In New York they are experts in reconverting spaces that have finished their normal activity or have become too old, into very nice and trendy places.
Walking along the Hudson River, near 42nd street, you’ll find an enormous aircraft carrier moored on the docks and retired from its service; it is, since 1982, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, its decks are covered with all sorts of planes from all times. If you like these kind of toys I encourage you to visit it, and if a husband on honey moon wants a little “escape” from the shops, it is always a good option.
In its interior you’ll see, amongst its many rooms, the Captain’s headquarters, and the bunks where the crew slept, you’ll even hear them snoring! It was built for the World War II and it also participated in the Vietnam War. In one occasion there were two grandpas in the bridge, there were crew on the Intrepid back in the day and they would very kindly answer all our questions. I bet they go often to go over old times.
One of the supersonic Concorde planes rests in the museum, mi buddy Emilio and I went to see it, yes, the same pro-cyclist who taught me how to change gears on the hills of San Francisco; in this occasion he did in NY. I remember that day I thought to myself, if I have been able to ride a bicycle in the busy streets of New York City, I can do anything in this life!!
It is wonderful to be able to share the world with excellent travel companions. I have travel on my own a lot, but I have never been without company. Along the way you’ll always meet nomads with your same interests and who´ll encourage you to do things that you’d never thought you’d do in a million years. And you’ll encourage so many others; we always leave a mark on the people we cross paths with, and what better than to leave a good one, right?
In the same river bank, not far from the ship, there is an old elevated railway reconverted into a park. The High Line, which history tells us that it was created to avoid the crashes between the carts and the train in a particular street, like they used to. Nowadays it harbours a great variety of plants, the old tracks and some areas where to rest or read.
Some artists have adorned it with various graffiti’s, and it has some lookouts from where you can take good photos of the streets of New York. I love “The Kiss” by the great Kobra, which is not there any longer, the “Mount Rushmore” still can be seen from the High Line.
The track is only seven km long, so you can go for a nice walk admiring the many different buildings with very futuristic looks that surround it. At the end of this elevated park, on 9th Av there is an ideal place for breakfast or lunch called Chelsea Market, it used to be an old cookie factory where the famous Oreo were born. The place has a lot of charm, the day I discovered it I put it on my list of “places where I want to spend long and pleasant moments” especially if it’s snowing outside. That day I spent my time reading and raiding the chocolate shop till my friend Virginia came.
Recently many new places have appeared in this neighborhood called Hudson Yards, such as the Edge, a skyscraper with an observatory and skating rink, or the Vessel, a sculpture I already told you about.
In the pier 57 we can take the fantastic photo of the new Little Island park, created on large pillars from which you can see the skyline of the city.
From there, I walked with my partner in crime to the end of 5th Av with the 23rd to say hello to the emblematic Flatiron, my second favourite building, to walk under the clock in Madison Square Park and to Eataly, an indoor Italian market with very a good cuisine and a delicious coffee, or so they say, I am more of a hot chocolate girl.
Within this last year I got to read some books from new authors, some I’ve been lucky to meet personally. They all have made their dream of creating a book, come true, and every single one of them has my admiration for their courage and for treating us with their tales.
Today I’d like to include the book “The shamanic prophecy” by the author and friend called Heath Shedlake. The novel is about Jabuti, a young man from a tribe in the New World, in search for his origins. The quest takes him and his two friends to experience some adventures in the Venezuelan jungle, meet different tribes and a few dangerous white men. The three of them become wiser on this journey. This is not it, as it is a saga, and I can’t wait to read the next one and see where life takes Jabuti.
