Along the Hudson River to the Irish Famine Memorial

One day recently, I had to give up my computer so that a new program could be installed, so I dressed warm and headed South and west from West Broadway and Duane Street, walking past the campus of the Manhattan Community College. At Chambers, I headed for the river and crossed West Street just near the point where it becomes the West Side Highway. Along the way there were new apartment buildings, a school and a few restaurants. When you turn left along the river, you hit the beginning of a path that goes all the way to Battery Park. Even though it was a cold day, the Nelson Rockefeller Park was filled with people playing and eating. There is an almost eerie quiet here since the road running along the river had virtually no traffic. On the inland side of the street you see lots of baby carriages.

The Irish Famine Memorial contains large stones from every county in Ireland, as well as a wall of quotes and a reconstructed Famine-era cottage ruin. Like Ireland itself, it is a sad but beautiful place, resting just a block from the World Trade Center. Also like Ireland itself, no matter how many times you visit this spot, you always see something you hadn't noticed before. The rock from County Clare was obviously taken from the Burren.