“There’s something strikingly soothing to the New York skyline with its ubiquitous appearances throughout media.” – Old Sean
Upper Bay Day
Following my trip through Philadelphia, I drove north until I reached Staten Island that night. I planned on taking the ferry across to New York the following day, and opted to snooze in my care until morning.
When morning rolled around, I parked the rental, hid all my earthly possessions and hopped aboard the ferry. For some reason, I forgot that the Staten Island Ferry is free, and I spent a long ten minutes wandering around the terminal looking for a non-existent payment-ticket-station.
The ferry lethargically stirred up small mounds of thrashing white water before gaining momentum and chugging towards the city. I stayed outside during the ride, despite the cold. The Statue of Liberty drifted past, a few lonely gulls winging around.
Blinking at Skylines
As I landed on the southern tip of Manhattan, it was still a little too early to readily find things to do. It took me a while to get my bearings, but once I did, I was able to move around quickly.
New York has started shifting away from my mental imprints of the city. Most of my concepts of New York still stem from sitcoms and brief visits from nearly a decade ago.
However, much of the skyline is nudging a new direction. For example, a new series of skyscrapers have begun rising along the bank of the Hudson. They’re often so tall, it’s difficult to take a picture in which they fit into the frame. These new building aren’t the stone and steel monoliths of old, but steely blue glass built at gravity defying angles.
Aside from new structures, the city looks a lot cleaner than I remember. Buildings are surprisingly bright-looking at dawn, though the actual pavement below remains a tad grungy, as always.
A Glance of Landmarks
During this visit to Manhattan, I swiftly visited the major landmarks. I didn’t desire to stay in the city for long.
Central Park was nice enough to walk around, though the lack of leaves in trees made the vast greenspace seem smaller and easier to see across. There are the usual horse-drawn carriages trotting through the wider paved routes.
I stopped by Tom’s Restaurant, which was used as a film-location stand=in for the Seinfeld series, making visiting feel slightly surreal.
Eventually, I made it to Times Square. Unsurprisingly, it’s still an epilepsy-inducing assault on the senses. From there, I tried moving a bit faster. I felt slightly impatient and overwrought. New York, even on vacation days, can be a little overwhelming. Over the next hour, I passed the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Bryant Park and several tiny, appreciated restaurants.
Honestly, my visit was quite nice, though I would consider it an uneventful time. I stopped to buy some discount winter attire, including a hat and pair of gloves.
Afterwards, I visited one of my favorite places in New York. The extended High Line Park is an above-ground walking trail created from a repurposed train route. I enjoyed it greatly and I wouldn’t mind seeing more parks of a similar design in major cities.
Great White North
That sums up all my time visiting New York City. I headed back to the ferry terminal in the late evening and returned to my car. I would be driving for several hours to reach a cheaper hotel site outside the city limit.
The next leg of my journey is taking me abroad again, in the tamest sense. I’m due in Canada shortly, so I’m typing this from my hotel room in Albany right now.
So until I’m across the boarder.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written January 16th 2019
Read more about visiting New York City and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Destination Info.
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