Bluejake

I was in Park Slope today for brunch with my parents. Afterwards, it started to get nice, so when I got back to the city I strapped on my skates and took off on one of my favorite routes. First, through Little Italy and Chinatown to the newly renovated Manhattan Bridge path. Once over the bridge, I usually just cut right back to the Brooklyn Bridge, but today I decided to do a little exploring in Vinegar Hill and DUMBO. Vinegar Hill was spooky and deserted- I ended up on Little Street right up against the Brooklyn Navy Yard- all the houses are sort of falling down, at least, those that weren't replaced by factories and powerstations about a hundred years ago. Through the fence on the Navy Yard I saw this large spooky white house- maybe the residence of one of the important officers back when the Navy Yard was in use. The rest of DUMBO was largely as I remembered it- old factories, torn up streets, one or two lost looking hipsters. People were sunning themselves in Empire State Park, and along the Ferry Landing under the Brooklyn Bridge. On the way back I stopped on the Promenade and looked at the gap in the skyline for what seems like the tenth time- a few tourists were also looking in the same direction. Back on the Brooklyn Bridge I noticed that the wooden planking that forms the pathway is still as uneven as it was back in 1993 and 1994, when I used to skate from the Slope to TriBeCa to get to my high school. The Manhattan Bridge has the best path- all poured concrete- if I can find a few hours I'll report on the status of the George Washington Bridge, the 59th Street Bridge, and that weird pathway that goes over to Randall's Island. They are all on my list.

Skating