Summertime, when many people who can afford it head out to the Eastern end of Long Island or the beaches of Fire Island, my friend and I go to the carousel in Central Park. This lovely and historic carousel is in mid-Central Park at 64th Street. The sound of the calliope can be heard all around it and there is a slight grassy rise on one side. My friend and I go there on hot, muggy Manhattan weekend afternoons, sit on the grass with a cold drink and listen to the music and the children’s laughter emanating from it. We forget the heat, besides it’s a little cooler in the park than on the cement avenues.
Because even rainy days in Manhattan can also be incredibly humid and warm in summer, sometimes we have to forego our carousel picnics in Central Park. In that case we would head into some of the city’s air-conditioned landmark attractions, of which there are so many. We would try to combine escaping the heat of the city streets with something educational. For instance, we once spent part of the day visiting the United Nations Headquarters and another rainy afternoon we viewed the impressive paintings and sculptures in the Museum of Modern Art, along with having a bite to eat in their elegant little restaurant. We have yet to visit the New York Public Library, which is next on my list, but they are closed on Sunday so we will wait for a rainy Saturday.
