Our first full day (except for Dr. B, who arrived at approximately 10 AM this morning after flying all night and getting only about an hour of sleep) here in Manhattan served largely as a preparation day for our upcoming trail adventures, but we were sure to indulge in a bit of what the Big Apple has to offer. Before embarking on our metropolitan explorations today, we had to deal with some technical issues mostly revolving around my lithium ion battery and the fact that we, in a slight oversight, forgot to pack its charger. We realized what happened immediately after Russ installed the battery and the next thing we knew, we were in touch with family back home to make arrangements for overnight shipping across the continent. If all goes well, the charger should arrive in Albany sometime tomorrow afternoon. Jimmy had to get a wheel quick release lever for his bike that was damaged in the cross-country shipment, which Bike Habitat in Midtown provided for only $5. Other than that, things went smoothly on the technical front.
When we finally ventured out into the City, our initial attempts at using the subway did NOT go smoothly: as we attempted to go south to the World Trade Center, we found ourselves on a northbound train. We quickly realized what was going on, but rerouting to head in the proper direction proved to be quite challenging with the extra element of needing to find wheelchair accessible platforms.
The NYC subway system features 472 stops and approximately 850 miles of tracks and the system can be overwhelming to those who aren’t familiar with it. Suffice to say, after some elevator rides (including one ripe with urine odor on which we were stuck for a bit) and at times confused wandering, we found ourselves at the WTC.
The immensity of New York City is impressive. The density and verticality of Manhattan is mind blowing. We are only getting a small sense of this complexity on this trip, but everywhere we turn and everywhere we go the magnitude of this city makes itself apparent.
We visited the footprints of the Twin Towers and quietly reflected on what happened there 25 years ago, almost to the day.
From there we got a proper NY deli lunch and then made our way to Battery Park.
We rounded the south tip of Manhattan and came into view of downtown Brooklyn as well the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The day was getting on at this point, so in order to speed up our journey along the Empire State Trail to the High Line, everybody rented Citi/Lyft bikes so that they could keep up with me and my chair. In the late afternoon light, we caught views of the Statue of Liberty as we started up along the Hudson River on the west side of the island. The City was vibrant with runners, pedestrians, bikers and vehicles as we made our way northward to the High Line.
As a brilliant sunset faded and city lights turned on, we ditched the bikes and returned to strolling on the High Line, which is a striking urban parkway that was recently constructed on old elevated rail line. We concluded the day with a meal and beverages by our Midtown hotel.
Tomorrow brings more NYC adventure as we leave Midtown, travel north along the Empire State Trail by wheelchair and bike for a while before shuttling to Albany where we will begin our Erie Canalway Trail adventure with an official send off on Sunday.
Stay tuned!
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