Hike #241 10/5/6
Hike #241
10/5/6
Me on Brooklyn Bridge
This is another one of he hike journals that was lost in the fire. Someone might have it on a disc I'd given them, and if you do please copy and paste me a copy! Till then I'll just have to try to remember some important aspects.
Here's a link to all of the pictures from this one...
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/sneezehorse/hike241%2010-5-6/
Downtown Manhattan near Washington Park
City Hall area, Manhattan
Near City Hall
Brooklyn Bridge
Approaching Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge view
Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
Empire State Building from Brooklyn Bridge
Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn Bridge
WTC site
World Financial Center
WTC
WTC and tubes in place
WTC
WTC site
WTC site
WTC site from World Financial Center
View from World Financial Center
WTC site work from World Financial Center
Work being done as seen from World Financial Center
WTC site
WTC construction!
WTC construction
WTC construction
WTC construction
WTC reconstruction from the reconstructed subway. It wouldn't be long before the light of day would never reach this site again.
World Financial Centers
CNJ Terminal at Liberty State Park from Manhattan
Statue of Liberty from Battery Park
The Statue of Liberty in Battery Park
Religious dignitary at Battery Park
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Sunset over Jersey City from Battery park, Manhattan
Empire State Building at night
Empire State Building at night
This hike was just my then girlfriend Cathy Fisher and I.
We took a train from Somerville as I recall to Penn Station in Manhattan and hiked southbound, stopping along the way in the square parks like Washington and Madison. We then continued south to the Brooklyn Bridge. We'd both always wanted to walk across it, and I remember being very surprised at how the walkway was above the roadways in the center. I was simply blown away and had to read every little history document that made their way around each pier.
When we got to near the other side a side walkway went down to a street in Brooklyn. We followed this and walked along some roads below to the "Under the Bridge" Pizza place which had been voted best pizza in NYC many years in a row. It took a while for them to make it for us, and it was sort of fancier than most NJ pizzarias because it looked like it was a little higher class, but not so much that we could'nt be seen in shorts and T shirts.
The pizza itself was very good, but it was different. The sauce had a great flavor, but it was much lighter with very little salt as I recall. The crust was just as light. It was actually sort of flaky, with the consistancy of sort of a giant saltine cracker. Still, it was very good we both agreed. We continued on back across the bridge and headed west to the World Trade Center site, which both of us had wanted to see since 9-11, and that she had given me a hard time for not taking her prior to this.
As we circled it, we found a small walkway with a narrow entrance that looked like it was for workers only, but there were no signs reading that trespassing was prohibited, so we went on in. It was a walkway sorrounded by something like a sheet metal where you could'nt see in any other direction, and we passed another pedestrian which made us feel like it was okay. Still, there was pretty much no one in there.
Soon, it led us to a set of stairs. We went up, and to our surprise it took us into the pedestrian walkway that once crossed the road into the trade center itself. We were able to walk through it and into the World Financial Center where the views of the WTC site were absolutely amazing.
We walked through taking in the views, and we could watch the trucks going down into the giant hole by way of a huge ramp. We walked through a hall into a second room in the WFC which was made of marble and a giant window view toward Jersey City. We continued but a door ahead along that edge of the building was closed off. We turned left and somehow found our way around the bulk of the building to the south and west and out to another area. I remember some guard directing us a bit along the way as well. We somehow ended up at a stairway area and were able to cross into another building area by way of another enclosed pedestrian bridge which offered even more great views of the WTC site from above. Some of the best yet. We continued down a set up steps to a narrow closed off former street along the one side. We then walked down into the station below the WTC site where the new subway tubes were already being set. There were guards everywhere and signs saying no photography, but I could'nt resist the urge to get one looking at daylight into the subway station, a site I'd probably never see again and I'm glad I had the forethought to take.
From here, we walked down Broadway and another street to Battery Park on the south side and looked at the bay views. There was some religious dignitary drawing a lot of attention while we were there, but we did'nt go over. We continued from there along the Hudson River's waterfront pathway northbound, first along the water and then along a nice way path on the parallel street. We continued north until we reached near the Empire State Building and turned back east to find our train back home.
GOOD NEWS:
Thanks to my good friend "Major Tom" Conroy, who lent me the discs I had made for him way back, this original journal entry has been recovered! Here it is!!!
This next trip Cathy and I would take on a Tuesday to hike a loop all around Manhattan Island, New York.
We set out in the morning heading to the Dover Railroad Station. It took us a while to figure out where we could park. Most places were for reserved parking, and we could not find a legal place. We eventually found one, luckily, in an adjacent lot. We cut it close, and had to run to the train platform, as it had arrived when we were parking!
We had a nice ride in to Manhattan without having to switch trains, arriving at Penn Station. We began walking from here. We immediately had to make a restroom stop, then made our way to street level. It was tough to figure out which way was east and west at first. We first turned right, then thought we were going the wrong way, turned back and went two blocks to the left, then realized we were too far west and headed back east the way we came. We made our way to Fifth Avenue and began walking south. I believe it was Washington Square Park where we stopped for a break. We saw a group of three guys and a girl video taping near a statue, and were amazed that it looked like Steve Rogers and his film crew, though it was not them. We continued south until we reached what must have been Chambers Street passing by the City Hall area. We made our way along sidewalks out to the Brooklyn Bridge, which we'd long wanted to walk across.
The bridge was not at all the way I pictured it would look. It seemed like it's old style architecture should be set in a more rural historic looking area, almost out of place among the forever modern looking city. The walkway was the biggest surprise; I had pictured that it would be like a standard bridge, with walkways on the outside and roadways on the in, however the walkway was far above the roadways centered between them. We could look over the sides and see the cars speeding by below us. It was simply amazing. There were interpretive little signs at the piers telling the history of the bridge and the area which was amazing. It told the entire story of how John Roebling planned the bridge and died during it's construction from the Bends, which killed many workers during the construction, resulting from the compressed air fed into chambers while digging out the bases of the piers. Roebling's son, Washington Roebling completed the structure in the 1880s I believe. A date on one of the piers is dated 1875. The views of the east river (actually an estuary) and the rest of the city, and the Manhattan Bridge to the north were breathtaking.
When we reached Brooklyn, we headed down to the streets and walked around to find a famous Pizza place under the bridge. We found the "Under the Bridge" Pizza place and split a small pie. It was quite good, but different than any pizza I'd had. There was less cheese but more sauce. I liked it overall. We left the place and made our way back to the Brooklyn Bridge. We recrossed and read some more signs, then decided to make our way to the World Trade Center site.
We reached the site and Cathy got quite emotional. There was a giant hole in the ground around the entire area. There were five track hoes in the hole and lots of other equipment (only five track hoes that I saw, anyway).
We walked around the edge of the site, but could not see well into it. There was a tube with stairs coming out of a building to the south, which apparently once connected to the trade center, but was severred. No one was walking toward it, and there was a no trespassing sign which looked like it was pointing toward another door. We walked in since it appeared we were allowed. It took us through a cooridoor with temporary walls, then around a narrow corner to stairs up into the enclosed bridge tube, leading us into one of the adjacent buildings. We walked around a corner where the windows offered superior views. We walked through this building around a couple corners where we could get more views of the trade center site. The subway tubes were already in place and operational. We got to a point when we could not see how to get to the next section. Fortunitely, a guy guarding the one area told us how we could get around to the next building. We entered on with incredible Marble stairways descending in the front. We headed around and down a set of steps to the street, then back up another set on the other side into the next building. When we began to descend again, we got he best view of the site. Footprints of new buildings were already in place upon our visit. We made our way back down to the street and headed into the Subway Station, knowing this would be the only opportunity we would have to see the light of day from inside a subway station. A guard told us we were not allowed to take any pictures there, but I caught one.
We headed back up to the street and made our way to Broadway, to the entrance to the Battery Tunnel, and walked south to Battery Park. We walked down toward the tip where people board the fairies to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We walked along and there was some religious looking guy with a funny hat, who may have been some sort of a Cardinal or other important religious figure. I really don't know. We also watched a bunch of athletes putting on a show looking for money.
From here, we began walking north along the Hudson Waterfront/Battery City area. We followed the waterfront, which was beautiful, heading north. The sun was beginning to set over the Hudson and Jersey City, which was marvellous. We continued walking along the waterfront, and turned in at probably tenth street or something. I do know we crossed over the top of the railroad tunnels under the Hudson.
We walked back along 33rd Street I beleive back towards Penn Station, and got back to the train without problems. We were getting leary though, as walking this street that was not a main street after dark was sort of awkward. For some reason, though, I was'nt worried.
We got the train back to Dover and were able to walk back to the car with no problem other than the fact that our feet hurt.
No comments:
Post a Comment