Since I've moved for 1/2 the week to Brooklyn for work I've occasionally taken advantage of that fact, although we're a decent distance away from anything tourists would frequent. As in across from some projects over Flatbush Ave. When I first moved there it was winter and I was ready to be on the offensive once I left work after sundown, since it's not a safe area. I closed all open areas of my purse, clutched it, and determinedly walked towards Borough Hall where it doesn't have that vibe. That sense that you're not really sure what could happen, but there are almost no people around, everything's closed, and you still have a 5 minute walk before you hit the safer (aka other people appear) area.
Beyond that, however, as the weather has gotten better and the time change ensures I have more non-sketchy exits from work, which is a blessing. It's also allowed me to take paths I never would have otherwise. The first time I walked the Brooklyn Bridge was in 2003 as a tourist/New Jerseyan. Since I've been in the new office, I've walked that bridge twice on clear days, dodging cyclists and tortoise tourists. It's a nightmare of trying to move where it's most efficient, even for someone who used to navigate Grand Central every day at rush hour. Any type of cut-out from the path leads to giant backlogs for photo ops, but requires vigilance for your safety and others for over a mile.
This past Friday I walked the Manhattan Bridge for the first time. It's a totally different experience, and a perfect encapsulation of the difference between a New Yorker versus a tourist. The bridge path was practically empty compared to the chaos of the BB, which was an instant plus. Bikers and pedestrians are given separate pathways on either side of the bridge so there's no chance of being flattened by a speeding cyclist. Passing by graffiti and broken bottles with no one else in sight is common, unlike the tourist-sanitized BB, and all the while the subway trains thunder by every few minutes, shaking the bridge as they come and go.
There are things that people, and especially native New Yorkers, don't think about since it's our daily lives. I'm sure there are people who purposely commute across the MB since it's so much more convenient if you want exercise instead of taking mass transit, but not putting yourself on a high-stress commute where you have to be 100% alert every step like the BB.
I guess what I'm saying is that I'm trying to make the best of the hand I've been given, and experience more of the non-tourist experiences, even if it means emerging on Canal Street in 90 degree heat. I don't regret a minute of it, and I've learned that New York attitude where I know I'm red-faced, swiping sweat off the back of my neck with a paper towel (side note: always have one of these handy in the summer in NY), lugging a backpack, but really don't care what people think as I pass them. My life is my business, none of theirs, and I'm no longer ashamed. It's an encouraging self esteem lesson, and also a great exercise going off the tourist path :). Another reaffirmation of why I feel I belong here.
Beyond that, however, as the weather has gotten better and the time change ensures I have more non-sketchy exits from work, which is a blessing. It's also allowed me to take paths I never would have otherwise. The first time I walked the Brooklyn Bridge was in 2003 as a tourist/New Jerseyan. Since I've been in the new office, I've walked that bridge twice on clear days, dodging cyclists and tortoise tourists. It's a nightmare of trying to move where it's most efficient, even for someone who used to navigate Grand Central every day at rush hour. Any type of cut-out from the path leads to giant backlogs for photo ops, but requires vigilance for your safety and others for over a mile.
This past Friday I walked the Manhattan Bridge for the first time. It's a totally different experience, and a perfect encapsulation of the difference between a New Yorker versus a tourist. The bridge path was practically empty compared to the chaos of the BB, which was an instant plus. Bikers and pedestrians are given separate pathways on either side of the bridge so there's no chance of being flattened by a speeding cyclist. Passing by graffiti and broken bottles with no one else in sight is common, unlike the tourist-sanitized BB, and all the while the subway trains thunder by every few minutes, shaking the bridge as they come and go.
There are things that people, and especially native New Yorkers, don't think about since it's our daily lives. I'm sure there are people who purposely commute across the MB since it's so much more convenient if you want exercise instead of taking mass transit, but not putting yourself on a high-stress commute where you have to be 100% alert every step like the BB.
I guess what I'm saying is that I'm trying to make the best of the hand I've been given, and experience more of the non-tourist experiences, even if it means emerging on Canal Street in 90 degree heat. I don't regret a minute of it, and I've learned that New York attitude where I know I'm red-faced, swiping sweat off the back of my neck with a paper towel (side note: always have one of these handy in the summer in NY), lugging a backpack, but really don't care what people think as I pass them. My life is my business, none of theirs, and I'm no longer ashamed. It's an encouraging self esteem lesson, and also a great exercise going off the tourist path :). Another reaffirmation of why I feel I belong here.
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