The Ultimate Run.

This morning I took my last workout in NYC for the summer, and for the occasion, I chose the ultimate test: circumnavigating Central Park in the already 80-degree heat of daybreak. I saw parts of the Park that I never saw before, and revisited places that I've come to love. I ran down the Literary Walk (you know that tree-lined boulevard you see in your dreams? This is the reality), by the Ramble, and took one last lap around the Reservoir. But perhaps the most poignant part of the morning was finding the bridge over the Pond, at the southeast corner of the Park on 59th and 5th Ave. In this tucked-away part of the Park you can look out over a magnificient landscape in the foreground, and yet your eyes are automatically led up. Running and walking through the Park, I realized that while I've enjoyed my summer in New York more than I could've imagined, I still don't feel welcome here. Though I've walked among the skyscrapers of Manhattan, I'm still not part of them or what they represent. That will change. I won't come back to New York City until I'm ready, but when I am, watch out. This is gonna be a sight to see.