from east to west via right then left
Around noon today, I set out on an 'alternating' adventure, with no sure idea of where it would take me. I live on the upper east side at 81st and York Avenue in an area known as Yorkville. Starting from the corner I made a right (north) onto York and took it from there.
I walk these streets every day, but experiencing them without a sense of purpose-- "i've got to get to the train, to get to school, to get to work,etc"--was a totally different experience. Moving about the city on a daily basis I realize that I am often disconnected, either on my cell phone or listening to my ipod, but today it was quiet. I was quiet, just taking everything in with the only plan being to take a right and then a left... that's it!
Weaving through the mix of brownstones and highrises, I discovered new spaces, mainly schools and places of worship. On 85th between 3rd and Lexington I found a fire house (engine company 22/ladder company 13) and paused to look at the pictures of their fallen heroes from 9/11. It was both somber and inspiring as the crew was suited up and about to pull out of the house on a call, full of excitement and energy. On 87th between Park and Madison I passed the Park Avenue Synagogue which had a beautifully ornate procenium entrance. Onto 5th Avenue along Museum Mile, I passed the (ever under construction) Guggenheim, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and The Jewish Museum. I wanted to go in, but that would have required a veering from the path, so I'll return at a later date.
Able to cut into the park at 96th street, I made my left and trekked across past the North Meadow Recreational Park, and then exited at Central Park West and 97th.
This is where things got a little shady. My trajectory took me through the housing projects between CPW and Amsterdam. As I moved from 101st to Manhattan Avenue I cut through a courtyard that made me very uncomfortable. This (now) makes me think about how often this feeling comes up for the 'adventurer', or am I not considered one because I felt some sort of fear and adjusted my course??
Anyway, I made it back to 101st and then rounded back up on Amsterdam to resume my course.
About that time, the rain and sleet began to fall. I made my way over to Broadway and zig-zagged my way to Riverside Park and 108th where I ran into the West Side Highway, Hudson River, and the landscape of New Jersey. I had reached the end. My adventure was over. However, this is not true because the adventure home is part of the experience. On my way to the train I came across a small memorial park on B'way/West End and 106th with a bronze statue of a woman that read "In honor of Isadora and Ida Strauss" who perished on the Titanic. I took a moment in the rain to remember, and then made my way back downtown.
This trajectory, although clear cut in its method, was filled with unexpected moments of memory, architecture, discovery, discomfort, beauty, and ultimate gratitude.