Going to the east side

Going over to the east side is a bit of a haul, and I'm not a fan of the Upper East Side (it comes with living on the UWS). The east side north of 96th Street is interesting in spots - primarily in the area around Highbridge - but much of it is inaccessible to pedestrians. The upshot of that is that I don't go over there very much.

But today, I thought I'd make the trek. Quarantine has me desperate to see new (or rarely visited) sites.

The walk across town is made more interesting by going through Central Park, as long as you stick to one of the paths that takes you relatively straight across. Well, it's interesting either way, but if you're trying to get somewhere, take a direct route!



After crossing the FDR at Thomas Jefferson Park, I had planned to go north. I couldn't remember how far north the esplanade extended, though. But when I crossed, I got distracted by the lovely ruin that is Pier 107.



I would like to see it cleaned up and preserved, but the actual plan is probably better suited to varied recreational needs. Of course, likely nothing will happen now, in this economy.

From there, I turned back north to follow my plan. If I had planned well, I would have remembered the walk only goes to 120th. It turned out to be even shorter; it was fenced off at 114th. So then I turned around and went back south anyway.



I went past the Randall's Island Bridge to 96th St. There the FDR is elevated, so you can exit the greenway at a regular old traffic light. Heading west, I went over the spot where the Harlem line trains emerge from underground.



97th Street is another reasonable easy place to walk straight across Central Park, because of the 97th St. Transverse cutting through it.

The total was 7 miles, with low traffic. The weather was cool and gray, which kept the crowds away, even on a long weekend.

Idling by the Hudson

Some days I leave the house with no destination in mind - like today. Initially, I headed north along the highest level of Riverside Park, but at the St. Clair stairs I went down to ground level. There's a somewhat uninteresting stretch of greenway there - but I rarely use it, which actually makes it more interesting - along Riverbank State Park. Then, past the park, the path bends back to the water. I walked about three miles in that direction, before sitting a while along the shore of the Hudson. In real life, the Little Red Lighthouse is quite visible, but it doesn't show up in that photo as well. The trip home was by the same route and uneventful, except when I yelled at a guy standing too close to me with no mask on. Corona life!

Where to go?

It feels like I am running out of places to walk to from my place. In a way, that's silly - nothing is stopping me from going to Randall's Island every weekend if I want. I guess the trouble is the "if I want" part. They feel less like fun destinations if I'm there all the time.

Also, a lot of interesting places are destinations. That is, to get there, one has to walk through a lot of city streets. Your interest in that may vary, but it often means stopping at traffic lights or dodging people. (Obviously, this depends on where you live. What's a destination to me might be right next door to you.)

I'm thinking of extending my walks a little further in distance to reach new vistas, like Inwood Park, but there are a few logistical difficulties. Namely, right now 9 miles is about as far as I can go without removing my mask. That number will be get lower as summer goes on and it gets hotter.

At a certain point, I'll need to hydrate on a hike. Which means finding a space that is lonely enough to be able to safely take off my mask and drink.

And if I do that ... what goes in must come out, and not all as sweat. There's no "peeing in the woods just out of sight" in Manhattan. So, you have to find a restroom. Not a huge challenge under normal conditions, but you can't just pop into stores or restaurants these days. Many park restrooms are open, which obviously only helps if you're in a park.

One alternative is to bike (in my case, rent a bike) and go farther. Another is to take up running. I'm not gonna take up running.

Following the Hudson south

Going out early remains the best bet for beating crowds. Or, at least, it ties with "go out in nasty weather," and it's much more fun, even for someone who hates mornings. This morning I elected to follow the west side waterfront south, with no endpoint in mind. I chose to turn around just past Pier 92, because the pedestrian and bike lines become one, and it's narrow enough to make social distancing difficult.



Round-trip was just over 7 miles.

Visiting Times Square

Most people I know in NYC go to Times Square for only three reasons. One, they're seeing a Broadway show and can't avoid it. Two, they're going to a protest. Three, they've been tricked into taking out-of-town visitors.

But now, the only reason to go there is to see how empty it is.

I walked down along the western edge of Central Park in a burst of unseasonably cold weather. The temperatures were enough to discourage casual frolickers, and most people out were joggers or dog-walkers.

Sure enough, Times Square itself was nearly empty.



I saw one other person there voluntarily, and a police officer on duty. (Not sure exactly what they're afraid we'll do to the TKTS steps, but okay.)

I took the same route home, with a stop at Silver Moon bakery to indulge in an apricot brioche.

Visiting the Little Red Lighthouse

One of these days I will get to go inside the Little Red Lighthouse - although during a pandemic is not that time. But I did get to visit it today; it's about four miles one-way.

The weather was perfect, reaching the low 70s, which is actually a problem. It brings everyone outside, many of whom pay no attention to mask regulations, and some of whom ignore social distancing. The walk back was a bit more crowded than I would like. The lighthouse itself, however, was uncrowded.