Travels in the 2nd half

Winter in the city is underrated. People who don’t live here think that city dwellers huddle around the radiator, dashing from apartment to subway to work, and then reversing that trip in the evening. The reality is that we get out in all kinds of weather, and the cold is no barrier to a walk in the park, in fact it might even add something to your stroll. There is a strip of land that sits between the West Side Highway and the Hudson River. Technically it is part of Riverside Park, but until about 10 years ago it was totally undeveloped. Now there is a paved bike and walking path, part of the bike trail that circles the island of Manhattan. You can get to this escape from the city from either 125 th street or inside the park and the 98 th street highway turnaround. Once you start this walk there is no exit, going forward or back are the only options. During good weather this path is a mecca for bikers and runners. It also draws people who want to sit a...

I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I was a city boy, living in an apartment building sixteen stories tall. Many people have asked me if I missed not having a back yard. They believed that growing up in NYC meant that I only had concrete playgrounds and streets. There is some truth to that. I spent a lot of time in playgrounds, and had countless football and punch-ball games on the sidewalk, but the truth is I also had a huge backyard – Riverside Park. Riverside Park stretches from 72 nd street to 158 th street along the Hudson River in Manhattan. Its history is an early example of a city taking back waterfront space that had been cut off for decades by the New York Central Railroad’s Hudson Valley line. The rail line was built in 1846 to connect New York City and Albany NY. The rail line sits at the bottom of a cliff along the river. During the 1860’s a plan was developed to create a park at the top of the cliff, and this part of Riverside drive was b...