"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

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MARCH 2020 PHOTO DIARY: FROM FLORIDA TO COVIDISTANCING

AKA.......AS THE WORLD STOPS

For the first half of March, we were still living out our dream
of spending the winter in Florida.

The world was in living color.

An orange sunset from our terrace.......

A windsurfer in the turquoise ocean......

Teal shimmers in the pool.......

Rosé wines at happy hour.......

A blue-green peacock strutting its stuff.......

White cirrocumulus clouds high in an azure sky.......

       Extra credit: how many hawks can you spot?

Pelicans flying in formation into the wild blue yonder.......

A coral flamingo preening its feathers.......

As Covid-19 started to creep up on us.
  we could feel those hues fading fast.

It was just about mid-March, while Junior Goo Shoes 
was spending spring break with us in Florida,
that we learned there would be no going back to college this semester.
Classes would be completed online.

It was time to go home to New Jersey.

Armed with Clorox wipes, Junior GS flew home as planned.
Mr. GS and I started the three-day drive up I-95 North
several weeks ahead of our original departure date. 

I dreaded the two nights we had to stay in hotels.

I cringed at the thought of using public rest rooms along the way.

We loaded up all of the canned and packaged foods we had bought in Florida 
because we knew we'd need them when we got home.
We packed a cooler and ate every meal except one in the car, or in our hotel room. 

Thoughts of Covid-19 were our constant companions on the road. 

And then.......at last.......we were HOME.

It was as if a light switch was flipped, 
and the world turned to black and white.

Supermarket shelves were empty.

Food shopping required new protocols.

The car's cup holder stored new essentials.

Parking lots were deserted.  

Social distancing was mandated to flatten the curve.

New Jersey went on lock-down, and the world shrank to the area within our property lines. 

How did we get to this terrifying place???
It's unfathomable that this could happen in the United States of America.
I could get into a full-on rant right now, but I'll restrain myself.

It has taken some time for me to find a way to cope with this new normal. 
The days pass by, and I try not to think too far into the future.
It's better to focus on the here and now. 

And, here........and now.......

The forsythias are ablaze in yellow.

Colorful messages are spotted on daily walks. 

Finches are returning to the backyard.

The chimes are ringing in the spring breeze.

The days are getting warm enough for happy hour on the deck.

The cardinal, representing hope, health, rejuvenation, and joy, reminds me that this, too, shall pass.

If there's one thing we can count on, it's that.......

Hope springs eternal.

May your family and friends stay healthy.

Heartfelt thanks to health care workers, first responders, food service providers, 
and everyone on the front lines who are keeping our country running! 

To better days ahead.......

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