this week i went to new york, stayed in an apt across the street from battery park in the financial district and found myself working in 4 different downtown buildings. the boyhood dream reached fruition, and it was more fun than imagined.
what a city, so many people from so many backgrounds. my taxi driver from jfk, norman, was jamaican and to jfk, simon, was haitian. the city was large, clean, friendly, and active. probably my favorite thing to see was guys playing basketball on courts in the upper east side; i wanted to jump out and play with them. i stopped in a small market to ask directions, and the latino guy behind the counter walked around, took me outside and down the street, and pointed me in the right direction. and he wasn't the only exceptionally nice person i met.
one morning i went for a run and found a path along the west side, next to the hudson river, that went through parks and included a boardwalk. what a view! tugboats, cargo ships, ferries, and sailboats, with looming buildings in the background (most impressive of which was 30 Hudson). lots of people were running, rollerblading, walking with small children, and giving their dogs a break.
on the way to the airport, we went through brooklyn. there were communities with peoples of all races, a jewish neighborhood, and then a predominantly black area. i couldn't have asked for a better drive.
view from triborough bridge
outside apartment, the smithsonian, and battery park to the right
entrance to apartment
apartment
sailboat on hudson
statue of liberty from apt
brooklyn, manhattan, and williamsburg bridges, from work
u.s. flag on the brooklyn
to the north, from financial district.
my friend galit helped me take the subway up to mid-town so i could walk through central park and go to columbia.
east mid-town apt
5 comments:
I didn't know you were going to New York and I was just talking to you a week and a half ago...although, you were sitting on the opposite side of the table from me. Sounds like you had fun though. I can totally see you out there playing basketball on those courts. Did we really got to NY when you were 12? That would have made me 3, and I totally remember that trip.
(This is Ryan's wife). We actually were supposed to be leaving for New York tomorrow, but at the last minute (yesterday), Ryan decided for us not to go! The thing was I was okay with that until I read your post and saw your pictures!! Now I'm pretty mad!!
That is so awesome!! What a neat experience for ya! It is so wonderful how dreams really do come true, and they are always even better in the living. Congrats on being 'the big man'! You just convinced me to put NY on my to do list (that means Costa Rica will have to wait for Marco and I). Marco needs to revisit his stompin grounds anyway, and I DO love a big city with all the bustle and variety.
Anywho, look forward to seeing you in a week or so. Have a great work week.
I didn't know you had a blog. Nice! I really like New York City. Don't know if you like history, but I just finished a great book called 1776 by David McCullough. It was a great book - a good part of it went over Gen. Washington's Battle of Brooklyn and how the Rebels lost NYC to the red coats. Good stuff.
Glen
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