13/9/22 To the Island

 Today was disgustingly humid and to top it off I’ve got a minor cold. Nothing too bad but definitely annoying.

Last night there was a big thunderstorm which caused the horrible weather today. With over 8 million people in New York City it made for some pretty pungent people passing by. Hopefully not me because I had slathered antiperspirant and deodorant on this morning. Funnily enough this was a positive sign because every time I retched from a derelict’s BO it meant I had one less symptom of Covid (as well as negative tests, but I think I’m on to something with the pungency test).

I was on the subway to go to the Brooklyn Bridge or the ferry to the Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island but both options meant a bit of walking and I really didn’t feel like it today. As you get out of the 1 Subway line you are right in front of the Staten Island ferry - decision made.

Lower Manhattan and the knees of a pretty stinky fellow. Luckily he was downwind for most of the trip.

Possibly the Jersey City Ferry, not sure. They really should label these properly.

This is what muggy looks like.

And this is what lunch looked like. Chicken bites fries and cheese & bacon burger. Shake Shack never fails to deliver (well, I’ve only had it twice and it was good).

The Sept 11 memorial on the Staten Island waterfront.

On each side of the upright bits they had the names and face profiles of each of the Staten Island residents who were killed in the attacks - this was such an amazing and personal way of memorialising them.

I took a walk to get my hair cut, and ended up in what looked like a pretty normal (for here) area. 

They were such a great bunch of guys, one was from Guiana and was a big fan of the West Indies so we had a conversation across the shop about cricket, much to the bewilderment of everyone else.

These little bastards are all over Staten Island and the Manhattan waterfront.

They and big and leggy and love to land on you. I’m so glad nobody knows me here so I won’t be remembered for letting out the scream of a small child when they landed on me. The public are encouraged to stomp on them as they are a pest and are destroying trees and plants.

I took a different ferry back to Manhattan that went half way up the island. Not sure what I was planning on after this, but it did mean a bit of walking so that was a change.

I want to say “you’re welcome”, but I have no idea why.

The Vanderbilt, Empire State and Chrysler Buildings. 

I found a beach in Manhattan! Not that welcoming clearly.

The place that trains go to sleep

I did a walk along a bit of the High Line, an elevated walkway that used to be an elevated train line. It was very trendy with community gardens and odd artworks all along it, and ramps connecting apartment buildings along it.

The High Line, or a bit of it with some wild panning whenever I saw something interesting.

My walk along 34th Street from 10th Ave to 7th Ave and all the wildlife I saw. 

11:50ish is where some strange rooster offered me some candy. Makes a change from dodgy Buddhist monks offering bracelets.

Who knows what tomorrow will offer, hopefully decent weather and a less diseased me.