A Central Park Walk and a Sweet Potato Twist from Cleo Coyle

Pop Quiz: Where was the above photo taken?

A. New Hampshire

B. Vermont 

C. Central Park

If you guessed C., you would be correct. Okay, so my post title gave it away, but (honestly) could you have guessed otherwise? I took the photo this past Sunday, during a lovely rainy-day walk in Central Park with my husband. 

Cleo Coyle, whose husband
is also her partner in
crime-writing, is author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries.

This was Marc's first long day out after some major surgery last month. He's recovering very well, which  is why this walk was more than just a walk for us: It was a happy day of thanksgiving for his continued recovery...

And, speaking of Thanksgiving, if any of you are coming to the city for the parade or shopping, consider a walk in Central Park. It's a wonderful experience...

The red marker in the photo shows the location of the Delacorte Theater.
This is where you would go to see a Shakespeare in the Park performance,
and it marks the general area of our Sunday walk.

So what's in Central Park? 

250 acres of lawns, 24,000 trees,
150 acres of lakes and streams, 

80 acres of woodlands, 9,000 benches, 

26 ball fields, 21 playgrounds,

and a partridge in a pear tree...
(but only during the holiday season). 

Actually, the park is one of the
top bird-watching spots in the USA
with over 200 species moving through
during migration months.

Below is my photo of the empty Delacorte Theater 

from a hawk's vantage point. "Hawk watchers"
with binoculars can be seen up here on occasion.

Two life-size sculptures stand at the front of the theater, celebrating
two of Shakespeare's plays. One of them was inspired by
The Tempest. The other is below. Can you guess it without looking
at the pedestal?

Click the photo to enlarge it.

We then walked through "The Ramble," one of the oldest parts of the park, 37 acres of hilly woodlands with secluded arches, ponds, benches, and bridges like the one below...

Two mallards float near a rowboat on the park's 18-acre lake.
Oak Bridge stands in the background.
(Click the photo to enlarge and see the other duck!)

Below you'll find another view of the Central Park Lake.
For the first time on our walk, we can see that we're in a city!
What are the two towers rising in the background?
Scroll down to the caption...

The two towers rising in the background are part of a famous
apartment building called the San Remo (built around 1930).
It sits along Central Park West's Historic District and,
over the years, has had a few tenants you may
have heard of: Steven Spielberg, Steve Martin, Dustin Hoffman,
Tiger Woods, Stephen Sondheim, Glenn Close, Demi Moore,
and Aaron Spelling. (And, no, we did not see any
of them on our walk. :))

The cast-iron details of the "Ladies Pavilion" makes in a notable
example of 19th century American decorative arts. It sits prettily
on the Central Park Lake, which was once used for ice skating in the
winter months. After 1950, the city moved the skaters to a rink
to allow the wildlife's former residents to return.
(Click on the photo to enlarge.)

When we emerged from the park, we saw this sight:
bleachers on Central Park West. Why?
The city is already getting ready for next week's
Thanksgiving Day Parade!

And speaking of Thanksgiving,
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen will be celebrating
a week of Thanksgiving recipes,
kicking off this Thursday and ending
on Thanksgiving next Thursday.

Be sure to stop by every day for a new recipe
If you missed my recipe from last week,
(pictured below) be sure to check it out. 

SWEET POTATO TWIST

So what's the twist?
On my facebook page last week, 

a few people mentioned that they might try
my holiday appetizer recipe (pictured above)
using sweet potatoes instead of
butternut squash.

I think that is a fabulous idea,
and if you have a few extra sweet potatoes
after your Thanksgiving menu is made, this is a tasty way to make use of them!

To see my above recipe for

"Nuts on Horseback,"

click here.

I'll have a new recipe for you next week.
In the meantime...

Marc and I wish you
Happy Trails!

Coming from us
December 3rd...

Billionaire Blend: 

A Coffeehouse Mystery
by Cleo Coyle 


(Marc and I collaborate as "Cleo")

"Top Pick"
RT Book Reviews

A Mystery Guild
Featured Alternate Selection
"...a highly satisfying mystery."
~ Publishers Weekly

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling

works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark

Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the

13 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of 
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries, which Cleo writes
under the name
Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.