Almanac Travel: Travel Shorts NYC #2

 

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge to Ground Zero

 

Well it’s 1.30pm and I’m still waiting for my bag to turn up. We headed out today despite my state of disarray. I managed to have a shower but these undies and t shirt have seen better days. Noticed many locals taking a wide berth from me walking down the street. Not the first time believe me.

 

Had breakfast in a very inconspicuous café down the street. I had an omelette and they threw a hash brown on top of it for good measure just in case I wasn’t fat enough. I had a beautiful smoothie and a bagel also and Lynda had a bagel and a communal coffee which you just helped yourself to. All up $12. Then we went wandering down one of the main drag’s here, Fulton Ave and did some grocery shopping. The food is so cheap and the shelves are laden with enough sugar content to sink a battleship.

 

Being sober these days I’ve been sucked into all the different types of soft drinks and teas. Too many choices and they have soft drink in three litre bottles which could kill a man with diabetes from ten paces.

 

As soon as my gear arrives, it’s into shorts and off to the subway to get to the Brooklyn Bridge and take in the views of Manhattan Bridge and Manhattan itself. Between the bridges lies the arts precinct of Dumbo so we can wander around there for a fair while I would imagine.

 

Still fading in and out with jet lag so we will see how long we last tonight. If I can get Lynda to stop eating JujyFruits (see Elaine Benes in Seinfeld) for five minutes, we can get a good night’s sleep as tomorrow we are catching the boat around the whole of Manhattan.

 

“Bill you know if you give up smoking, you get your sense of smell back.” 

“I live in New York. I don’t want my sense of smell back.”  Bill Hicks

 

9.30pm – My bag arrived 24 hours late at 5.30pm. Quick shower, change and onto the subway. In four hours we have walked around Dumbo, across the Brooklyn Bridge, had a hotdog and soft serve ice cream on the Manhattan side of the bridge, visited the world trade centre site, walked back over the bridge and subway home.

 

Getting around is so easy and safe. The views are breathtaking everywhere you look. We decided on the way home that the Brooklyn Bridge is the Leigh Matthews of bridges. Huge chunks of concrete representing his thighs, immovable and fearless.

 

The Manhattan Bridge on the other hand is Nick Reiwoldt. Immaculate, long lines representing his running patterns and inexhaustible. However you interpret them, they are magnificent and a photographers dream.

 

The new Freedom Tower is impressive but this afternoon was all about the remembrance pools at the site of the previous two towers. They are so incredibly tasteful and awe inspiring that Lynda burst into tears and I choked up big time. Words can’t describe the feeling you get when you’re there.

 

The waterfalls drop down about 5 metres and the water disappears into a black abyss. The names of the dead aren’t engraved but are removed from the metal and backlit from underneath which looks very solemn and respectful. An amazing experience. The new museum is open and is on the wish list while we’re here.  Great to walk some cobwebs out and see this incredible city for the first time. Goodnight from Brooklyn.

 

 

To read more from Ian Wilson click here.

 

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