City Hall Trifecta

Last Thursday I didn't even know about the beautiful New York City Hall and City Hall Park, and today (Sunday) I can report having been there three times in the past three days!  Who would of thunk it?  Friday was an absolutely glorious day so I decided to set out on my goal of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and exploring downtown Manhattan.  The pedestrian walkway for the Bridge ends right at City Hall Park (whereas whenever we drive it we exit onto FDR Drive hence my ignorance).  This wonderful spot of green in the heart of downtown was orginally the green pastureland of the Common established by the original Dutch settlers. When the decision to build a new City Hall in a new United States of America was made in 1776 many thought this location was too far "north" of the city but the open space was already available and in 1811 the beautiful French Renaissance and Georgian building was completed.  The Park was renovated multiple times, the lastest in 1999.  The Giuliani administration restored several features of the Park including the wonderful Mould Fountain with its gas lamps.  There is a fascinating circular monument at the entrance which traces the history of the park in about 8 different time periods, mapping out the changes in buildings and roadways over the past 300 years. This was a very helpful tool for me as I have been reading the great history of New York Gotham and the maps reinforced what I had been learning.

During my Friday excursion I also walked through St. Paul's Chapel which is adjacent to the World Trade Center site and which served as a refuge and vital resource center for the many volunteers.  Amazing that George Washington worshipped here and yet it also served such a pivotal role on 9/11/2001! From St. Paul's I went into the 9/11 Memorial Center, which demonstrates the stages of the rebuilding effort and shows the architectural plans for the Memorial.  I tried to remember the status is of this development, as I know there have been many setbacks to this ambitious project, but assume that the center reflects the current status.    After I left Ground Zero I walked down Fulton Street to see the South Street  Seaport to take a close-hand look at many of the skyscrapers that I see everyday from my window.  I hope to have my photos posted on Flickr within the next week as I took quite a number.  It was such a lovely day and, standing on the wharf for the New Jersey ferries, or watching the helicopters leave from the heliport, was liberating (although I did wonder what it felt like for the New Jersey commuters one week ago when they had to stand on the wharf in the downpour!)

Saturday night Greg and I found ourselves at City Hall around 11 p.m.; while it was interesting to see it at night we hadn't planned on being there desperately seeking a cab.  The MTA has had many late night/weekend changes to their routes and we thought we were being clever avoiding the 2/3 line after going to a play by taking the 4/5/6 line.  Alas, there was no access to Brooklyn without taking a variety of complicated transfers so we opted to get out at City Hall and grab a cab.  Not a smart choice.  We were just heading to walk home across the Brookyn Bridge when we found a cab.  I was willing to take the nighttime walk, which would have been beautiful, but I had very uncomfortable shoes on and knew I'd be miserable.  Lesson learned: always check the MTA trip planner before going anywhere!

Sunday morning I headed over to Chambers Street and the West Side Highway to cheer Beth on in the NYC Half Marathon.  It was a beautiful day and I grabbed a good viewing spot near the finish line.  Beth did a wonderful job, although she was clearly in pain, and finished in 1 hour 39 minutes.  She was disappointed by her time-typically demanding higher standards for herself.  But the run also nettted money for GHESKIO from many generous sponsors.  It was such a fantastic day and I was so inspired by the runners that I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and walked home from the West Side of Manhattan.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I managed to visit City Hall Park three times in three days!