The Summer of 2004 Cruise

 For kicks I have uploaded the server with the Garmin data in Google Earth format of our trip up the Erie Canal to the Thousand Islands.
 It's under the http://home.roadrunner.com/~danmapes/Summer04.kmz heading. The boundary markings and a route I had plotted may confuse the display a bit but you "get the drift".

A day in Lower Manhattan

 While it's not exactly what many would think is a great hike, it certainly is interesting. What we decided to do was drive down to Jersey City and then take the water taxi over to Manhattan for a walk. This all worked out quite well. As it turned out the parking was reasonably priced and there was plenty of it for a week day. All one has to do is follow the signs to Liberty Park. The ferry is a short walk and it runs every 30 minutes. At 14 bucks round trip it might seem a bit on the expensive side but if the weather is good the view will make it worth while.

 The weather could not have been better for a walk in the city given the temperature was not predicted to exceed 75 degrees. About the only thing wrong with the view is the lack of the WTC but progress is being made. There are many cranes sweeping across the sky helping to raise up what was torn down. I can recall standing in front of the towers as a child with dad as they were going up. We looked up and almost fell backwards in amazement. And now we look up again while new towers are being built. All around lower Manhattan we see how the times have changed. Barricades are everywhere and pop up road blocks appear out of the side walk to prevent unwanted entrance into buildings with cars. I wonder what it would be like to be standing on atop one when they are raised. Not too fast I would assume. 

 Anyway we worked our way over to China town and it is every bit as busy as it was when I drove a taxi in Manhattan during the college days. All sorts of wares spill out into the sidewalks on shaky stands where passersby can examine them for purchase.  

 Once past China town and on Mulberry street, in the center of Little Italy the restaurant hawkers flash Menes at us and attempt to convince us into their establishment for lunch, but we know where we are going. And that is Pelligrino's. Over the years we came to know this place for good calamari and veal and they didn't let us down this time either. 

 After a large lunch the walked back to the West side a bit slower than we did on the way over but we managed. The rough part was leaving the city behind on the water taxi and then driving back North.