I’ll get to the answer in just a sec. First though, I think I should semi-explain why this is even a topic of discussion. Traveling is something that I’m completely obsessed with. Whether it’s Barcelona, the Grand Canyon, or a part of LA I’ve never seen, I’m so easily fascinated by new places, that people who don’t know me well would think my reactions are certifiably strange. I’ve come to realize that through all of my trips, big and small, I always have some sort of odd, unexpected experience that ends up being the highlight of a my vacay. With that thought in mind, a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to head to New York City, Manhattan to be exact, for a special event. Because of my awesomely busy schedule however, I realized that I’d have to fly the red eye from LAX to JFK to be on time (red eye flight = flying in the middle of night and arriving at destination at crack of dawn). My traveling partners and I arrived in New York at 4 or 5 am. I’m honestly not really sure because I still asleep for the entire cab ride. I know, totally safe right? Yeah, not so much. Kids, don’t try this.

When we arrived in the city, my cohorts and I couldn’t get into our hotel room, because hello it was 5am. So we literally dragged ourselves (still in a sleep-like state I should add) into the streets  of New York with zero plan. We ended up in the middle of Central Park, which is one of my favorite places in Manhattan. You can go there a million times and always notice something different, and after my most recent visit, I’ve come to the conclusion that between the hours of 5 and 7 am, Central Park is at its best. At this time of day, it’s light enough outside to feel safe and secure, the crowds of tourists are still sleeping, and the city is still quiet. We strolled all throughout the park and saw tons of joggers and dog-walkers, moms walking their uniformed kids to school, but overall it was so zen-like. Yes, I said New York was zen-like. I felt like I was in some sort of alternate Inception-like reality…and it was so RAD! I HIGHLY suggest that if or when you visit New York, you wake up early and take on Central Park at the crack of dawn. In fact, I’d like to try this in every new big city I visit. No need to dress up…obviously my little trio looked like we’d just been run over by a car. Do you have any travel tips? And would you like me to do more travel-related postings?

Here are a few photos – I should let you know that all of these areas are normally PACKED with people.

QUESTION – Can anyone spot the location on this posting that is “Gossip Girl” relevant? Tell me which photo, where it is and what it was on the show for a very special prize!