Walking to work

I had to go to work to pick up some books for a project. Our office is still closed, but facilities folks are around, so I arranged to go in on a day someone would be available to have the building open. So I walked down through Central Park (see photo above) into Midtown.



Lots of buildings are still boarded up. In many cases, it's because the stores are permanently closed (see both building just to the right of the Microsoft store above). In other cases, they just haven't reopened yet. Some retail businesses are now open on a pick-up only basis, but I'm not sure what the demand is to come in and pick up a ludicrously expensive timepiece.



Of course, the police are out guarding any statue that has been pointed out as racist, so you can't get close to Teddy and his subservient pals of color now. Both Columbus statues are similarly guarded.

Finishing the Toilet Paper Trio

The community of hikers who love patches have had some creative responses to the coronavirus. The North Country Trail opened up its Hike 100 challenge to anyone hiking anywhere. There was my own House Hike. And then there is the Toilet Paper Trio, proceeds from which go to fight COVID here in NYC.

I took a page from the Charmin bears (even if my TP isn't Charmin - I'm not picky, even under normal, bountiful standards) and decided to take my roll to the local bears.

First stop was the bear and faun in Morningside Park.



This was a short, three-mile hike.

Up next was the first trip to Central Park, to the group of bears.




This was a longer walk, nearly six miles.

Finally, I returned to Central Park, walking 7.5 to and from the Central Park zoo and its honey bear.



The zoo itself isn't open, but there is a walking path through it that is. (You can see the seals!)

Leaving Manhattan without leaving Manhattan

I had volunteered to help marshal a march for the repeal of 50-a led by Robert Jackson, my state senator, today. But the march started in Marble Hill, which meant I had to get their first. I'm still not ready for public transit, so I walked.

(If you want to make a march really long, Senator Jackson is your man - before he was a senator, he became famous for marching from NYC to Albany to demand improved school funding. Today's march, however, was about 4.5-5 miles long, much more doable.)

I took the mostly-scenic walk up, staying up high along Riverside Park but then going through Fort Tryon and Inwood Hill Park.



The march left from the Marble Hill Houses and went south to Riverbank State Park.



Here is my senator at the front of the march.



I should add that while I am definitely in favor of repealing 50-a, which seals the records of police officers, I don't think it (and the entire legislative package currently being pushed in New York) goes far enough. Certainly, many of the marchers felt the same; there were plenty of signs calling to defund or abolish the police.

My phone estimates I walked 19 miles, which is likely high, but it was 15 at a minimum (per Google). Last time I walked that far was New Year's Day.