Bridging the Gap

Photo by myself of the George Washington Bridge, around 160th Street on the West Side.

The 'GWB' spans across the Hudson River to New Jersey, beyond. I took another photo of the bridge earlier this year, when it was shrouded in fog.

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Broadway, that street that's associated with theater and performance, is a long, long street.

Sure, it's broad; for many blocks on the Upper West Side, the street is a couple lanes wide with a bus lane in each direction, separated by a planted median strip.

But really, it's long. It goes virtually from the southernmost part of Manhattan all the way to the northern end of the island. Then it crosses the Hudson River, to Riverdale and Yonkers, beyond.

Visiting New York, it's hard to conceive of the suburbs and towns around Manhattan. All you're aware of is the island itself, rather than the bridges and tunnels and edges that connect it to the rest of the world.

Mark and I noticed it most when we returned from Paris. There, the Seine snakes through the city, its banks well-trafficked. People venture down to the water for picnics and walks. Others saunter alongside at street level.

New York's edges aren't so obvious to casual visitors, who are instead swept up by the vortex of skyscrapers and streets. The edges are more obvious to city residents - apartments escalate in value with water views. Drivers whizz down the West Side Highway and the FDR along the East Side.

Related posts: The Mawl, In the Fast Lane and Tourists for a Day.