The Manhattan Project

A 9-11 walk from my office to Ground Zero

2009-09-11T09:17:00.001-07:00

Walking out of my office, I head towards 7 World Trade Center, which appears to be the tallest building in Lower Manhattan.

Crossing Worth and Thomas, the rain begins to let up. Suddenly I hear one sonorous deep ring of a bell that must have enveloped all of Tribeca.

Approaching Chambers Street, I decide to cross the street.

I cross Warren and then Murray Streets. Almost to Ground Zero

Just ahead, the streets are blocked for vehicle traffic.

7 World Trade Center was the first building to quietly be rebuilt.

The Freedom Tower has emerged from its many underground floors.

When I saw this rose alongside the construction wall, I knew this was the shot I came for.

Sometimes the atmosphere around Ground Zero can take on an almost carnival aspect. Not today.

This could be the start of something big

2009-08-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

Since lower Manhattan converges into a point, the big avenues that follow the city to the north must merge here. Broadway begins at Battery Park (I'm using the term "begin" as moving from south to north. South of Columbus Circle, Broadway is one-way southbound). Named Brede Weg by the Dutch, the road was built atop an Indian trail. From Battery Park to City Hall, Broadway is the Canyon of Heroes and the sidewalks have markers for each ticker tape parade to honor foreign dignitaries, astronauts and baseball teams. After crossing the Harlem River, it becomes a major street in Westchester County and becomes the highway to Albany. George Washington lived on Broadway during his presidency.

Hudson Street begins in a quiet corner of Tribeca, heading northbound to 14th St., where it becomes 8th Avenue. It passes Penn Station and, after Columbus Circle becomes Central Park West. North of Central Park, it resumes the name 8th Avenue, but it is alternately named Frederick Douglass Boulevard in parts of Harlem.

Varick starts at the corner of West Broadway and Leonard Streets. Being Southbound, it merges with West Broadway and heads down towards the World Trade Center site. It runs diagonally northwest until it crosses Houston and becomes 7th Avenue. It intersects with Broadway to form Times Square, then goes north to Central Park.

Along the Hudson River to the Irish Famine Memorial

2009-04-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

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.

West Broadway to the World Trade Center

2009-04-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

On a lunch hour recently, I walked south to see if any visible progress had been made on the Freedom Tower. Four months ago it looked about the same as it had the year before that. I'm happy to report that a recognizable building structure is starting to rise up here. Along the way, one passes a number of fine restaurants and gourmet stores. I would have stopped at the Amish Market Hot and Cold buffet but it was swamped and there was nowhere to sit, so I passed that for another day. Since I can only eat out once a week, the decision of where to lunch is one that involves a lot of research. Another notable food store is Bouley's Market - a bakery and restaurant. I can vouch for the bakery as having pastries as good as you'll find anywhere west of France. Along the way, one sees 7 World Trade Center start to dominate the skyline, waiting for the day that it will itself be surpassed by the Freedom Tower. At the entrance to 7 WTC, there is a running marquee of quotes about life in New York.

Leonard Street to Five Points

2009-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Last week after lunching at the Square Diner, I walked on Leonard to it's end in Hudson, and then headed East to its beginning at the famous (or infamous) Five Points. Along the way, I passed the nearly-complete new facility for the New York Law School, apartments, and real estate offices. Past Lafayette, the street gave way to a series of state government offices and courts.

The massive intersection of five points was bulldozed many years ago and replaced with Columbus Park. The morning I was there, the park was being used for recess at a nearby grade school. Other streets in the intersection were Mulberry and Worth. Five Points was the featured geography for the Scorsese film Gangs of New York. For years it was an emblem of the urban squalor created by the waves of new immigrants gaining a toehold in New York City.

Worth between Church and West Broadway

2009-03-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

"New York is an exciting town where something is happening all the time, most of it unsolved."
Johnny Carson

Today's block contains a college book store, an educational toy store, a high-rise office building, and the offices and classrooms of the New York Law School. It is a two way street, but a relatively slow-paced one, so students going from one side with classrooms to the library on the south side can usually make it across alive.

Moore between Hudson and Varick

2009-03-17T07:14:00.001-07:00

"New York was his city, and it always would be."
Woody Allen

You know from the brickwork on the sidewalks and on the street itself that this is ancient New York. There are a number of notable eateries on this block. Bubbies is, apparently, a home away from home for movie stars. Their menu is only slightly more expensive than the Tribeca average, and the food smells wafting into the street are very inviting. The Brandy Library came highly recommended by a knowledgeable friend. Walker's on Varick is a fine place for after hours quaffing and noshing. Otherwise the street appears to be Tribeca Industrial. Click on the image to get the full view.

Varick between Moore and Leonard

2009-03-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

This is, technically, two blocks. It's where Varick (formerly 7th Ave.) merges with West Broadway. This area is most notable for the building on the left - the 8th Hook and Ladder fire station was featured in Ghostbusters. Just past that is a classy, if somewhat expensive bakery and sandwich shop. On the right side of the street is the northern Franklin Street subway station (1 local). Beyond that, there is a diner that I have not tried yet. That gets us to the corner where this adventure began weeks ago.

West Broadway south of Thomas

2009-03-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

"I am taking a liking to this abominable place." Mark Twain (writing during his first visit to New York as a teenaged typesetter).

Compared to the block just north of it, this block has a lot going for it. There are at least 3 restaurants of note. Edward's is a popular spot for breakfast lunch and dinner. Le Petite Abuelle serves wonderful Belgian food. We tried them a few weeks ago on a Monday night when the Belgian beers were half price. Bouley Market is a meat market with an upstairs restaurant. On the East side of the street, there is a store specializing in balloons and other novelty items.

West Broadway between Worth and Thomas

2009-03-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is another one of those blocks that give you writer's block. Other than a supreme courtroom on the East side, it's pretty much just loading docks for the big buildings on either side. A few days ago, I was walking on that sidewalk and I notice a roll of dimes in front of me. I check and make sure that the young man ahead of me was rolling a dolly with a supply of rolled coins. I shout at him and give him the dimes back. He looked blankly at me and rolled on. "You're welcome," I muttered. Today, I am starting the new rules. At first, I'd assumed that each block covered would connect with that of the day before. Then I realized that this would be like solving a logic problem, and eventually, I would be boxed in with nowhere to turn. Now the rule is that each new block must border one that I have covered before. That's better.

The rest of Harrison Street

2009-03-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

Much of the south side of this street is taken up with Yaffa's Restaurant - a French and Mediterranean place that has been there for decades. Otherwise, it's mainly industrial with the typical array of signs proclaiming "Prime Retail Space for Rent." Near the Eastern end of the street, the pavement gives way to the brickwork that underlies it, marking this as a very ancient street. It also intersects a "street" called Staple, which I will not treat in this blog. For the length of its two block run, it appears to be more of an alley than a street, so I will not cover it any further in this blog. Harrison is a one-way Eastbound street.

Beginning of Harrison Street

2009-03-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

Walking North on Greenwich from Jay St., a look to the left is a bit startling when you get to the corner: you can see out to the Hudson River and across that to New Jersey. Otherwise, there isn't much to talk about on this half-block section. Pretty much an apartment building or two and SUNY Manhattan.

Greenwich between Jay and Harrison

2009-03-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

This corner starts with the extraordinarily well-stocked gourmet store Bazzini's. No bargains here, but everything I've seen is very high quality - a palace of guilty pleasures. the specialty is nuts, but there is also a bakery, a chop salad department and a butcher and fresh fish shop. Past Bazzini is the VietnamCafe and Yaffa's French and Mediterranean food on the corner at Harrison. On the opposite side of the street is a Food Emporiam. To see the full image, click on the photo.

Jay Street

2009-03-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

Walking west on Worth, you jog slightly to the left and then turn right on Jay Street, which runs for one block to Greenwich. That's all there is to it. It seems to have a number of apartments, and people that live there have an easy time giving directions. "Just get to Jay Street and you can't miss." There is a department store and the loading dock side of Bazzini's gourmet store here as well. You can see the full picture by clicking on it.

Worth Street - facing Hudson

2009-02-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

There are some blocks in New York that only exist as a way to get somewhere else. This block contains a parking garage, the service entrance for a large bank building, and a row of offices with frosted windows, known only by their numbers. If anyone conducts business behind those frosted panes, you'd have to find out by knocking. If you have that kind of nerve.
No poet will ever write a sonnet about how things that happened here opened up his consciousness to a new way of seeing the world. Google Earth has paid no attention to this block, and rightly so.

Leonard Street and West Broadway

2009-02-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

I chose this point to begin because it is the scene that presented itself on January 26 when I began my new job in Tribeca as a systems librarian. We are in a temporary facility in a highrise on Worth St., but after May I will be working in the shiny glass building. This block includes a pricy but well-regarded restaurant named the Landmarc. There is also a pet boutique and an antiques shop.

This project will be carried out jointly on Google Maps and Google Earth. I had thought about doing this as a project for the days after retirement. Then, oddly enough, my retirement plans were torpedoed by me unexpectly landing a really exciting job in the city. This means that I can still carry out my mission of walking every block in Manhattan, but it will take me a long time. The rules of the project are that each day's entry will be on a block that borders the block before, so I will likely spiral outwards from here.

Lately, I've been reading the wonderful and highly recommended "The Lost Art of Walking," by Geoffrey Nicholson, who mentioned that a number of people have taken on the project of walking every street in Manhattan. That almost convinced me to put this one on the shelf next to my dream of recreating John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley route on its 50th anniversary. What could I do that hasn't been done before? For the answer, go to Google Earth. There are hundreds of pictures of Times Square and Rockefeller Center, but when you go to lower Manhattan, there are many, many streets that have no picture at all. If I keep this up and live long enough, that will change.