final stretch - day 1

124th st / fdr drive / york ave / pike street / e broadway / bayard st / white st / moore st / franklin st / leonard st / harrison st / jay st / worth st / thomas st / duane st / reade st / chambers st / warren st / murray st / park pl / barclay st / vesey st / vesey pl / n end ave / frankfurt st / beekman st / spruce st / theater alley / fulton st / pearl st / water st / front st / peck slip / john st / fletcher st / maiden ln / dey st / church st / liberty st / s end ave / w thames st / battery pl / state st / new york plaza / whitewall st / bridge st / stone st / beaver st / broad st / s william st / platt st

37.88 miles

i had thought of a more creative intro for this one, but honestly all i can say now is holy moly i cannot believe i really walked (and a lil biked) this in one day after sleeping for legitimately two hours. adrenaline can really do something to ya.

after spending some time with the family, i am back in this city with exactly one week to finish my goal of walking every single street here. and to finish this goal, i must walk (and bike when i am too tired) at least 20 miles a day. i have mapped it out, and as you can see, there are many streets yet untouched (my mother asked, lovingly, what have you even been doing?).

it is the final stretch (and i must also move out of my first apartment this week), and while i was a tad fretful that i would not finish as i flew back here, what i accomplished today makes me hopeful and confident that i will complete this (ridiculous yet enlightening) project.

my sleep was uneasy, but glimpses of the sunrise over the east river, never before seen by me, invigorated my legs and my brain. who knew so many people were awake this early in the morning?

a value to biking was the way i felt the curves of the city, the eastern coast, as i rode. if biking the hudson river greenway is a breeze, the east river greenway is a thunderous gust of wind with intermittent showers. construction and detours make the path incomplete, and cobblestones and upper east side exercisers make the ride slow. i had a strange but friendly encounter with a local who seemed to have followed me onto a dead end, where i tried to play off that i knew where i was going. i made it to the end in the end.

i wore a tshirt today, a decision i began to regret as i felt the humid heat set in. but as some might say ‘he’s not thinking with his head’, i did not think with my own head today, deciding today that i’d rather deal with being warm than my body being stared at.

dressed in athletic clothing, i was surprised when i entered a wall street cafe and the barista asked me if i worked nearby.. did i pass for a finance bro in my gym shorts? their horchata latte (made from puerto rican beans only, i was told) was divine, i must say.

i had planned to walk more of chinatown today, but i forgot my wallet, a devastating discovery when i had been looking forward to a breakfast curry puff the entire bike ride southward. luckily for forgetful beans like myself, you can still find a bite to eat with just your phone (just not in chinatown).

i walked far, but the observations are few today, caught up in the steps and in the heat of the day: the eastern bridges (bobby kennedy, hell gate, queensboro, williamsburg, manhattan, brooklyn); a wary glance; a softballer on a scooter; the heavens opening; a statue of a cow; a perfect cartwheel in playground; fresh fruit at the farmers’ market; nipples; the irish hunger memorial; the african burial ground national monument; city hall; assorted head coverings, draped elegantly; lime green hot pink hair; suits and scrubs coming off the ferry; a long and sweaty line for the smoothie truck; the 9/11 memorial; trinity church; alleys and stop signs and slow cars make for easy walking near the tip of this island.