New York City: Monday
Due to my mediocre accomodations, it was relatively easy to wake up at 7am. I made it down to the Empire State Building a little after 8 and walked right in, a far cry from the hour-long wait of the day before. I paid the exorbitant $18 and took the elevator up to the spectacular 102nd floor. Suffice it to say, Manhattan from above cannot be described; it must be seen.
After that, I took the subway down to the very southern tip of Manhattan and took the picturesque (and free) Staten Island Ferry. It was a little cloudy, but I still had great views of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. And with the five minutes I spent waiting for the next boat on the Staten Island side, I can now officially say that I visited all five boroughs of New York (the Bronx was later that night).
I wandered through the Financial District, taking in Battery Park, Wall Street, Federal Hall (site of America’s first capital during the Washington presidency), the New York Stock Exchange, and Ground Zero. Ground Zero actually just looks like a construction site at this moment, but the knowledge of what happened there made the sight harrowing and deeply powerful. To think, only a few years ago, this was not a hole in the ground but two gleaming, spectacular skyscrapers. I walked around the place by myself, but there were tours going on, apparently conducted by people who were there on 9/11.
I took the subway uptown to Greenwich Village, the classic home of New York counter-culture. From what I’ve heard, the authentic counter-culture has moved elsewhere because the Village is no longer affordable for the average beatnik or hippie. However, it retains a certain unique charm, from the funky establishments on Bleecker Street to the famous Washington Square Park at New York University.
I had lunch at a place I had been meaning to go ever since I started planning this trip: the White Horse Tavern. It’s been around for decades and was the place where many of the aspiring folkies of the 1960s hung out, such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, and my personal favorites, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Part of its charm is that there’s actually nothing there besides an old-fashioned looking pub; there’s very little kitsch. I walked in and sat at the bar where Dylan Thomas committed suicide by stacking 30-some shots of Jamesons in a pyramid and downing them all. Very exciting.
Next on the touristy hit-list was Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. Rockefeller Center was actually somewhat ordinary; I’m sure it looks much better during the winter with the big Christmas tree and the skating rink. I walked around Midtown for awhile before taking the long train ride up to the Bronx.
The Bronx has a well-deserved reputation for being a quintessential urban ghetto. It’s a commentary on the priorities of policymakers that the most successful sports franchise in the world is situated right in the middle of this deeply troubled neighborhood. Yankee Stadium is all its cracked up to be and more, but the skyline beyond the center field fence is quite discouraging.
In any case, Yankee Stadium is a site to see. Built in 1923, this legendary ballpark (known as “The House That Ruth Built” because it was designed according to the personal hitting patterns of Babe Ruth) will be torn down in 2008 and replaced with a new stadium next door that will be almost identical except for dozens more luxury boxes. Again, a sad commentary on the state of the world. I am glad I had a chance to visit it for the first and probably last time.
I got there early enough to watch batting practice and to tour Monument Park, an area behind the center field fence which has plaques commemorating all the great Yankees of ages past, from Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig to Joe DiMaggio to Mickey Mantle to Reggie Jackson and many others. An added benefit is that the Yankees’ bullpen is right there, so you can watch the pitchers warm up literally right in front of you.
My seat was almost directly above the press box behind home plate, high up but with absolutely perfect sight-lines. I had no complaints.
The Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 in front of almost 54,000 fans. I got a great picture of Alex Rodriguez hitting a home run. Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano also homered, and Mariano Rivera got the save. The only Yankee who didn’t have a good night was Johnny Damon (aka Samson).
This was baseball as it was meant to be.
After that, I took the subway down to the very southern tip of Manhattan and took the picturesque (and free) Staten Island Ferry. It was a little cloudy, but I still had great views of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. And with the five minutes I spent waiting for the next boat on the Staten Island side, I can now officially say that I visited all five boroughs of New York (the Bronx was later that night).
I wandered through the Financial District, taking in Battery Park, Wall Street, Federal Hall (site of America’s first capital during the Washington presidency), the New York Stock Exchange, and Ground Zero. Ground Zero actually just looks like a construction site at this moment, but the knowledge of what happened there made the sight harrowing and deeply powerful. To think, only a few years ago, this was not a hole in the ground but two gleaming, spectacular skyscrapers. I walked around the place by myself, but there were tours going on, apparently conducted by people who were there on 9/11.
I took the subway uptown to Greenwich Village, the classic home of New York counter-culture. From what I’ve heard, the authentic counter-culture has moved elsewhere because the Village is no longer affordable for the average beatnik or hippie. However, it retains a certain unique charm, from the funky establishments on Bleecker Street to the famous Washington Square Park at New York University.
I had lunch at a place I had been meaning to go ever since I started planning this trip: the White Horse Tavern. It’s been around for decades and was the place where many of the aspiring folkies of the 1960s hung out, such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, and my personal favorites, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Part of its charm is that there’s actually nothing there besides an old-fashioned looking pub; there’s very little kitsch. I walked in and sat at the bar where Dylan Thomas committed suicide by stacking 30-some shots of Jamesons in a pyramid and downing them all. Very exciting.
Next on the touristy hit-list was Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. Rockefeller Center was actually somewhat ordinary; I’m sure it looks much better during the winter with the big Christmas tree and the skating rink. I walked around Midtown for awhile before taking the long train ride up to the Bronx.
The Bronx has a well-deserved reputation for being a quintessential urban ghetto. It’s a commentary on the priorities of policymakers that the most successful sports franchise in the world is situated right in the middle of this deeply troubled neighborhood. Yankee Stadium is all its cracked up to be and more, but the skyline beyond the center field fence is quite discouraging.
In any case, Yankee Stadium is a site to see. Built in 1923, this legendary ballpark (known as “The House That Ruth Built” because it was designed according to the personal hitting patterns of Babe Ruth) will be torn down in 2008 and replaced with a new stadium next door that will be almost identical except for dozens more luxury boxes. Again, a sad commentary on the state of the world. I am glad I had a chance to visit it for the first and probably last time.
I got there early enough to watch batting practice and to tour Monument Park, an area behind the center field fence which has plaques commemorating all the great Yankees of ages past, from Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig to Joe DiMaggio to Mickey Mantle to Reggie Jackson and many others. An added benefit is that the Yankees’ bullpen is right there, so you can watch the pitchers warm up literally right in front of you.
My seat was almost directly above the press box behind home plate, high up but with absolutely perfect sight-lines. I had no complaints.
The Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 in front of almost 54,000 fans. I got a great picture of Alex Rodriguez hitting a home run. Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano also homered, and Mariano Rivera got the save. The only Yankee who didn’t have a good night was Johnny Damon (aka Samson).
This was baseball as it was meant to be.