Trip to New York – Day 3

Today the program is not tourist but travel. We will meet in places that are not in the office programs to live a little like a local. In retrospect I mention that it has a lot of walking.

We started in the morning at 7, without breakfast, with the subway to Upper Manhattan.

After about 45 minutes we get off at the 191 St. stop. Perhaps the worst yet most unique station in New York. Crossing the huge graffiti tunnel, we emerged onto Broadway Avenue (yes it goes all the way up there).

There the landscape was now urban without skyscrapers and tall buildings, but full of apartment buildings, local shops, schools and playgrounds. We headed south to Bennett Park where Manhattan’s highest natural point is located.

After taking the necessary photos, we exited on the Pinehurst Ave side. Right there is the spectacular Hudson View Gardens residential complex. In general, this whole stretch of road has impressive buildings.

Stop at Fort Washington Deli for breakfast (sandwich, croissant and bagel total $13). We move towards the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge that connects Manhattan and New York to New Jersey regularly appears on our left. Right in the middle of the bridge over the Hudson River, is the border of the two states.

Once we reach Riverside Dr, on the left we see the imposing George Washington Bridge. Right there is a recess where you can fearlessly admire the view of the bridge and New Jersey.

We enter Fort Washington Park which is located below the road and following the path, we end up right under the bridge where the Little Red Lighthouse is located. Rest, for food (which we took earlier) and photos.

We continued the walk through the park and alongside the Hudson River to 158 St where the point of return to civilization is located. We headed to Sylvan Terrace which is a small street with amazing houses left and right.

At the end of it is the entrance to the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Rest and photos.

We went down some more to the Macombs Dam Bridge. We cross it and arrived at Yankee Stadium. From there we took the subway towards the Bronx Zoo (sightseeing pass).

Positive and negative feelings about this visit. We knew beforehand that it’s not a tourist destination, and it’s also one of the largest zoos and conservancies in the US. and all over the world. So that in itself screamed that it would be a great experience. The Bronx Zoo opened in 1899 and today has more than 4000 animals from 650 species. However, due to the huge area it covers (more than 1000 acres) the areas where the animals are housed are vast, as a result of which we cannot see the animals. The natural environment was indescribable and you felt like you were in a vast forest with lanes, bridges, rivers and tributaries. The food at the zoo was overatted and we paid $59 for a simple burger, one serving of fried chicken, one pizza and 3 soft drinks.

We visited the New York Botanical Garden (sightseeing pass) immediately after the “disappointment” of the zoo, since it is next door. Yes, this was something that exceeded our expectations. Although due to time, we didn’t manage to film it all, what we saw was impressive. A vast area of 1000 acres, neat, clean, full of all kinds of flowers, trees, bushes, plants, etc. but it is not the traditional park. The site was established in 1891 and today manages one of the largest plant research and conservation programs in the world. In addition to the outdoor spaces, the Haupt greenhouse makes a special impression in which, in addition to the infinite plants and flowers, we saw tropical forest, desert, Mediterranean climate, lakes, waterfalls and many other natural environments. On our way out we admired from the outside the impressive building of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, which contains one of the largest collections of botany-related texts in the world. The truth is that our visit to the greenhouse in early August with 34 degrees Celsius was not the best idea, but we were fully compensated.

Leaving the Bronx we headed to the South Street Seaport where the Sunset Sail – Clipper City (sightseeing pass) was waiting for us for an evening cruise. Indescribable experience. The duration was about 2:30 hours and included both the dusk and the night. Slowly he passed the Statue of Liberty, strolled the New York Harbor and under the Brooklyn Bridge. While he started with the engines, a few minutes later he raised the sails with the help of the guests making this experience more experiential. The bar offered drinks and snacks but at bargain prices. 2 glass beers we got cost us $24.