New York Day 4 - Portumus Johnson and working it out in Central Park.

After a delicious breakfast in Brooklyn in the cafe Building on Bond we made our way to the ferry terminal to get on a boat to Staten Island. The boat is free and it offers nice views of the skyline from the water. We didn't find much to do on Staten Island so headed back shortly after arriving. 

Spotted in Brooklyn. Memory of a house. 

Subway mosaic. 

At the ferry terminal I saw this man with his grandson. They had such a special bond, it was pleasant to watch. No wonder that little girl looks jealous despite her pink dress, fancy shoes and giant pretzel. 

Views from the boat. 

The tallest building is the new One World Trade Center.
It cost $3.9 billion to construct. Not bad.  

Feathery plants on Staten Island. 

Patriotic feeling. 

I found this memorial monument for 9-11 specially moving because the design really enhances the individual people that were killed, as opposed to a long list of names that comes across as quite anonymous. 

One thing Staten Island is great for is naps. 

The Statue of Liberty gave us a wave.

Central Park, finding a place to sit down for lunch.

We weren't the only ones with this idea.

It's nice to have a breather from the city inside the city!

Rowing boats in Central Park.

Feeding a squirrel. 

I want a Central Park in Rotterdam, please. 

Alice in Wonderland!

 This lady sat next to us on a bench in the park,  she carried this turtle with her. She introduced us to

Portumus Johnson (aka Pojo), the turtle. They live on 3rd Avenue and come to the park every day. 
Pojo swims in her bath. She treats the water so it gets extra slimy for him. They sometimes share her 
bed. She feeds him veggies, veal, chicken and whatever she gathers from her own meals. 
He's 17 years old. She loves him to bits. 

After the encounter with Portumus Johnson and his owner, we carried on walking as the sun set. 
We heard music from far away so we followed the sound. There was a party going on with Nick Johnson 
as the DJ right in the middle of the park. EVERYONE was dancing and smiling and made us 
feel welcome. We joined. I'm always amazed and moved by how happy and connected 
music makes people feel. 

A man kept shouting at me, "WORK IT OUT!" so I complied and danced away. 
The sun set as we danced and there was magic in the air. 
And this is when I felt certain that I love New York City. 

Here's a video of it:

Empty subway stations are creepy. 

I recommend the Comedy Cellar. Brilliant stand up comedians. Guaranteed night of giggles.