On January 18 last year, hubby and I went walking through Central Park to check out the Central Park Ice Festival near the Bethesda Fountain with its famous statue, Angel of the Waters.

Okamoto Studio’s artists were on hand, giving live demonstrations, carving beautiful creatures and objects out of ice blocks using various tools like chain saws, picks, chisels and blowtorches.

If you find yourself in NYC during the winter, check the Central Park Conservatory website to see when this event will be on. In 2015, it was held in mid-February, so it seems to be held at different times of the winter.  The best part? It’s free!  It’s also family-friendly.

Inside the Bethesda Terrace, you’ll normally find opera singers taking advantage of the ahhh-mazing acoustics of the structure. It’s a great opportunity to take in some world-class singing without buying a ticket to the Met(ropolitan Opera)! That day was no exception.

And, only in New York, we ran into this dog, dressed head to tail in Yankees swag.

After the festival, we wandered down the mall, taking in the sights of the men and women with giant bubble hoops, blowing bubbles to the delight of children. Just for a second, we fought the urge to run into the giant bubbles ourselves, popping them and getting covered in soapy, iridescent remnants of our childhood.