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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Back to the City, in Tribeca

176 Duane, Tribeca
Photo by myself at Duane and Hudson Streets, in Tribeca.

A photo from an earlier visit to Tribeca, the land of renovated warehouses.

'Tribeca' stands for 'Triange below Canal (Street)'. Wikipedia writes that Tribeca is bound by Canal Street, West Street and Broadway/Chambers Street. I never know exactly where the neighborhood starts and stops.

The scale of the architecture makes this area very photogenic. A smattering of cobblestone streets help, too.

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Well it's been 28 hours since waking up in Tokyo. Mark and I flew back to 96F degree weather in New York, which is cooler than it is in Japan. Crazy.

I did want to note that if you're considering traveling to Japan, it's really not too difficult to get around. A good guidebook and familiarity with cities will serve you well. In Tokyo, most street and subway signs are accompanied by an English translation.

Finding a specific address might be difficult, since buildings are not often numbered in order...but you will probably not be completely lost. Disoriented by the sheer number of people and signs and sights, yes. Miles away from where you need to be, no.

Finally, all the subways and high speed rail trains are timed to the minute, with constant updates. You'll only have to wait a little while before the next train arrives.

Tokyo train
The Shinkansen or high speed rail trains in Japan are comfortable and wonderfully run. Each train has smoking cars, vending machines, toilets and food service. Some trains travel as fast as 300 km/hr or 185 mph.

Related posts: Duane Street, Tribeca, Reflecting on Tribeca and A Quiet Sunday in Tribeca.

12 comments:

matt said...

Fun to be away, always good to be home,bet Rupert the hound was pleased to see you!

Kitty said...

Hi Matt!

Yes there was an incredible Welcome Home Celebration that lasted hours. Then Rup and Mark conked out on the bed with the a/c going on full blast. Success!

Nori Katayama said...

This Shinkansen was for Hiroshima, my city!

Luis Gomez said...

Welcome home. Say hi to Rupert. Great pictures Kitty.

dianasfaria.com said...

I'm so glad you are at home safe & sound with Mr. Rupert!
I wish the LIRR would look to Japan for some guidance on running a tight schedule. Their trains sound like a dream.

Joanne said...

Back home! Did you enjoy japan as much as I did? Always great to get home and see our furry friends!!

Islandia Lane said...

love the first photo and so true, so hot in the city today!

Terry at Blue Kitchen said...

Kitty, I never knew where the name Tribeca came from. Thanks! And welcome home.

Kitty said...

Hi Nori
Yes, we passed by Hiroshima en route to Fukuoka. I got a small glimpse of your city from the train and thought of you. :-)

Thanks Luis, it is good to be home.

Hi Lily!
I completely agree with you. The NYC subways, too, are worlds behind Japan. Just the screeching sound of brakes every time the trains stop are awful. (In Japan, no such thing).

I wish Mark had filmed some Tokyo subway footage, but our rides were always very quiet and civilized. A video camera would have been obvious. We have Shinkansen footage, though.

Hi Joanne
I really loved it there. You were lucky to stay an extended time. I would really like to live there for a season (not during the summer, though).

Thanks Islandia, hope you were indoors today. It was no fun in the morning.

Thanks Terry!
Good to be home :-)

Leeann @ Join the Gossip said...

Awesome pics! Never been to NY, very interesting to learn what Tribeca stands for :)

• Eliane • said...

Welcome back! I've enjoyed your pictures from JP! :)

Anonymous said...

I came across your blog by accident. I wanted to tell you I very much enjoyed your photographs and felt they did a great job of showing what life in the city is like. Thank you.