Walking Off the Big Apple

Recent walks through Central Park have turned up several charming items of interest, including a pair of grizzly bears at the Central Park Zoo and a couple of historic boat landings around The Lake. BEARS: Betty and Veronica have lived in their new place in Central Park for a little over a year. The pair of grizzly bears previously resided at the Bronx Zoo, their New York home since 1995. In their previous lives, Betty made her home in Montana and Veronica lived the bear's life in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. After associating people with food, they became too dangerous and were adopted by the Wildlife Conservation Society. So naturally, they came to New York where everyone knows that food comes from restaurants. The two large bears, and they are quite formidable with 600 pounds of bear heft and long talons, seemed pretty chill. Longtime visitors to the zoo will fondly remember the previous residents, the late and great Gus and Ida, bears of the polar variety.

Hotels have always played an important role in the history of New York City, and their restaurants and bars have often assumed starring roles. Think of the clever company at the Algonquin Hotel or the entertainers at the famous cafe at The Carlyle. Yet even those with lesser wits and talents can enjoy the glamor of New York's many great hotel bars and lounges. Classics include the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis and the Bull and Bear at the Waldorf Astoria, but in recent years, the bars at newcomer hotels such as the Ace Hotel and the NoMad Hotel have become popular. Yet, it's always good to expand the repertory. Neighborhood taverns provide the necessary comfort most of the time, but for special occasions, a visit to a hotel bar can feel like a vacation.   For those planning a visit to NYC or for residents looking for new ideas, the following 3 bars at relatively new hotels should make a good start. The exterior views, shown here, will mark the spot, while the hotel website

Fort Tryon Park  in Northern Manhattan has one of the most beautiful and dramatic promenades in New York, and walking there is particularly enchanting and picturesque after a snowfall. Yes, Central Park makes a beautiful backdrop for a snowy day in the city, but Fort Tryon Park offers the extra advantages of elevated vistas and long views of the Hudson River and The Palisades . The walk from Margaret Corbin Circle, named after the first woman to fight in the American Revolutionary War, north to The Cloisters, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to medieval art and architecture, is just a little over half a mile. Fort Tryon Park Cottage Climbing up Fort Tryon can make you feel like a kid again, but on snowy days with slippery surfaces, the subway and the bus may be the best ways to get there. Take the A train to 190 Street and then the elevator up to the park. From there, the walk should be mostly flat, with just a few steps here and there. Before heading nort