Quote:
Originally Posted by Rozenn
Great reports, both. I'm repeating myself, but southern NY/SW New England sounds like an interesting place to explore, with rather empty, forested hills, a countryside dotted with numerous picturesque old towns (for American standards) and a ginormous city in the middle. And once you move away from the coast a bit, the climate is verging on ideal.
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I'd agree. But southern France sounds like an interesting place to explore; picturesque old towns and small cities, pretty coastline, and scenic countryside with rugged mountains and canyons. No enormous city, though.
It was very obvious from bicycling that New York City was much, much bigger than Berlin. I'd say the edge of the NYC metro is around where Haverstraw is (the treeless commercial street in the last post) The parkland, which Bear Mountain is a part of is a natural break and it's not that developed on the other side. Subway service change notice. Guess what language many locals living near the N train in Brooklyn speak?
how to cool off an apartment in NYC without A/C
Anyhow, more of the ginormous city. After, Crown Heights. A mostly African-American neighborhood with African immigrants. African jewerly shop:
Neighborhood mural:
There were some really pretty residential streets, but I didn't photograph them. These weren't anything special:
Aboveground subway station has an actual building to it.
Unusual subway line, most of it is single-tracked. Only 1.25 miles long. One double tracked section where if the trains follow the schedule trains coming in opposite directions can pass. Waiting for the train:
Train is only two cars long:
Transferred to a "normal" subway line, got off at Coney Island. Could smell salt water when the doors opened at the last few stops. From the window, 5ish story buildings continuing for a distance then ending abruptly at the ocean. Coney Island beach is rather unattractive and trash-strewn.
From a rocking ferris wheel:
A
Coney Island Steeplechase. That ride was rather boring there were better roller coasters:
Next day another ride. Random neighborhood of detached houses in the middle of Brooklyn:
Local beverage store has a sign in Russian and sells Kosher Beer
How about Kosher Pizza?
Mid-century brick apartment buildings line Ocean Parkway among other streets
local commercial street
Got to a non-trash strewn beach in NYC
Was hot and humid when I left, just before I got there it clouded over, in parts of Brooklyn it was drizzling. No rain at the beach, but cloudy with a cool breeze coming off the ocean. Water didn't seem that inviting. Sun finally came out but it was low in the sky. Water wasn't that warm but tolerable. Would have been better if it weren't for the wind:
altocumulus?
Random abandoned buildings
Dunes are rather short here. Beach was closed for a while after Sandy, you can still see some dead vegetation.
Beach buildings from the early 30s:
Beachfront homes:
Beach to the east is more developed
Took the subway back rather than biked back. Unusual subway use pattern: filled up near the end of the line, and got less crowded as it got closer to the center city. Beach is the main trip generator for the line, and people were leaving to transfer to other lines as it got further in; most weren't riding all the way to Manhattan anyway.
Train goes on a narrow bridge over the bay, not much above the water. From the window, it looked like the train was riding on water. Bridge was severely damaged by Sandy and needed expensive rework.
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Next day. Manhattan end of Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown:
Central Park looks dry
not that dry looking here
Then train to Waterbury, CT. Bronx apartment building
Old train station, Waterbury
Waterbury looked rather depressed
what is this?
hot, humid and hazy (high 80s, dews high 60s). Trying to get home before dark and area wasn't that scenic so didn't take many photos. Sky didn't help. Think I may have passed the Mt. Tom in Connecticut Cambium has mentioned. Some farm country
now in Massachusetts. Weird. Mill building next to farm building. Or maybe the farm building is an old shed.
not much of a bridge surface
getting late
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