Bows on the Bow Bridge
One of the photos on Ashley's NYC checklist while she was here was the Bow Bridge in Central Park near the Boathouse. This infamous bridge has been in movies, TV shows, photoshoots -- you name it. But on the day we trekked uptown to the park, the paths leading to the bridge from the Bethesda Fountain were blocked off. A security woman nearby told us that the bridge and surrounding area were closed for the marathon fireworks that were to happen that night. Needless to say, Ashley and I were disappointed. But in attempt to make the most of a beautiful afternoon we rented a rowboat to tool around the pond. If you've been to Central Park, you may know that the bridge is not visible from the Bethesda Fountain area, so we had just taken the woman's assertion that it was closed as valid. But when we rowed around the bend we saw that there were people, clearly tourists, walking around on the bridge taking photos. Less than usual, mind you, but nonetheless they had gotten there somehow. After the debacle that was rowing around the pond (Ashley was a much more skilled rower than I was, that's for sure) we were determined to find our way to the bridge. There are paths, more or less dirt tracts, in the area above the pond and we edged around behind the Boathouse in search of one, finally spotting an older man walking into what looked like just empty woods. So we followed this old man into the woods, eventually stumbling upon a more delineated trail, and wove our way to the bridge. It was actually so worth it because the bridge was relatively empty and the sun was at a perfect angle for some good lighting. Lesson learned that day: a closed door is just a challenge to find another way in.
