A day full of small moments

Half a day. That's all we have left in New York City this time around, after breakfast and checking out of the hotel in New Jersey. Half a day - and so much more of the city left to see, so how do you choose? As with much of this short visit, we go with an idea - a possibility - and see where that gets us. And if that possibility leads to other possibilities, well, so be it. I like to think of it as well-researched flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. It's good to improvise, but you have to know what all the possibilities are first - and make room for the unknown, too, since you can never know it all.

Today began with the idea of walking the High Line, an old raised railway track-turned green space near Chelsea and the Meatpacking district. So how do we get there? Do we take the subway, to save our feet for later, or do we walk the several blocks south from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, taking in the architecture of the city on the way? We decided it wasn't that far, and opted to go it on foot. This allowed for some examining of new residential towers, encased in a mirror-like skin, that
have gone up since our last visit, and the melding of windows and clouds high overhead.

We found the stairway access to the High Line and climbed on board. Of course, just walking the High Line is a great thing in and of itself, but so many small moments and discoveries come along with it. We admired the gardens lining the pathways, designed for ease of care, but also to resemble the weeds and wild flowers that once covered the defunct railway. Ornamental grasses and echinacea intermingle with hydrangea and shallow-rooted trees - after all, these plants have very little soil to grow in! In a larger section, we happened upon ice cream vendors, and went with the more refreshing option of a cucumber-lime paleta(homemade popsicle). So good on a hot, muggy day like today!

Further along, we came to a curious amphitheatre that descended to a glass-window deck that offered views down the length of 10th avenue. However, as everyone was standing and posing with the backdrop of cars and pavement, we turned around and caught a hazy distant glimpse of the Statue of Liberty cooling off in the Hudson River. We also passed a wonderfully-low-profile water feature, a fountain where half the sidewalk was simply bathed in flowing water for about 50 feet. So easy to just take off your shoes and keep walking, until you reached the end, where you could continue along the path until your feet dried, then re-shoe. I love it so much, I want to see something similar at home. Why can't we have one at home?!

Eventually we reached the end of the line and descended back to the street, where the Chelsea market awaited. A friend had told me to be cautious, as the Chelsea market was FULL of delicious temptations. So much so that when he visited, he left with a bag FULL of goodies. Well, we didn't do any better, scoring lots of tasty treats - foccacia, refreshing gazpacho, a selection of cheeses, fresh cherries and some mixed nuts - for a picnic lunch, which we proceeded to lay out on one of the giant stairs in the amphitheatre a few blocks back.


At this point, we opted to begin the long walk back, since we had a bus to catch, and an even longer drive to Montreal. This time, the subway won over, but not before we made our way a few block parallel to the parade route for the Pride March. This proximity, though not right in the parade, did allow for some glimpses of party-goers - because that's what they are - in all manners of clothing and costume, with colourful wigs and even more colourful make-up, draped from head to toe in rainbow flags. Dance-club music blasted from everywhere and nowhere in particular, while people danced and shouted on floats parked in the staging area, ready for the real deal to begin. Sadly, we couldn't stay long, though our inability to find an access point to the route certainly didn't help. Oh, and in case you are wondering, synchronicity was in our favour, because one of the moments we DID CATCH was of those pastel-painted silk flags from Central Park, spinning and twirling and flying above the
crowd. And they looked mighty impressive.

So it really was a half-a-day of possibilities branching out into other discoveries and experiences, and of course the wonderful memories on which we will, one day, reminisce. Because that's why we do it, no? For the beautiful reminiscing, and the chance to recount, "You know, once, when I was in New York City..."

Until next time -