Travel Biography - Week 110.

A Note Before Reading On...

Lately, except for the first photo, the Blogger website has decided to make the inclusion of photos into the text nigh impossible. Instead, the website seems to insist that they all appear at the foot of the text. So, to save from frustration, that is how they appear this week. Whether to continue with this method or to attempt at my original layout, I would like your opinion as a reader. What would you prefer? The original layout, or this week's photo column? I would appreciate any feedback. Please, no links to adverts or other websites. Thank you.

A Day in Central Park.

One of New York's well-known features is Central Park. Know as the Lung of New York, it's a near-perfect rectangular strip of greenery, 2.5 miles (4 km) in length and half a mile (0.8 km) wide. The north edge borders 110th Street, the south at 59th Street, its eastern length borders 5th Avenue on the Upper East Side, and its opposite side 8th Avenue on the Upper West Side. It was designed by Fredrick Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and was completed in 1876 (Source: Wikipedia). Central Park was believed to be patterned after London's Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens. Still, in keeping with the symmetrical grid layout of the city's streets, unlike Hyde Park, Central Park is almost perfectly symmetrical except for its southwest corner "bitten off" by the presence of Columbus Circle.

A view of Brooklyn Bridge from Pier 17, New York.

While I was in New York in 1998, I set a day aside to check out Central Park by walking from one end to the other. But it wasn't a straight 4 km walk. With so many "diversions", the overall distance walked remains inconclusive, as it took me a whole day to finally reach 59th Street. For example, the walk included a full lap of the track encircling the J. Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, simply known as "the Reservoir." It's the largest pond in the park, and its former purpose was to supply water to the city before it was decommissioned in 1993 in fear of possible contamination.

The pond's original name was Croton Reservoir, after the name of its source, Croton River, over 40 miles to the north, which was dammed to form the New Croton Reservoir, and supplied its water. Just south of the Reservoir, the 86th Street Traverse cuts across the park amidst some trees, and further south, the Great Lawn boasts six baseball diamonds. Yet, I found it hard to believe that the Great Lawn was once underwater, an extension of Croton Reservoir that includes the present Turtle Pond. And I learned all that while I was there in 1998.

The Hike Begins.

From the hostel, I had to walk northward from 103rd Street to 110th Street, as the northern border of the Park was seven blocks beyond the hostel's location from Midtown. But once I found the northern entrance, one of the first ponds I came across was Harlem Meer, within the northeast corner of the Park. This was a small pond compared to the Reservoir, but with no crowds, I saw how the lake nestled in tranquillity within the meadow surrounding it. For a moment, I forgot that I was in a bustling city. I then passed through a wooded copse called The Ravine before opening into North Meadows. After crossing 97th Street Traverse, I eventually arrived at the Reservoir.

A footpath encircled the pond, and there was no end of joggers. I even felt the odd one out for not jogging. The trail was 1.58 miles (2.54 km) long, that is, where it ended at the same point where I started. The Reservoir was almost large enough to divide the Park into two separate parts, as on the east side the pond drew close to the edge at 5th Avenue, while the western edge was just shy of touching 8th Avenue. 

After completing a full lap around the Reservoir, I made my way through the Great Lawn with its six baseball diamonds. There were far more people here. Some strolled casually, others sunbathing, but all formed an air of tranquillity, away from the noise of traffic and city life. I was meant to head towards Turtle Pond, but a loss of my sense of direction brought me to 8th Avenue, mistakingly believing that I had reached its end at 59th Street. Instead, I was roughly halfway through. At the gate, some black youths were milling about, and I felt uncomfortable in their presence. One or two approached, asking for some spare cash.

Although fearful, I put on a stern face, a "Don't mess with me" expression, and I shook my head, uttering just one word, Sorry! I then turned back into the Park before looking back to see whether I was followed. I wasn't - phew! What a relief!

But I was still shaken by the experience. And that wasn't the first time either. Elsewhere in the City, I was stopped by a beautiful-looking black female, perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties. She then begged for a couple of dollars by telling a sob story. On that occasion, I gave in and handed her some cash. When I quickly turned to look back, she had vanished, and even looking down the street, she had gone.

This kind of aggressive begging, I learned, exists in America and it was quite different from the British equivalent. The latter just sits there under a shop window and holds out his hand. Hardly a word was said. When on my travels, the worst label I could wear, whether in New York, San Diego or even in Jerusalem - especially on my first visit there in 1976 - was the word Tourist. It was like having the word tattooed in big letters across my forehead - Beggars and profiteers welcome. I have the cash to give away.

I arrived at Turtle Pond, and I was immediately impressed with the grey brickwork of the fake historical Belvedere Castle on the edge of the pond. When I entered to get a view of the park from the top, I had a splendid view of the pond backed by the Great Lawn. To think that in bygone years, Turtle Pond, the Great Lawn, and The Reservoir were all one big lake in the centre of the Park - the Croton Reservoir. In 1998, the castle's interior looked to be a weather station for New York.

Belvedere Castle offered an edifice which contrasted favourably with the featureless blocks surrounding the park. Indeed modern, it gave a taste of Medieval history amid a busy, bustling city. As far as I'm aware, the castle has never served in any defence exercises, nor was it meant to, unlike Castle Clinton, now a National Monument in Battery Park. Castle Clinton was built to defend New York against any British invasion following independence. But the British never arrived to invade, hence, the historic structure never served the purpose for which it was built. Instead, it became a popular tourist site.

Further on, I walked through the trails of the Ramble until I came across another pond. Simply known as The Lake, it had a footbridge at its narrowest point, giving me access to the southern section of the Park.  After passing through Sheep Meadow, I finally arrived at the exit at 59th Street not long before it began to get dark.

A Visit to the Statue of Liberty.

It was on another day that I stood at Liberty Island after taking a subway train to Battery Park. While I sat on the train, I was thinking of 1978. That was my last visit to the Statue, having not visited it in 1995. I recall alighting at Bowling Green Station near the southern tip of Manhatten, walking to where the ferry departs, and boarding the boat for Liberty Island. As I made my way to the inside of her head, it was so hot, that I was soaked in my own sweat. And the views? There weren't any, not from inside her head, anyway.

All that was in 1978, my first visit to New York.

On this trip, twenty years later, again I boarded the ferry from the same moorings as in 1978. I looked back at Manhatten with its prominent twin towers of the World Trade Center, each tower looking remarkably like giant cigarette lighters dominating the whole city. I had thoughts of revisiting the rooftop lookout - like I did in 1978. But having a greater curiosity about the Empire State Building, I decided this time to give the World Trade Center a miss. So far, I hadn't yet ascended what was once the tallest building in New York, possibly in the whole world until the Sears Building (now the Willis Tower) in Chicago was completed in 1974.

With my interest in the Empire State Building, in 1998, I thought of giving the World Trade Center a miss this time. Since 2001, I deeply regret that decision. After 9/11, the Twin Towers are no longer there for visiting. The only memory to hang on to for the rest of my life is 1978.

The ferry approached Liberty Island and sailed past it to dock on the far side from Manhatten. After disembarkment, I found out that the Statue was no longer open to the public during the summer. I had a personal chat with one of the stewardesses. Her explanation was that the inside of her copper head gets so hot, that after climbing the spiral stairs, visitors were known to pass out, faint, or show symptoms of heatstroke, with some ending in hospital. Hence, the decision was made to close down the statue for visitors during the summer. I understood, and there was no hint of disappointment. When I was inside her head in 1978, I was so hot, that sweat poured out of my skin. But as I was approaching my 26th birthday, I was young and healthy. Therefore, along with the excitement of just arriving in New York from London and spending my first night in a bug-ridden hotel, I suffered no side effects from the stifling heat.

Yet the view from the island was a mix of an expanse of water backed by the city skyline of Manhatten with the two giant fingers of the World Trade Center, more than two km across the estuary, dominating the horizon. Furthermore, although we tend to associate the Statue of Liberty with New York, it's actually in New Jersey, having crossed the boundary between the two States during the 2 km sailing. This was also a time to take in the scenery and reflect. How fortunate to make the decision to fly to New York to properly explore the city and its environs rather than be forced to hear our next-door neighbours shout their cheers as England scores another goal in the FIFA World Cup Final.

Other venues I visited were at the Financial Center. This included the New York Stock Exchange, and this building, fronted by Roman columns topped with a pediment, was open to visitors using a balcony separate from the trading room below, but offering a splendid view of the trading that was easily recognised from its frequent appearances in the BBC News bulletins throughout the sixties, seventies and eighties. Although this was not my world, nevertheless, I was intrigued by the hectic atmosphere of the venue filled with men in their business suits, along with the price of shares and stocks passing from one to the other while clusters of computer screens hung from the ceiling. Unfortunately, photography inside the Stock Exchange was forbidden.

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Next Week: The Empire State Building and the Botanical Gardens.

Copse near the northern end of Central Park.

Harlem Meer.

J. Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.

Turtle Pond.

Belvedere Castle.

Posing at Belvedere Castle.

View of the Great Lawn from Belvedere Castle.

In the Ramble.

The Ramble.

Sheep Meadow

Sailing to Liberty Island, Manhattan 1998.

Crossing the 2 km Strait to Liberty Island.

Approaching Liberty Island.

We sail past the island before docking in.

She stands majestic.

In 1978, aged 25, I stood inside the statue's head...

But in 1998, all I could do was look across the water.