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.