NYC series no.1: the views

We flew over Manhattan just before 10 p.m. Thursday. The plane circled over the Atlantic Ocean and then the city lights became visible below us as the plane first entered over the harbor and then up the Hudson River. Jackson and Cyndi were seated on the left side of the plane, and I could hear the kids behind them pointing out the features below. Rylee and I, on the right side of the plane, could see the entire island twinkling below us as the plane continued flying over the Hudson and then circled around to fly over Queens to land at LaGuardia. We could make out the bridges across the East River, the Chrysler building, the Empire State building, and the swath of Central Park. Rylee mentioned that the cars below looked like little toys. He often wondered at times like this moment how it was that the planes didn't crash into each other landing and taking off, and we talked about how the airport tower told the pilots when it was their turn to land or take off. He knew about airport towers from his Lego toys.

Having safely landed and taken a cab from the airport across, from what I figured was, the Queensboro bridge and then traversing Central Park on 79th, we arrived at our hotel on the Upper West Side. We checked in and went to our room on the 23rd floor. The windows of the living room and the bedroom faced Central Park two blocks away. It was a view unobstructed by any nearby building. We could see patches of green trees in Central Park, the Dakota, the Century, the Majestic and the San Remo, the skyline on the Upper East Side, and Midtown. Cyndi would sit on the sill of the living room window and drink her morning coffee from the Starbucks on the corner. During the day, you could look down and see the street life along Amsterdam and the corners of 74th and 75th streets. Some workers were dangling from a terrace across from us building a brick wall on the top of one building. In the evening, you could see people enjoying rooftop terraces with potted trees. There were water towers everywhere, of course. We kept the curtains open all day and night. In the middle of the night, the skyline looked like some cover of a New Yorker magazine, the buildings silhouetted, black against a night sky, with square lights from the few windows into rooms still lit. It was possible to open our windows--they cracked open from the top a few inches--to hear the constant buzz and roar of the traffic, the sirens, construction, and the air brakes of buses and trucks.

On Sunday afternoon, after visiting Washington Square, Ariel picked us up in a car near Canal Street, and we drove across the Brooklyn Bridge. We drove by her old neighborhood and traced the route she took from the subway to her apartment, which was on the second floor of a short cobble-stoned street just a block away from the bike trail that runs along the piers, just across from Governor's Island in Brooklyn. She dropped us off at Pier 6 and then parked on her old street nearby.

Pier 6 is a very new addition to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. From the pier there were views of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. It was hot and there wasn't much shade. The boys found an abandoned umbrella on the lawn there and sat in its shade. A NY Waterway ferry docked there for a direct, free ferry ride that lasted just a matter of minutes to the dock at Governor's Island. There was a boarding line just for those taking their bicycles to the island and a small water spray park for children to cool off in. There were joggers boarding and several young families of Hassidic Jews from Brooklyn. On the water it was cooler, and the weather was practically perfect for the view of lower Manhattan.

Governor's Island was an army post for hundreds of years. The old brown stone fort is still there, with a quad in the middle and five points of earthen fortification. A larger post was established around it, including a "Colonel's Row" that still stands protected. Seeing the officer's houses reminded me of the posts in Panama and Fort Sam Houston. The island was also used as a Coast Guard base, but the island no longer serves as a military base of any kind. At one time the original island was expanded from earth removed from the construction of Manhattan subways, so that today it looks like an ice cream cone from above. The development of Governor's Island as a park is in its infancy.

We rented bicycles and circled the island several times for a total of something like ten miles. A promenade circles the entire island and along one side of the island you could see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, a short distance across the harbor, as you bicycled along the wide roadway beside the water. There were many ferries and ships and sailboats in the harbor, with helicopters flying overhead. At the end of the island opposite the dock, there was a grassy area known as Picnic Point, where we stopped for water and sodas from a vendor, found chairs and picnic tables under the shade of trees, and took a few pictures of us with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

Rylee raced ahead on his bicycle, untired, snaking his way from side-to-side, jumping any curb he could find. Ariel tried to keep an eye on him. Jackson wanted to explore the interior of the island and discover the short cuts across it. (He is at an age where he can be independent in that way, and the island would have been a perfect place to indulge in that.) The bicycles were remarkably easy to pedal and the ride was enjoyable. A breeze kept you cool when you cycled, but once you stopped you noticed the heat generated from the work-out.

We were on the island about two hours and the return to Brooklyn on the ferry was easy...but the views of lower Manhattan didn't end there. We walked to Ariel's old apartment and then to a restaurant around the corner from there called Alma. Ariel had made reservations but the rooftop dining on the third level was on a first-come basis, so we waited in the bar on the first floor for a table and for Chris to arrive. A very nice bar, it reminded me of a neighborhood bar, a long counter in a narrow room, with a pool table in the back. The bartender was very friendly. The boys and I played a game of pool. Cyndi and I had beer, a Smuttynose ale.

The rooftop was crowded with tables under the shade of a tarp stretched overhead, with a wonderful, open-air view of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. The food was superb, a flavorful take on Mexican. The menu had a great tequilla list, so Cyndi and I ordered two anejos. The six of us chattered away. It was a lovely evening.

On Monday morning, we found ourselves again in Rockefeller Center. After Cyndi and Jackson and Rylee appeared on national television, I walked over to get tickets for the elevator ride to the Top of the Rock observation decks. When they were done we walked from the "alley" between 48th and 49th, where the audience is corralled outside the Today Show studio, across the plaza beside the ice rink and the statue of Prometheus, and around the corner at 50th. At that time of the morning, there was no wait at all. The staff couldn't be more friendly and professional. The ticket salesperson spoke three languages; the doorman was charming and helpful.

We were whisked up to the 68th floor, where we immediately had a view of Central Park. Two escalator trips took us to the 70th floor, a smaller open-air deck nestled above the 69th, where we could walk around to see Central Park, the Empire State building, Times Square and beyond. I never had the feeling of vertigo I sometimes get, due I think to the fact that the 69th floor below us was so much broader than our deck. Thankfully, the sun hadn't been out long and there were patches of shade along the center walls. We only stayed a few moments after soaking up the experience of the height and the panorama.

We left Tuesday morning. I don't remember anything remarkable about our view taking off from LaGuardia. We took a cab again from the hotel to the airport. This time the route took us along the northern, most uptown end of Central Park and through Harlem. Jackson was sitting at the window, and I wondered what he saw. This part of Manhattan looked different from what we'd seen before. Lots of churches, but few cathedrals.

Notes.

You can get reserved times for the Top of the Rock, but as early as we went you didn't really need to reserve a time. The tickets were about $23 for adults and $15 for Jackson. Rylee was free. They also offered a combo ticket with MOMA, saving adults about $10 for both. All children are free at MOMA. MOMA is nearby, and we planned to go there next on this outing.

The bicycles on Governor's Island rented for $15 per adult for two hours and $10 per child. You had to walk a bit from the dock to find the "family center." They were "coasters" with pedal back brakes, but they worked very well on the island. There were at least two adult sizes and two children's sizes. They also had family surreys and tandems. The bikes came with large front baskets or netted trays and a little bell that you could ding whenever you felt the urge.