Scrapbook: 2020

A mid-winter dilemma

It was mid December, I had the rest of the month off, the feet were itching after a year spent indoors and I was looking for ideas. Europe had closed its borders and a blizzard was threatening to dump freezing temperatures and a couple of feet of snow and on a New York that had just decided to close its restaurants, bars and cafes a second time in response to a new wave of Covid infections. I couldn't travel to Europe or hang out in cafes; short, cold days precluded the long urban hikes that had sustained me through the close-down.

I discovered that I could buy a pass on Amtrak for two weeks of travel. Hmm, here was a chance to escape short, cold days, and the blizzard. I could catch up some much needed reading while watching the many geographies of the continent sweep past my train-window. Plus here was a chance to forage through those as yet unexplored nooks of the country.

Restless feet, a nostalgia for trains -I'd grown up with my face planted on train-windows as my dad used to work as a railroad engineer- and a curiosity about the country made me impulsively buy the two-week Amtrak train pass. Pass in hand, I now had to decide where to go. More news of the impending blizzard made warm sunny climes sound very appealing, so the next day found me and a trusted backpack stuffed with a sleeping bag and tent heading South to sunny Florida.

Daily Wanderings

In March, work announced that they were closing the office and we'd have to work from home, throwing my weekday routine into disarray. I found myself settling into a routine where, ever day, after work and hours of unbroken screen-time, I'd step out around 6:30 PM for fresh air and wander on foot for a couple of hours before returning home for dinner.

These wanderings initially took me to the local parks and familiar neighborhoods, but soon I found myself venturing further to new parks and neighborhoods. I also found myself discovering little nooks and corners that I had missed earlier in the familiar greens and streets around me.

Central Park

I rediscovered the quiet North-Woods part of Central Park a mere 100 yards from my apartment, I discovered that it had a web of interconnected, dipping and meandering trails punctuated by streams, waterfalls and arched stone-bridges.

Venturing further South in the park, I often found myself wandering around and up the Belvedere Castle, the Delacorte Theater which in normal year would be hosting Shakespeare in the Park, the Turtle Pond and the Great Lawn. The castle has great views of the northern part of the park.

On occasion, I would switch the sandals for my bike and go around the 6 mile loop that encircles the park. On warm days, it was always a delight to feel the breeze on your face.

Randall's Island

One day I found myself heading East past Central Pard all the way to the East over. To my surprise I found that there was a pedestrian bridge, often unmarked on maps, that led to Randall's Island on the East River. The pathway is supported by two elegant towers decorated by counterweights poised to lift up the bridge, if necessary, for tall water-traffic.

The all-steel Wards Island bridge at 103rd and 1st Ave. took me to Ward Island, the southern part of Randalls island, and to my astonishment I found huge lawns and numerous playing fields with just a handful of people even on a sunny day. There were paths on the waterfront, where the fast-flowing East River rushed by, with great views of Manhattan's eastern edge.

Fron Randall's Islands western waterfront you can see the sun setting over Manhattan and ducks herding their ducklings to the sand-marches that are found between the southern Ward's Island and the North Island (those dots on the beach are ducklings!) I read that there used to be two islands, but so much garbage and landfill was dumped between them that the islands became connected. Many years later an big effort cleaned up the garbage dump and landscaped numerous lawns, paths and playing fields on the now-joined islands.

Randall's island has more than a hundred ball-fields, including some lit ones.

There is a magnificent set of bridge-pylons on the island that take mile-long freight-trains from Long Island over Randall's Island to the Bronx. Beneath the age-old pylons are brand-new bike-paths.

The lovely Hell-Gate freight-bridge that takes trains from Randall's Island to the Bronx is supported by elegant arched trusses that beautifully frame the East River. The Sydney Harbor Bridge, the symbol of Australia was designed based on the Hell-Gate bridge.

From the North-Eastern corner of Randall's Island, you can see Rikers Island, LaGuardia Aiport and Pelham Bay, the northern tip of the Bronx.

Queens

After exploring Randalls Island, I discovered that you could walk further East all the way to Astoria in Queens over the Triborough-Bridge.

There is delightful little park below the towering bridge-pylons on the Queens waterfront with a running track and tennis courts and great views of Manhattan.

Manhattan from under the Triborough Bridge

Upper West Side

Back in Manhattan I often found myself walking the length and breadth of Riverside Park along the Hudson.

One day I was walking down the west side along the Hudson, and I suddenly saw the USS Comfort docked on the piers around 50th st. all ready to help out an ailing city.

On the way back from walks down the Hudson and the riverside promenade and piers, I'd stop by Fairway and Zebars to stock up on produce and foods. One day heading back from Fairway I was astonished to run into a characteristic, whimsical mural from Banksy on the way home.

Palisades Park

On occasion, I'd head north along the Hudson on Cherry Lane, through Riverbank State Park all the way to the little red lighthouse under the GW Bridge.

If I had taken my bike along, I'd cross the Hudson using the bike-lane on the George Washingtom Bridges and ride up the hilly Palisades Park that clings to the western shore of the Hudson. The Palisades cliffs rise 400 ft straight up, with the Hudson River Dr. bike path and the Long-Path hiking trails nestled along the cliffs. The trails and bike-path go all the way up to the NJ/NY state-line ten miles further north and offer lovely views of Manhattan, especially at dusk.