Every little step in NYC
Part one of my spring vacation to New York City
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, and seeing Harry Potter and Billy Crystal live on Broadway, are the best moments my wife and shared on our spring vacation to New York City. We walked approximately 20 miles in four days while visiting Manhattan. Here is what we experienced every step of the way.
Day one
Our hotel in Times Square is about five miles from the Brooklyn Bridge. That’s an hour and 30-minute walk right out of the chute to start our adventure.
We marched down Broadway for several blocks, taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells. We saw the massive Macys store with its archways decked out in flowers. Looking up at the Empire State Building from street level is mind-boggling. Our first stop was at the four-story Barnes and Noble building in Union Square.
Bookselling
I have been a bookseller at Barnes and Noble since the 2021 holiday season. It’s a fun job for a longtime sportswriter, photographer, and reader. When I saw a picture of this gothic looking bookstore in New York City, I wanted to see it in person.
I was blown away by the architecture on the ground level. Title floors matched with huge white columns rising to the ceiling. And books. Books everywhere. I also discovered a room in the back filled with all sorts of movies and musical records. This is place is way bigger than the bookstore I work at back home, and there are escalators to go up.
The next two floors look like the Barnes and Noble stores I am used to seeing with carpet and rows of bookshelves. But it’s all on a way bigger scale. Fiction and nonfiction titles stretch on as far as the eye can see. There is plenty of space dedicated to children with kid’s books, stuffed animals, Legos, toys, and games. And then, there are the magazines, graphic novels, and Manga.
We found the Barnes and Noble Cafe on the fourth floor of this building. There is also a stage set up for author signings, book talks, and other community events. We rested in the cafe and drank coffee. I’m thrilled that my employee discount worked at a Barnes and Noble on the opposite side of the country from where I live.
Bridges
The Brooklyn Bridge is an engineering model, built back in 1875. A mile of suspension cables rises up between two gigantic concrete columns, taking motorists and pedestrians across the East River. I walked across the 4-mile Astoria Bridge in Oregon, but that is only possible during a special event in which the bridge is closed to vehicles. I have also been on the Golden Gate Bridge in California, but there are sidewalks so pedestrians can share the span with vehicles.
The Brooklyn Bridge features a wooden walkway in between two roads of traffic. It’s an interesting boardwalk with shops of New York lore. To the left, you can see other bridges stretching from Manhattan to Brooklyn. To the right, the Manhattan skyline expands all the way to the Statue of Liberty.
Our mission in Brooklyn was to get down to Washington Street and find the famous Manhattan Bridge viewpoint in the DUMBO district. Yes, that Disney elephant who can fly. We discovered a dark staircase from the Brooklyn Bridge walkway and decided to take a chance on it. The stairs led us right to Washington Street, so it was a straight shot to the DUMBO.
After crossing a few blocks, the street ended at the Manhattan Bridge framed perfectly by the brick buildings on each side. The tip of the Empire State Building lines up right underneath the Manhattan Bridge tower. What a sight.
Standing on Ground Zero
September 11, 2001, changed my outlook on forever. I witnessed the attack of the World Trade Center on television. I couldn’t even imagine what that day was like for a New York City resident or visitor.
As my wife and I walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan, we tried to think about the max exodus of people fleeing the city on foot that day 20 years ago. It’s impossible to truly understand their level of terror.
We could already see the new Freedom Tower building from the bridge and headed that way. Once we stumbled on to the old church downtown surrounded that the cemetery where Alexander Hamilton is buried, we could feel the presence of Ground Zero. What if those towers fell in this direction and took out that old cemetery?
We found one of the two reflective pools and just stood there in awe. We read the names of the victims and fountains pouring water into a deep well in the center of the pool. Wow! Such a simple and powerful memorial in place of where one of the World Trade Center towers once stood.
The design of the nearby museum looked like one of those collapsed buildings. I tried to capture everything I saw, felt, and heard in photographs, but my pictures don’t do enough justice. People must come to the memorial to fully understand.
Ghosts and wizards
After eating dinner and a food court across from the memorial, it was time to begin the five-mile walk back to our hotel. We finished the day strong by making two important stops into the world of fantasy.
We found the Ghostbusters Headquarters, a real fire station in New York City paying homage to one of our favorite childhood movies from the 1980s. The level of authenticity was so awesome. I would love to tour the inside of the station, some other day.
We also stumbled upon the Harry Potter New York store in Union Square. The main floor has every wand, school uniform, chocolate frog, trick, and treat your heart desires. There is also a revolving phoenix bird spiral staircase to a green marble room resembling the Ministry of Magic. And an archway of books leading to the Harry Potter book collection.
My wife and I bought our Hogwarts house sweaters to wear to the Harry Potter Broadway show we would see the next day. She’s a Hufflepuff. I’m a Ravenclaw. What a fantastic store. They definitely saw us coming.
Just day one
The sun had set completely by the time we exited the Harry Potter store. We still had a few miles to walk, so it was time to get moving.
My final worthy photograph of the day was a silhouette of the Flatiron Building at night. Fans of the John Wick films should recognize this as the Continental Hotel, where Keanu Reeves goes to seek vengeance, rest, and relaxation.
About an hour later, we were back in our hotel and ready for bed. This was just day one, folks. Stay tuned for part two.
