You are reading Day 4 of our time in New York City, to start at Day 1 go here.

After days of perfect weather, we woke up to cloudy skies on our fourth morning. We took the time to relax in the morining while we waited for the rain to blow over. Once we saw it wasn't going anywhere, we headed out for breakfast at a place we saw while getting our rental bikes the other day called Balthazar.

Balthazar is a traditional bistro offering a french breakfast menu and their own bakery, the excact thing our stomachs were grumbling for. I had been craving a cinnamon roll for days and yet to find a spot in NYC to quench those cravings. Hopefully this would be the place! The waiting area was packed, people were squishing in to get out of the rain. It was a bit like the subway, those struggling to get in colliding with those struggling to get out. We had found a secluded corner away from the entrance to watch the madness while we waited for a seat. Our seating came after a wait and eventually our food as well.

Eggs Norwegian

Cinnamon Bun

Roasted peppers and Carmelized Onion Quiche

While the atmosphere of Balthazar was interesting enough to take note, the food itself was simply food on a plate. For the price and portions, it attempted to be high end breakfast but the quality did not match the pricing. While the website mentions their own bakery, we left the bistro with the cinnamon roll still almost untouched on the plate, with only a few nibbles taken out of it. Besides being bland, it was tough as a rock.

Our destination was going Central Park, we had planned the whole day for it, and while it was still raining, we were determined not to let that stop us. There would be no citibike rides today, instead we were going to try out the subway, our first time for this trip taking the subway. If you haven't taken the subway, or perhaps are avoiding it, there really is no reason to. The trips quick, and the cars are all clean and everyone kept to themselves our entire trip down to Central Park.

Upon arrival we set out, starting at the Grand Army Plaza at the South end of the park. The rain must have scared everyone indoors because we had almost the entire park to ourselves. It's an interesting experience to walk through Central Park alone. Central park is big, much much larger than we had anticipated. We knew it was going to be big, but the illusion of it being in the middle of a Major city makes you think it would be big in the sense of a childs park. It looks kind of small on the map, only a couple buildings long, no biggie, how could something with the word park in it be that big? Well, dont forget Yosemite is a park as well, and at times it felt we might stumble upon it in the middle of central park because it was so huge. After wondering around for several hours we decided to check out the American Museum of Natural History. It was packed with schools and more people attempting to get out of the rain, but luckily since the place was so huge we managed to get away from the crowds after getting pass the lobby. Don't let the lobby crowd scare you. There is tons of room to spread out, especially if you go the opposite way of the flow. The American Museum of Natural History is definitly a place that everyone should stop and see. After a long but fascinating trip through the museum, we found ourselves back at Central Park. The sun had finally come out and the park was now busy with life. We spent the rest of our walk enjoying the day and didn't get many pictures once the sun had come out. We made it to the opposite end of the park and then took the subway back to the apartment to get ready for dinner.

Dinner for the evening was delicious indian food at, "Pippali". While we have had many indian food restuarants in the Mojave Desert, they always close after a short period, and before our trip to New York all of them had been closed around the same time. We had been dying for the taste of somosas, Tikka Masala, and Naan Bread. We choose Pippali because we wanted to try a location based on a reknowned indian chef, Peter Beck. PIPPALI

We forgot to write down the names of the drinks, but they were really tasty.

Somosa Chat - seasoned potatoes in a turnover topped with chenna

Anjeeri Tikki - roasted beet and carrot patties stuffed with fig and mint

Murgh Tikka Masala - tandoori-grilled chicken in a cardamom and fenugreek tomato sauce

Naan bread and Rice

Crispy appitizers with dipping sauces

Murgh Tikka Masala - tandoori-grilled chicken in a cardamom and fenugreek tomato sauce

Pippali Chai - classic indian tea

Amarkhand - Mango mousse made from mangos, yogurt, and saffron

Double Ka Meetha - Bread pudding, cardamom and rose flavored.

Pippali was amazing. The servers were attentive, the food was delicious, and everything came out pipping hot and full of flavor. Hands down the best Indian food we have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Whatever your favorite indian food dishes are be sure to order the Double Ka Meetha at the end for desert. The most scrumptious dessert with flavoring that many American dishes stay away from. A really unique dining experience. Another night time shot of the always busy Houston Street from outside our apartment window.

That's the end of our very long 4th day. To see our fifth day go here