Prospect Park

On Saturday I found myself without a single thing to do, not a common occurrence for me. I have been sick with my second cold in the last two months (ugh) so I badly needed to get out of bed and away from my apartment.

I decided to go to Prospect Park in Brooklyn through a decision making process that looked something like this: I haven't been there in a while > the long(ish) train ride will give me time to read my book > if I'm lucky I'll find warm cider and cider donuts at the farmer's market in Grand Army Plaza because they had them back in February. These are pretty much my main concerns when it comes to most anything — scenery, books and food.

I lucked out on the food front and found both the hot cider and the cider donuts (two for a dollar — a total steal). I took my $3 lunch into Prospect Park and spent the next few hours walking around, taking in the bounty of fall delights still left to see. The leaves weren't as beautiful as Central Park, but there were still a few standouts.

I have generally have a good sense of direction, but I swear every time I'm in Prospect Park I get lost. I did a bit better this time, and actually made it to the lake, something I haven't been as successful at in the past. The lake is really the best part of the park, in my opinion, and I especially love the swans. No matter how many times I see them I am still shocked and thrilled when I spot one (or four). They're so striking and large that they almost don't seem real. I'm not a huge fan of birds but catching a glimpse of the swans will always feel special to me.

I ended up walking around the southern point of the lake and back north, ending up back at Grand Army Plaza which is quite the haul. It was a really beautiful, chilly fall day and walking under the falling leaves is always kind of magical. I also figure that walking about five miles in and out of the park totally justifies the fact that all I had for lunch was two sugar-covered cider donuts. That's how that works, right?