Meer is Dutch for Lake...

Harlem Meer in Central Park

Picturesque Harlem Meer is at the northern end of Central Park, and it is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment. As it is rarely crowded, it is one of the most serene areas of the park. Apparently, during the summer months, a music festival takes place here, which offers free performances on Sunday afternoons by jazz, Latin, gospel, blues, and world music artists. That is something I certainly look forward to attending!

The English ended Dutch colonization in 1664, took control of New Amsterdam , and renamed it New York City. In 1858, Central Park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux gave Harlem Meer its Dutch moniker as an homage to to the 17th Century Dutch settlers who first inhabited the village of Harlem.

Speaking of the Dutch, let me introduce all you football neophytes to one of my favorite LFC players, #18- Dirk Kuyt, aka The Flying Dutchman. He's not the most highly skilled player but he is beloved for being the type of player who always busts his ass for the team. There are transfer rumors right now, which break my heart:

"New York, to that tall skyline I come, flyin' in from London to your door / New York, lookin' down on Central Park / Where they say you should not wander after dark / New York, like a scene from all those movies / But you're real enough to me" --Simon and Garfunkel, A Heart in New York