June, 2016. Working trip to photograph a 3-day conference in New York. After three days in Times Square, I checked out of the hotel and set off on the 7 hour drive back to Canada. But I did not go direct. Why not, I thought, take a tour of Manhattan Island while I’m here?
I rose early, as always. I needed new headphones for the long drive home, and as even New York stores don’t open that early I grabbed my camera and walked around the eerily empty Hells Kitchen. After picking up headphones I went back and checked out of the hotel. I picked up the car from the parking garage, and picked up a pretzel the size of a dinner plate from a food truck, then hit the road, determined to explore this city that apparently does sometimes sleep. Lightweights.
New York Driving
The perception of New York as a chaotic city full of crazy people and insane cab drivers is a Hollywood myth. Sure, it’s a busy, bustling metropolis. But no better or worse than London or Paris. In terms of driving, I found it easier. The grid system and logically spaced one-way streets means you don’t even need a map. Streets go one way, avenues another, sequentially numbered. So, if you are looking for 42 Street West, you just drive and see if the numbers are going the right way for you as you go through an intersection. If not, just turn around. As the song goes, the Bronx is UP and the Battery’s DOWN. It’s that easy.
I drove through Central Park. A huge expanse of well-manicured pastural beauty that visitors can easily spend several days in without getting bored. Central Park is the lungs of this concrete city. During daylight hours it is a playground full of families, young couples, tourists, and lunching executives. Oh, and the annoying health freaks running everywhere. I mean, how are normal people meant to enjoy a dinner plate sized pretzel with all those lycra leotard legions running past with every guilty bite? I didn’t stop to eat today, though. I was driving.
After checking Central Park off my bucket list I headed in a meandering manner past iconic locations. 30 Rock. Empire State. Trump tower. Columbus Circle. Macy’s. Several iconic streets were checked off that bucket list before I headed south, toward the scene above. How I got the shot in several lanes of fast moving traffic is a story in itself. The artistically architected steel and glass tower on the left is Freedom One. Freedom One is in the heart of New York’s financial district. Freedom One is the tower built upon the ruins of the Twin Towers. Ground Zero. 9-11. This shining edifice serves as both a monument, and an inspiration.
Homeward Bound
A quick spin back up through the far side, then mindful of the long journey home I headed for the Holland Tunnel. In which I spent a half hour choking on exhaust fumes as rush hour traffic was building. Fortunately, I was leaving New York, not entering it. Much as I enjoyed my time driving the island, I was glad to hit the open road. I would not want to drive any large city every day. As I remember from working in London for three years, commuting is why subways were invented.
Once out of the tunnel, on to the Jersey turnpike, and eventually, to Canada. A lovely journey of 9 hours total from leaving the hotel. That includes my circuit of Manhattan, and the pretzel stop. I was still eating the pretzel when I crossed back into Canada via the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie. Those things are huge.