A Stroll Through Manhattan

When: August 9th, 2008

Started: 8:06 am on the Broadway Bridge over the Harlem River

Finished: 3:32 pm in Battery Park at the confluence of the Hudson and East Rivers

Total Distance: 15.09 miles (according to Google Maps)

Weather: high of 27 C, clear skies and zero precipitation

Introduction

A couple moths ago, an intern at the office told me that one of his goals this summer is to walk Manhattan from one tip to the other. I thought that this was a great idea, and like any opportunist, I stole it. I decided to plan the walk for August 9th. There was very little planning otherwise. I made a list of the places/areas I wanted to see and I mapped out a route using Google Maps the night before. The plan was ambitious. It called for me to not only walk the length of the island, but also to do a considerable amount of zig-zagging across it. I realized that I wouldn't be able to accomplish everything, but in the end I did managed to do a lot.

Here is the original list of things/places I wanted to see grouped by geographic location. Anything I missed is crossed out. Also, just to be clear, when I say I saw something, it just means that I physically saw it, not that I went inside of it -- though in one or two cases I did. If you are not interested in reading my account of the walk below, here are the quick links of interest:
The Route I Took

A Google Map with the exact route of my walk marked in blue.


View Larger Map


A blow by blow account -- with photos!

Before the walk



Broadway Bridge / Harlem River -- 8:06am



Fort Tryon Park



Broadway in Harlem



Grant's Tomb



Columbia / Cathedral of John the Divine / Morningside Park



Central Park



Grand Army Plaza / The Plaza / Apple Store / FAO Schwarz



5th Avenue / St. Pat's / Rockefeller Center



Times Square



Macy's / Empire State Building



Madison Square Park / Flat Iron District



Union Square



NYU / Washington Square / Greenwich Village



Soho / Tribeca



Thomas Paine Park / Supreme Court / City Hall / Brooklyn Bridge



Wall Street / Trinity Church



Bowling Green / Battery Park



Getting Home