The magical call of a brightly painted, cheerful carousel is irresistible. In my travels, I always try to find a merry-go-round to ride during my trip. One of my favorites is not too far from home, in New York City. A scenic train journey along the Connecticut shoreline will leave me off at Penn Station just a few blocks from the New York Public Library, Bryant Park and Le Carrousel. This enchanting merry-go-round that whirls around accompanied by tinkling French cabaret music has inspired my newest photo essay below.

Turning off her MacBook, Margaux glanced at the Waterford crystal desk clock Liam bought for her on their tenth anniversary trip to Ireland. One o’clock. Where had the morning gone? For a moment, she sat still listening to the soothing ticktock of the clock. She let her eyes wander around her cozy office from the crowded bookshelves, to the pair of cherry wood alumni chairs from Simmons, to the framed cross-stitch sampler of her favorite book covers hanging across from her desk.

Over the past 30 years, she had accumulated so many memories in this room and throughout the New York Public Library. At three o’clock, after a final meeting with the library director, she would pack up her belongings and close the office door behind her for the last time.

With a sigh, Margaux pushed herself up from her desk, tucked a copy of The Lincoln Highway into her bag, grabbed her lunch box from the mini fridge in the corner and headed outside. She planned to spend her lunch hour reading and people watching in Bryant Park. On a sunny, warm day the 42nd Street park was the perfect lunch spot.

Margaux found a seat on a shaded bench in front of Le Carrousel. The menagerie of elegantly painted horses, cats, rabbits and even a frog spun around in merry circles. Nearby, an elderly man she often saw in the library was engaged in an intense chess match against a young woman with pink hair and a skateboard propped up against the game table. On a grassy patch not too far from the chess players, golfers practiced their putting skills alongside a group of enthusiastic lawn bowlers. Margaux settled back against the warm wood of the park bench, opened her book and took a bite of her tuna fish sandwich. There truly was something for everyone in Bryant Park.

As she read, she hummed along to the French cabaret tunes generated by the elegant merry-go-round. At the sound of someone calling her name, Margaux glanced up to wave and smile at two young librarians who worked in the Children’s Room. They stood in line waiting to buy tickets for the carousel.

Giving in to nostalgia, Margaux wondered how she could ever leave her job, her friendly colleagues and this special corner in the city she loved. It seemed unbelievable that she wouldn’t walk up the library steps past the famous lions, Patience and Fortitude, on Monday morning or spend lunchtime here in this lovely park. Instead, she would be miles away in Oak Bluffs on the tiny Massachusetts island, Martha’s Vineyard.

She and Liam had decided to retire to their New England holiday home. They were trading life on one small island for a new existence on another. Liam insisted that they had so much to look forward to as they began their retirement, and he was right. A more relaxed pace of living, the beach and farm stands in the summer, plenty of shops and restaurants . . .

Perhaps she would be able to volunteer at the Oak Bluffs public library. And hey, there was even a carousel in town, the oldest platform carousel in the country. Once they were settled in, she would definitely visit the Flying Horses.

Packing up her lunch things and stowing her book in her shoulder bag, Margaux walked over to join the ticket line for the merry-go-round. For now, she would indulge in one more lunchtime ride on Le Carrousel.