Day One - eco-challenge NYC
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2009
1
Trip End
Ongoing
New York City, New York
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Always a good omen when a turtle dove happens to choose the basil plant on your fire escape as the perfect nesting place.
1. stay with someone who you love and who loves you:
I am lucky that one of my favorite people in this world happens to have recently relocated to NY. Brooklyn, to be more specific. And to stay with someone and learn about what the city means to them may be the best way to have an authentic experience. To wander alongside them as they exist in their world is to learn about the city through the daily routines and share in what they love and enjoy.
2. Take it easy the fist day and get to know where you are living:
Wander around the streets that surround where you are staying and take in the neighborhood and all that it has to offer. Check out the corner deli, wander into the local bakery, notice the shops and the windows and pay attention to who is living there.
3. Spend time sipping prosecco at an outdoor bar where you can watch the evening unfold while catching up. Notice the little things around you that are different...
-the fact that there are so few alleys in NYC means garbage is collected directly from the streets in front of the building; more fire escapes; smaller shops and cafes with character outnumber the larger chain stores of other urban areas.
4. Do something unexpected with your day
We enjoyed coffee and some brie and red pepper quiche and had a lazy morning one my first full day but by noon we were out on our bikes and exploring the various boroughs of the city. Brooklyn to Queens to Manhattan and back...25 mile bike ride crossing various bridges, neighborhoods and even the Statue of Liberty.
5. Stop to enjoy the simple things you come upon
A woman in Central Park playing Vivaldi on her violin to a crowd relaxing in one of the shady expanses of the park. Observe the people who are there and what they are doing.
6. Let yourself get lost
Finding you don't know exactly where you are is a great way to learn a city and also to have some cool unexpected encounters. Get up to the northern part of Central Park to get away from the crowds and check out all the hidden paths.
7. Refuel as needed
Stop for wonderful meals, especially if you can find an outdoor place in the Chelsea area. We sat at Barbuto, an Italian place near the meat packing district and enjoyed some grub with a carafe of rose.
8. Sight seeing...sort of
Don't give up. Keep riding. You may pass some cool stuff without even trying to. River Side Park...is that an aircraft carrier in the Hudson or maybe...an airplane? Or both. Seeing the Statue of Liberty off in the distance may not be enough for some tourists but biking through Battery Park and not having to stop was pretty amazing...unless you really want some spray paint art with your name on it. That is where you can find it.
9. Feel the burn
It was at the Williamsburg Bridge that I really felt the burn coming on. It was a sea of riders heading back into Brooklyn and all of them came onto the bridge with power and speed, only to slow down slightly as the bridge, in all of its graffiti stained red majestic splendor started to ware on them. Why does my kneecap feel like it is imploding?
10. reward yourself with a shower and a huge dinner
Day one was 25 miles of biking through the city and outer boroughs and the evening was spent doing little more than sipping Prosecco and eating cool salad and pasta with sausage and rosemary over pasta. Spending time with friends, watching episodes of Flight of the Concords, eating ice pops and laughing is the best end to any eco-challenge. Thanks for Day One Leto! You rule!!!
