Apr 18, 2005
Coincidental to the beautiful weather is my annual bout of seasonal allergies. Around about the age of 48 or so, I, who never had an allergy in my life, developed terrible springtime suffering. Many people have told me, and doctors confirm, that around that age, people's hormones change and one can develop allergies that never existed before. So I'm one of those people. Symptoms? Sneezing, headaches, heavy-head syndrome, post nasal drip and the most horrendously itchy and crazy-weepy eyes. They get so bad that the lower lids get chapped from the tears. Sometimes, it feels that I have a tablespoon of sand in each eye. Bad. Real bad.
This typically lasts a month, starting in April and ending in early May. The last two years, however, has seen a fading of my symptoms. Either I'm passing out of the phase that began some ten years ago - or, for whatever other reason - rain or lack thereof or some other unknown (to me) combination of weather conditions, the last two years were not bad at all.
This evening of this very beautiful day, I got onto my bike at about 5:30 and pedaled over the Brooklyn Bridge. Destination: Battery Park to meet my dear friend Lonnie. We were to have dinner at a lovely restaurant at the very southern tip of Manhattan: the American Park Cafe.
This was a lovely restaurant (but pricey) with an added outdoor deck and bar perched on the edge of New York Bay - with vistas of the skyline to one side and the bay and the Statue of Liberty to the other. Spectacular - and an added bonus that the deck and bar had a less expensive menu and live music. What a great New York place to have a drink, some light bar food and watch the sun set behind that other state across the Hudson River.
Trouble was - the restaurant is gone. Finished. Departed. In its place - the very expensive Battery Park Gardens restaurant. And -- no more deck with its moderately priced menu. Too bad - We've enjoyed many wonderful sunsets at its predecessor.
The beloved Brooklyn Bridge bike/ped path. Hey you drivers, stuck in your cars -- wouldn't you rather be walking or biking?? That's the Manhattan Bridge towers in the background.
One of New York's great, great places -- the Brooklyn Bridge bike/ped path. That's the Woolworth building with the pointy top.
A view from the Brooklyn Bridge uptown to the Manhattan Bridge and the Empire State building. Specatcular, no?
I just love the different views and angles of this fabulous structure.
The Bridge, the Statue, Sunset.
I called Lonnie to alert him - he was still at work. That was fortunate (but also a little upsetting as he was supposed to have been downtown already) because I could arrange to meet him at a new location. I suggested Azafrán, a tapas place, on Warren Street in Tribeca. I gave Lonnie the new subway stop at which to detrain (Lonnie is geographically-challenged and I'm his matt-quest.com when he needs directions). While he was coming downtown, I was biking uptown, along the Hudson on the beautiful path that runs between the luxury apartments of Battery Park City and the river. It's one of my favorite city places.
The sun was setting and the Manhattan skyline was glowing in its light as I turned off the path and headed to the restaurant. I couldn't resist a shot of the fabulous old Woolworth builidng, this time viewed from the west side.
The Woolworth building - reflecting the fading sunlight.
I had given Lonnie new instructions - get off at Chambers Street - he was coming from Times Square. I arrived at the restaurant, just around the corner from the subway, only to find that it's closed on Mondays. Not to despair - this is Manhattan - enough restaurants, it's said, that you could eat in a new one every night for the rest of your life and not repeat a visit! A block of so away was Mary Ann's Mexican, an old standby - this was their Tribeca branch. The original was a bit uptown in Chelsea at 15th Street and 8th Avenue.
I rode around the corner to find my friend standing at the subway exit, on his cell phone, talking away. Although he was off from work - apparently he was still on the job. Dinner was nice. After an espresso at a Starbucks and then a leisurely, and long, walk up to Washington Square - he walking and I walking and rolling my bike alongside. Lonnie hailed a cab. I mounted my trusty bicycle and pedalled home, this time across a very lonely Manhattan Bridge, and home. A beautiful night out on the town.
Lonnie - he's always on his cell.
A very lonely Manhattan Bridge bike path on my ride home at 9 o'clock.
Coincidental to the beautiful weather is my annual bout of seasonal allergies. Around about the age of 48 or so, I, who never had an allergy in my life, developed terrible springtime suffering. Many people have told me, and doctors confirm, that around that age, people's hormones change and one can develop allergies that never existed before. So I'm one of those people. Symptoms? Sneezing, headaches, heavy-head syndrome, post nasal drip and the most horrendously itchy and crazy-weepy eyes. They get so bad that the lower lids get chapped from the tears. Sometimes, it feels that I have a tablespoon of sand in each eye. Bad. Real bad.
This typically lasts a month, starting in April and ending in early May. The last two years, however, has seen a fading of my symptoms. Either I'm passing out of the phase that began some ten years ago - or, for whatever other reason - rain or lack thereof or some other unknown (to me) combination of weather conditions, the last two years were not bad at all.
This evening of this very beautiful day, I got onto my bike at about 5:30 and pedaled over the Brooklyn Bridge. Destination: Battery Park to meet my dear friend Lonnie. We were to have dinner at a lovely restaurant at the very southern tip of Manhattan: the American Park Cafe.
This was a lovely restaurant (but pricey) with an added outdoor deck and bar perched on the edge of New York Bay - with vistas of the skyline to one side and the bay and the Statue of Liberty to the other. Spectacular - and an added bonus that the deck and bar had a less expensive menu and live music. What a great New York place to have a drink, some light bar food and watch the sun set behind that other state across the Hudson River.
Trouble was - the restaurant is gone. Finished. Departed. In its place - the very expensive Battery Park Gardens restaurant. And -- no more deck with its moderately priced menu. Too bad - We've enjoyed many wonderful sunsets at its predecessor.
The beloved Brooklyn Bridge bike/ped path. Hey you drivers, stuck in your cars -- wouldn't you rather be walking or biking?? That's the Manhattan Bridge towers in the background.
One of New York's great, great places -- the Brooklyn Bridge bike/ped path. That's the Woolworth building with the pointy top.
A view from the Brooklyn Bridge uptown to the Manhattan Bridge and the Empire State building. Specatcular, no?
I just love the different views and angles of this fabulous structure.
The Bridge, the Statue, Sunset.
I called Lonnie to alert him - he was still at work. That was fortunate (but also a little upsetting as he was supposed to have been downtown already) because I could arrange to meet him at a new location. I suggested Azafrán, a tapas place, on Warren Street in Tribeca. I gave Lonnie the new subway stop at which to detrain (Lonnie is geographically-challenged and I'm his matt-quest.com when he needs directions). While he was coming downtown, I was biking uptown, along the Hudson on the beautiful path that runs between the luxury apartments of Battery Park City and the river. It's one of my favorite city places.
The sun was setting and the Manhattan skyline was glowing in its light as I turned off the path and headed to the restaurant. I couldn't resist a shot of the fabulous old Woolworth builidng, this time viewed from the west side.
The Woolworth building - reflecting the fading sunlight.
I had given Lonnie new instructions - get off at Chambers Street - he was coming from Times Square. I arrived at the restaurant, just around the corner from the subway, only to find that it's closed on Mondays. Not to despair - this is Manhattan - enough restaurants, it's said, that you could eat in a new one every night for the rest of your life and not repeat a visit! A block of so away was Mary Ann's Mexican, an old standby - this was their Tribeca branch. The original was a bit uptown in Chelsea at 15th Street and 8th Avenue.
I rode around the corner to find my friend standing at the subway exit, on his cell phone, talking away. Although he was off from work - apparently he was still on the job. Dinner was nice. After an espresso at a Starbucks and then a leisurely, and long, walk up to Washington Square - he walking and I walking and rolling my bike alongside. Lonnie hailed a cab. I mounted my trusty bicycle and pedalled home, this time across a very lonely Manhattan Bridge, and home. A beautiful night out on the town.
Lonnie - he's always on his cell.
A very lonely Manhattan Bridge bike path on my ride home at 9 o'clock.
4 comments:
Matt I loved the photos in this particular segment. You have captured the glory of the bridges and the views they afford as well as their unique pedestrian portent. When you have lived in other states, you don't often get the opportunity to experience the thrill of crossing a bridge like the Brooklyn Bridge on foot or bike.
matt: you are wonderful and i love what you did
lonnie
Lonnie
What did he do?
Bob
Apr 24, 2005 eXpresso corrected to eSpresso. Thank you Dani.
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