If you take the A train almost to the end of the line at the near tippy top of Manhattan you'll be treated to the wonder of Fort Tryon Park, which sits on the bank of the Hudson River. As we exited the subway at 190th street the evening sun was low in the sky, creating a wonderful light that made the already beautiful surroundings even more so. A little playground opposite the station had water spraying across it, and people ran in and out, savouring a little respite from the humidity of the city.

The park smells of early autumn at the moment, the flowers were still in bloom, but reaching the end of their cycles. I'm not sure if you can tell, but I really liked it there. It was peaceful, gorgeous and the smells alone made you feel like you weren't in NYC at all. I love New York, but it does have a tendency toward the stinky end of the spectrum, especially in summer.

Here's me looking all appreciative.

And a little of what I was appreciating.

We'd trekked so far from home to see a friend, who is part of a jazz trio, play in the gardens of the New Leaf Cafe, which is nestled in the grounds of the park. We arrived a little early and starving hungry, so sat down to some delicious (and pricey!) food and drinks. I had crispy pan seared chicken with quinoa, berries and wild mushrooms (and mini kohlrabi, I think?) Mr had grilled sirloin of beef with asparagus, blue cheese and roasted tomatoes.

As the sun set and we finished our meals I started to hear rumours of a skunk wandering around the garden. Sure enough he strolled past a few minutes later and I have to admit, I got a little excited. I know this is pathetic, but I'm a city girl and I can't remember ever seeing one before, so I decided I had to have a picture. Mr disuaded me, insisting that the possibility of pissing the little skunk off trumped my desire to capture the moment. I ignored him, telling him I wasn't using the flash, so what difference could it make.

Unfortunately, I didn't actually turn the flash off, so here's the moment I did piss off a skunk a little bit (though thankfully not quite enough).

After we had finished our dinner the band started playing. I'm not much of a jazz fan, but in the beautiful surroundings and buoyed by delicious cocktails, I, again for the first time, actually enjoyed some flipping jazz. I fear this, and my general bemusement about dubstep (which, to me, just seems like drum and bass with the bits you can properly dance to removed) means I am about ready for my pipe and slippers. Nice.

As we left for the long journey home, we spied this funny car, which had at least four TV screens in its interior. Someone has spent a LOT of money on this. LOL.

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