"SAY YES" TO BETHESDA FOUNTAIN: CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK

Do you have a "guilty pleasure" TV show?

Mine is "Say Yes To The Dress."

The series started 12 years after I got married,
so I missed my opportunity to be on the show.

Darn. 

However........

I did get my wedding gown at Kleinfeld's!

Yup, I did, back in 1994, when they were still located in Brooklyn.
 

Randy Fenoli was not my sales associate (darn, again),

but I did find a dress that I loved.

Would I pick it again, now, 26 years later?
Probably not.......my bling factor has increased dramatically over the years.
 At the time, this was the one that made my heart beat faster.

I said YES to the dress! 

And, by the way........
we just celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary!

I intentionally cut off Mr. GS' head in the photo since he's camera shy).

One of my quarantine activities was binge-watching Say Yes To The Dress: America.

In Fenoli's words, it's Say Yes To The Dress on steroids.

52 brides were selected from each state, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico
to take part in a group ceremony at Central Park's Bethesda Fountain.

The nuptials happened in July 2019, and the series premiered in January, 2020.

(You can watch it on TLC here, and check out the Instagram page, here.)

Randy officiated, and bridal designer Hayley Paige served as "America's Bridesmaid."

Waaaaaay before I knew anything about this series,

I had some time to kill while in the city, so I walked over to Bethesda Fountain, 
which many say is Central Park's crown jewel.

That was back in October.......when life was still normal.

There are so many places to love in Central Park.......
The Pond, Bow Bridge, Strawberry Fields.......
But there is a reason that Bethesda Fountain is called the heart of the park,
and there's no question why this iconic landmark 
was selected to be the Say Yes wedding location.

Bethesda Terrace, which leads to the fountain, can be found by entering the park at 
72nd Street (from either the east or west side) and walking towards the center of the park.

It's impossible to miss this grand architectural structure, which was completed in 1863.

Two staircases flank the terraced arcade.
The long flight of steps to the right of the archways 
is the one the brides walked down to meet their grooms on the plaza.

Say hello to Angel Of The Waters.

 

The views from the upper plaza are beautiful........
but more eye candy is found inside the arcade.

 Although there will undoubtedly be a social media influencer doing a photo shoot 
inside the arcade, the ceiling is Instagram-worthy in its own right.
It is the only ceiling in the world to be adorned in Minton tiles from England.

Bethesda Fountain abuts The Lake.
(I know, the name is just about as clever as The Pond, which I showed you here).
What can I say? 
New Yorkers like to get right to the point.

The Lake is almost always filled with row boats, 
which can be rented at the Loeb Boathouse.
The champagne reception for the Say Yes brides was held inside.
You don't need to personally know Randy Fenoli in order to get married at The Boathouse.  
Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and other events are regularly held there.

Loeb Boathouse is also a restaurant, so you can enjoy it
without exchanging wedding vows, or reciting your Haftorah.
Personally, I'd like to say "I do" to a Boathouse Margarita at the outside bar.

I've never eaten there, but I just may have to make a reservation 
once quarantine life is over.

If you have to choose one spot to visit out of all the spectacular places in Central Park,
Say Yes to Bethesda Fountain!

 

The Pond: Central Park

An Autumn Afternoon in Central Park

LINKING WITH:
Best Of The Month

AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON IN CENTRAL PARK ...... AND A WINNER!

The concrete island of Manhattan

 may not be the first place that comes to mind 

when planning a fall foliage expedition.

You're more likely to picture quaint little towns in New England,

the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, or Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

But do you know that there is a quiet place in the middle of New York City........

away from the noisy buses, honking horns, sirens,  

construction equipment, and sanitation trucks, 

that can satiate even the heartiest of leafage appetites?

If you should find yourself in New York City on a late October day,

hungering for some of nature's autumn delights, 
my advice is to get thee to The Lake in Central Park.

The easiest way to find The Lake 

(yes that is its official name; New Yorkers are nothing if not clever)

is to enter the park at W.72nd Street and Central Park West.

The magnificent apartment building you'll see opposite the park is The Dakota, 
former home of John Lennon,

and sadly, where he was murdered in 1980.

The Dakota

Head straight into the park, and take a pathway to the left,
heading north towards W. 74th Street.
(You can download a map of the park here).

You'll pass by the renowned Strawberry Fields,
dedicated to the memory of John Lennon,
named after his song, "Strawberry Fields Forever."

Strawberry Fields

 There are maps and signs along the way to direct you to The Lake,
but don't hesitate to stop and ask someone........
New Yorkers really are a friendly bunch,
contrary to their gruff reputation,
 and truly like to help tourists navigate their city.

Be sure to see the lake from various vantage points,
making a special effort to walk over to the elegant Bow Bridge.  
Built in the mid-1800's, it is one of the Central Park's most photographed spots.

I took these photos just about a year ago, on October 29, 2019
during the golden hour, as the sun began to lower in the sky.
I used them for my photography class assignment.......
a photo essay called "An Afternoon In Central Park."

Bow Bridge

AND THE WINNER IS............

In my last blog post, I announced a giveaway for a couple of small souvenirs

I purchased at the Museum Of The City Of New York gift shop.

The winner is Liberty, of The Liberty Belle!

She is a lovely blogger from North Carolina,
who writes about places she visits, many of them in her home state,
but elsewhere in the country as well.
Please take a few minutes to visit her!

I'll be sending Liberty a NYC Subway station luggage tag,
a NYC journal to record her thoughts 
(hopefully about her travels to Manhattan someday!),
and a 5x7 matted print of one of my favorite photos 
that I've taken of New York City.
I'm not revealing it here.......I want it to be a surprise!

Liberty seems to be a lucky name around here --
she is the second to win one of my giveaways
(the other was Liberty from B4 And Afters blog)
As I'm writing this, it occurs to me that
 both ladies Liberty should receive the photo below........

don't you agree? 

"Liberty" for all, so to speak!

Congratulations, ladies!

Look for more giveaways coming soon! 


 

LINKING WITH:

Best Of The Weekend 

The Pond - Central Park