Author: Leigh Anne Zinsmeister

Central Park in the winter

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I’m no stranger to Central Park: I’ve admired the springtime blossoms, sweltered under the summer sun, frolicked in the autumn leaves. But somehow, in nearly two years of living in NYC, I had never been to Central Park in the winter – until last week.

Tavern on the Green, Central Park NYC in the winterCentral Park NYC in the winter

Honestly, I never saw a reason to visit Central Park in the winter. It’s freezing cold, for one, and I don’t do winter well. And without leaves on the trees (or on the ground), and it being too chilly to hang out with a book, well, I just didn’t see the point. But my sweet friends Nicole and Parisa visited recently, and Parisa had never been to Central Park before – so off we went, taking the C train to 72nd Street and working our way downtown.

Central Park NYC in the winterCentral Park NYC in the winterCentral Park NYC in the winterCentral Park NYC in the winter

And I was so surprised by how beautiful it was! The trees were bare, yes, and the sky was cloudy this particular afternoon, trapping us in cold air, but there was something just really lovely about the gray of nature against the gray buildings against the gray sky. For about 30 minutes, until we couldn’t feel our toes and ducked into the shops at Columbus Circle for warmth.

Columbus Circle NYC in the winterColumbus Circle NYC in the winterFriends at Central Park NYC in the winter

What’s your favorite season to visit Central Park – or any park?

A visit to the Perot Museum

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Perot Museum Dallas

In the category “things I love to do but don’t do nearly enough:” visit museums! The history buff in me adores winding through exhibits, learning about anything and everything, and museum-hopping is usually a highlight wherever I travel. My parents also love a good museum, and so on my recent trip to Dallas we decided to check out the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

Perot Museum Dallas architecture

Located in the heart of downtown Dallas, the museum building itself is not only gorgeous but sustainable.

Perot Museum Dallas

I personally enjoyed the mini-exhibit on animal poo, located just outside the restrooms.

Perot Museum DallasPerot Museum DallasPerot Museum Dallas

While I was never the kid into dinosaurs, I did enjoy exploring the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall. Did you know there’s a dino called the Dallasaurus? Me neither, but it’s now officially my favorite.

Perot Museum DallasPerot Museum DallasPerot Museum DallasPerot Museum Dallas

While I’m not a science person in general, there are two specific types that get me excited. I’ve always loved meteorology and the weather – my kindergarten teacher got more than she bargained for when she asked if it was sunny or cloudy and got a five-minute lesson on the day’s barometric pressure. And I’ve also loved astronomy since our second-grade unit. As an adult, I’ve carried that over into writing about the space-shuttle program and exploring the Air and Space Museum in DC when we only had time for one museum. I was really excited to see exhibits on both meteorology and astronomy at the Perot Museum! And of course I had to pose in front of the green screen weather studio.

If you want to visit the Perot Museum (and I highly recommend you do, although maybe not on a Saturday – tiny humans everywhere!), it’s $19 for adults and you can get tickets here, although the line in person moved quickly. Info on parking is here, although we found a public lot just past Lot B on the map that was cheaper than museum parking. 

A(nother) weekend in Dallas

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By now you all know the little secret I was keeping: I spent last weekend in Dallas, surprising my mom for her birthday! Ever since I left home at 18, I’ve dreamed of someday returning and surprising a family member. I kind of always figured it’d be my sister, but the stars aligned and I was able to go for my mom’s birthday weekend without taking any vacation time and using points to pay for the flight.  And so that’s how I ended up back Allen, Texas, for three days!

Tacos in Dallas at the Company Cafe

The first order of business, as always,  was a stop for tacos: specifically, breakfast tacos at Company Cafe. Tacos are my favorite food, and it’s a bit of a game for me to see how many I can eat in any given weekend down south.

The Perot Museum in Dallas

On Saturday we played tourists (I suppose I technically was a tourist!) and ventured to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science where I channeled my inner child. More to come on this soon!

Sunset in Allen, TexasDallas, Texas skyline

Though I spent my six years living in Dallas whining about how boring it was, the more time I spend away the more impressed I become each time I visit for a weekend. You can’t argue with that stunning suburban sunset in Allen or the Dallas skyline on a cloudy day.

Another successful weekend trip in the books.

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Currently: February 2016

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Remember that time I had two posts planned last week but then Thursday brought a headache, no sleep and a phone that stopped functioning? Yeah. My bad. Also! When you read this, it will be Sunday, and I’ll be smack in the middle of my second trip of 2016 – because I’m in DALLAS, surprising my mama for her birthday. But in the meantime, it’s Thursday, and here’s what I’m currently doing…

Reading: More Tales of the City, the second in the Tales of the City series, which I started in January and unexpectedly loved. I also have All the Light We Cannot See out from the library to tackle next.

Wearing: Black jeans, striped short-sleeved t-shirt, brown ankle boots, Giving Key bracelet from my roommate (the word is ‘inspire’). The winter we were experiencing last month seems to be over, and it’s 55 here in Manhattan today.

Buying: Mostly groceries, at this point! I’m trying very very hard not to spend any extraneous money since so much is going into travel this year. I did just order a new frying pan from Amazon because I know how to party.

Listening to: My carefully curated Spotify playlist of country songs that remind me of Texas, trying to get in the right frame of mind for my flight tomorrow!

Eating: I had rice & veggies for lunch and am planning a dessert-focused outing with my best friend for tonight! It’s all about balance, right?

Watching: Not much. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the only show i keep up with, since Mindy Project doesn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon. I finished Veep during my snow day and haven’t started anything addicting since (although I did watch an episode of Grace & Frankie and enjoyed that).

Planning: How to surprise Mom tomorrow! Dad and I have some ideas up our sleeves but we’ll probably just end up playing it by ear.

Excited for: This weekend in Dallas, immediately followed by three days in NYC with two dear friends from Phoenix! Nicole and Parisa are coming to town (it’s Nicole’s second annual visit) and we’re ready for some serious girl time.

Hoping: That I can cherish and enjoy these three days with Mom and Dad, and all the other adventures I have planned this winter! (Side note: Last month I put here that I hoped spring weather would come, and it has! Yay!)

Books read: 5/52

Trips taken: 2/12

This month’s challenge: A new French lesson on DuoLingo every day. If I make it, I’ll only have four left at the end of the month!

And how is YOUR February going?

Books I read in January

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I have to admit, when I set a goal to read 52 books in 2016, I wasn’t quite confident I could hit it – but so far, I’m on track! I read five books in January, and the best part is, they were mostly pretty good. I’m hoping that posting mini-reviews every month will help keep me on track – and give you some reading inspiration!

Reading in Washington Square Park

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, Carrie Brownstein

Like a lot of people, I became a fan of Carrie Brownstein through Portlandia – but it turns out she’s been part of a punk band since the 1990s. I’m not into punk music (clearly, since I’d never heard of Brownstein’s trio) but I decided to read her musical memoir anyway – and I’m SO glad I did. I’ve read more than my fair share of celebrity-authored books, and this one was incredibly well-written – more so than any other I’ve come across. Even better, it got me interested in the music and I’ve been listening to Brownstein’s band, Sleater-Kinney, on Spotify ever since! Five stars

The Girl on The Train, Paula Hawkins

I read this book because everyone else had read it (yes, Mom, I would jump off a bridge if all my friends were doing it). The consensus was that it was an engrossing read, if not a very intelligent one – and I’d have to agree. The mystery completely captivated me (I spent most of my Washington D.C. trip sneaking in a chapter whenever I could), but I was left unsatisfied. Not a single character is likable, and there are plot holes everywhere. Still, a quick read, and I’m glad to have read it if only so I can discuss it with friends. Three stars

Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I’m not much for dating, but reading Modern Romance (essentially a scientific study of how technology has changed the dating landscape) provided so much insight and context. It was all completely relatable, complete with real-life anecdotes and witty asides from Ansari. I read a paper copy, but I’ve heard the audiobook is incredible as well – and to be honest, I was reading it in his voice the whole way through! Five stars

Gossip Girl, Cecily von Ziegesar

OK, yeah. Luckily this challenge wasn’t to read 52 quality books. I’m allowed to throw in some garbage here and there to give my brain a break. I thought reading the Gossip Girl series throughout the year would be a good way to accomplish that. I read the first one on my Kindle and while I enjoyed it in a “wow these teenagers’ terrible lives are fascinating” sort of way, I’m not sure I’ll read the rest (especially since my library doesn’t have the rest of the series for Kindle). Two stars

Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin

And in the OPPOSITE vein – I picked this book up because I wanted to read fiction about San Francisco before I head there in a couple weeks, and I immediately fell for the characters and have already started reading the next book in the series. It’s an easy-to-read, soap-operaish drama set in the 1970s, when San Francisco became a hotbed of liberalism. Highly recommend! It’s also been turned into a miniseries. Four stars

What have you been reading lately? Follow me on Goodreads here!