, where great shopping is only a stroll away and the West End is practically within spitting distance. 

Finally, we loved the scrupulous attention to detail which the hotel offers, from the gorgeous mosaic tiling in the reception area to the three matching plush teddy bears we were given to take home to our three matching little horrors. 

This is no Butlins or Center Parcs, this is a five-star hotel that prides itself on being “Quintessentially English” and where they do their darndest to make sure your every whim is catered for. In a word, you get what you pay for.

Okay, let’s get one thing straight. With rooms beginning at £245 per night (excluding VAT), Brown’s is not a hotel for mere mortals like us. I suspect most of its clients are either fabulously rich, on a fabulous expense account, or spending a fabulously large sum of money to treat themselves to something special. 

Spending an upwards of £500 for a night away is simply not within our budget. But if it was, we’d be down at Brown’s at least once a month, recharging our batteries and fortifying ourselves for life back on Planet Kids… 

Local activities: With a location this central, London is at your feet. If you want to stay close at hand, a trip to Bond Street is de rigueur. Even those with tiny budgets will enjoy a stroll to Fortnum and Mason, where you can ogle the delicacies in the food hall and daydream about what it would be like to be rich. My children always enjoy looking at the pickled scorpions and red ants, as well as the chocolate-covered crickets – and so do I.

Located in Mayfair, Brown’s is not far from the elegant designer shops of of Bond Street and the more affordable chaos that Oxford Street offers.With the the restaurants, cafes, theatres and cinemas of the West End just a short walk away, Brown’s visitors are spoilt for choice. 

London is your oyster at Brown’s. With this central location you are able to take advantage of everything the capital has to offer, with shops ranging from expensive to cheap within close walking range. The West End is also a hop, skip and a jump away.

On-site activities: Then again, with a hotel this luxurious (and this pricey!) you may opt to stay in to get your money’s worth. We enjoyed a reasonably priced meal at Yo Sushi, as sushi is something the kids are not particularly enamoured by, and spent the rest of the evening watching films in our suite.

Childcare: Ask at the desk for baby-sitters.

Pampering: The Spa at Brown’s Hotel offers a comprehensive range of treatments including massages, facials and even a special “gentleman’s grooming” package, which includes facials, manicures/pedicures and chest, stomach and back waxing (!). Book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Mums-to-be and children can also book special treatments, and there is a fully-equipped gym on-site but sadly (alas) no pool.

Wish we’d known: That the breakfast would be so delicious. We would have had a smaller dinner the night before to make room (and kept our cholesterol levels down, as neither of us can say no to Eggs Benedict).

Kids say: “Bye Mummy, see you tomorrow,” said Tilly, five, as she stroked the dog of the friends who were staying with our children overnight. Josie, seven, and three-year-old Clementine were too engrossed in said doggie to even say goodbye.

Getting there: Brown’s Hotel is located in Mayfair, central London. Address: Brown’s Hotel, Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 4BP, Tel: 020 7493 6020, email: reservations.browns@roccofortecollection.com or www.roccofortecollection.com. Brown’s offers a series of special accommodation packages – visit their website to check out the latest offers. Their Family Affair package has rooms starting at £499+VAT for 2 interconnecting deluxe rooms including complimentary breakfast for all the family and a wide range of treats for the children. Classic double rooms start from £245+VAT excluding breakfast.

Wendy Sloane is Travel Editor of entertainthekids.com. She divides her time between writing and taking care of her three small daughters. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 2008

[ginasneesby]

NYC October 4th - Junior

My last full day and I had done a lot of walking surrounded by high buildings, so for a change I decided to head to Central Park. I had signed up the day before for a citibike, boris bike for New York, and all the museums are around the park so I thought I could cycle from museum to museum and check out the park in between. I walked for a bit initially as near the entrance they have a carousel and the zoo, but the zoo was a bit expensive (and not sure I like the idea of a little zoo in a park, I mean how big can the cages be?) So I watched the carousel for a bit and then made my way to the nearest bike pick up. Cycling round the park was not quite what I thought it would be, of course it makes sense that the cycle lane is separate from the walking bit, especially as there's large areas of water. So although I was in the park, I wasn't able to stop at all the bits I was expecting to see. Either way, a lovely gentle cycle round the eastern edge up to the north where they were turning the swimming pool into an ice rink and a beautiful meer where I stopped for a bit to take pictures and check out the map. I then spotted the name of the next section of park/cycle lane; 'the great hill'... Not looking forward to this bit. I was heading to the museum of natural history which was part way down the west side, which felt like it was all up hill! So I struggled along, and eventually got to where I wanted to be (I had to get off and walk for a bit on the great hill, but then a boris bike has few gears and is heavy!)

The museum of natural history was great, I had looked up the top ten things to do as I was short of time and wanted to get around, but actually managed to get to every room for at least a quick glance. The lay out was not the best, you went to one end and had to come back on yourself to get to the other end, and there was a planetarium bit that I couldn't get to from any way.

They suggested:

Dynamic Earth Globe

The Dzanga-Sangha Rainforest

The Blue Whale

Giant Sequoia (15000 years old but they cut it down anyway)

Dioramas

Chinese Wedding Chair

Colossal Olmec Head

The Reticulated Python

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Pterosaur skeletons

I finally did find my way to the globe bit where we watched a video on the Big Bang voiced by Liam Neeson (a man who is known for his knowledge of the Big Bang). I'm a fan of a good museum, but most of the old artefacts were replicas as the originals were still in their countries, however, they made up for it with the largest fossil collection in the country. Some of the fossils were amazing, they had whole dinosaurs and creatures which basically showed every stage of evolution; incredible. I grabbed a big plate of falafel and rice from a van outside (cheap, massive and really tasty) and found my way to another citibike.

My next stop was the metropolitan museum of art on the other side of the park, I needed to come out of the park to find the bike park which meant cycling along the roads. Trying to slip through the traffic, while every person who needs to stop just stops and put on their four way flashers, my little bell was not up to the task. Cab drivers are the same all world over, whether black or yellow, they will still move between lanes with no indication and beep you if you don't move. So I swiftly dropped off my bike and walked the rest of the way to The Met. Now this museum is enormous! I heard something like if you spend 4 minutes on each thing you would spend hundreds of years trying to see it all. It's laid out in a way that helps you skip through, if you want to be in a section longer there's loads to see but otherwise you can carry on the pathway and just see the main sites. Again, I looked up the top things to see and raced around trying to see it all before closing time!

The Temple of Dendur

Medieval Sculpture Hall

King Henry VIII’s Armor

Chinese Buddhist Sculpture

The Astor Chinese Garden Court

Greek Terracotta Vases

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze

Self portrait with a straw hat by Vincent Van Gogh

The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer by Edgar Degas

Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Antonio Canova

More of these things seemed to be the real thing, especially the paintings so that was kinda awesome to see the actual artwork. The temple of dendur was very cool, built around 15bc and given to the museum in the 1970's, it has some graffiti from the 1800's from european visitors. The Astor Chinese garden was also really nice, hidden away down a corridor and with a glass roof to fill it with natural light, an area of tranquility in a busy museum. There was a whole section with American history and much like their buildings, it's not very old but they do try and pretend they have some history.

I went up the the Guggenheim afterwards, but I'm not really fussed with that sort of art, so I took some pics and stepped inside just to say I had been in, and then went back into the park to check out the inner pedestrian bits. I walked around the Jackie Onassis reservoir, across the great lawn, around the open air theatre, belvedere castle and through the Shakespeare garden. The lake is the most recognisable part of the park, with row boats and the boat house, but also the bow bridge across the middle and large Bethesda fountain along the edge. I was very tempted to start singing Enchanted songs, everyone would know the words/dance moves and join in right?! Strawberry fields is a small garden which was built as a tribute to John Lennon, along the line of the street where he died, it was originally going to have a plant from every country in the world, but obvs some would not survive a New York winter; so it's got some plants and an 'imagine' mosaic.

By this point I was exhausted, I had been cycling up and down hills which was tiring enough but also museums bloody love their stairs! I took a wander down 'the mall' in Central Park which is another really recognisable bit, with straight road and benches along the side, found a van that did crepes and grabbed something very chocolatey and a cup of tea. I climbed to the top of a large piece of schist and sat looking across the park and buildings along the edge deciding whether to just go straight home to bed or not!

I decided not! It was my last night after all and I hadn't even been up the Empire State Building yet, I mean really! So I jumped on the subway, went straight there and headed up, like Rockefeller the whole process took longer than expected with security, queues and lifts etc. The sun had gone down by the time I got up which was great as I'd seen the day time view from top of the rock so got a brilliant night time view with all the city lit up. I nipped onto a Wendy's at the bottom of the building, not one we have at home but still basically burger and chips and toyed with the idea of going to get the Staten Island ferry. I had heard it was free and takes half an hour over and half hour back but you get some really great views of night time skyline and I could say I've been to Staten Island, even if only to get onto the ferry back. But I was just too tired, I was already on the subway which would take me home and I'd have to go past it to go down... so I just got off and crawled to bed.

Steps (peddles?): 36258

Money I would have spent: $75

Number of legit dinosaurs I saw: around 30