Hiatus Over

Sorry about that little gap.  No excuses, but no worries either.  I've been stepping quite a bit since you last heard from me.  And I'm using the singular "you," since I'm really only aware of one person who has visited site more than once in the past couple months.  I've packed into the following post four of my meatier journeys.

The first journey is a combination of two different days (one in the afternoon, one at night a few weeks later) walking through the lovely Washington Heights, a massive neighborhood in north Manhattan that has become a favorite ever since some friends moved there in the past year.  That up there is a view of the George Washington Bridge from somewhere around 180th and Riverside.  This particular trip brought me across the ever-present flying traffic of the Hudson Parkway, through Fort Tryon Park (home of the beautiful Cloisters museum), and over my favorite bridge (not even sure if it has a name, but it's on the top right of the map below) across the Bronx River.

Lots of cool stuff to see if you're ever in the area, and despite the fact that it starts in the upper 100s (what some uppity New Yorkers might consider dangerously far from civilization), it's almost freakishly quick to get to anywhere in lower Manhattan (usually under 30 minutes).  Since a large part of this journey was at night time in unfamiliar territory, not too many pictures, but here's a one from the day trip, taken on a sidewalk near 207th and Broadway.

Both for my musophobic mother's sake, and my own, I did not look any further into what this notice might mean.  But it intrigues me nonetheless.

FlashForward to last weekend, when my brother and I grabbed some dinner in Hell's Kitchen before walking all the way across town and down to the Kips Bay movie theater, only to find out that Django Unchained was sold out.

While walking to the theater, I saw this lost left-handed glove, seemingly an auspice of peace on Earth and pleasant memories to be made.  Little did I know, it was in fact foreshadow to my own lost left-handed glove just days afterwards.  Good thing I have a drawer full of non-matching gloves in the closet, so it didn't throw things off too much. 

Still eager to see QT's slave western, I thought a free Sunday was the perfect opportunity to finally see it and get some serious walking before.  And walk I did - the route you see below, which began at the 86th street 4 stop, went through Central Park (title photo), and snaked down the upper west side, from about 81st to 71st.  It was a brutal walk - I estimated something like 7 miles altogether. I really need to start wearing tennis shoes.

One of the first signs that caught my eye in the area was from this cotton stand, which reminded me of this and this. 

Later on I had the strange experience of passing the same person (a young woman, seemingly about my age) both on 80th and 78th streets.  Oddly enough, we were both walking the same direction each time, and both times were right around Amsterdam, which leads me to three possible conclusions:

1. She was doing the same thing as me, or maybe she just enjoys walking in snake patterns on the upper west side.

2. She was stalking me (my preferred option).

3. If neither of the above, she almost certainly thought I was stalking her.

It probably didn't help that I was listening to Aaliyah's "Never Givin' Up" as the time, which no doubt elicited from me a subconsciously seductive look to accompany the "swagger" with which many have informed me I walk.

Now enjoy a few images from the UWS (for those who don't have the time to spell out the neighborhood's full name).

The Calhoun School, a college prep school on 74th and West End with a sweet building.

The Ansonia, a famous residential hotel between 73rd and 74th.  One of the cooler buildings I've passed in New York, but if you need another reason to love it, take your pick.  For one, it was named after this serious looking mining mogul and philanthropist and built by this pixelated gentleman.  Furthermore, the second section on its Wikipedia page is entitled "Movies, books, scandals, and stars," the first bullet point of which states, "The Ansonia housed a gay bathhouse, the Continental Baths, in its basement during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1977, the club became Plato's Retreat, a heterosexual swing club. Bette Midler started her singing career at the Continental Baths, with Barry Manilow as her accompanist."

This random car in the sticking out onto the sidewalk as though it were unintentionally driven into a house.  Turns out there is in fact a driveway there, a rare feature of upper west side apartment buildings.  It was while taking this picture that I was most aware of the possibility of someone calling the cops on me.

A random parking garage whose walls were covered with cool posters - sadly, I forget which street, but it was one of the last ones, so low 70s.

Finally, tonight's Street History Lesson.  Nathan D. Perlman Pl, between 1st and 2nd Ave, from 15th to 17th street, is named after said Polish immigrant, New York lawyer, and once representative.  I don't have much else on this guy.