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
