Teacher Trekker

Once we returned from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, I suggested that we take a nice leisurely walk up Broadway. In the past, I was in a graduate school course where we took a walking tour with a colleague of our professor. We explored areas of lower Manhattan with a NYC history professor who has since appeared on the History Channel as a consultant. It was over the top to see him talking on television about topics we discussed as we explored the streets of New York. That, along with my own local knowledge and experience wandering the city, came in handy as we made a quick plan and set off on a self-guided walking tour of lower Manhattan.

The Sphere

First, we stopped quickly at one more location in Battery Park. There are a number of memorials and monuments throughout the park. Most are dedicated to the maritime history of the area and the various organizations responsible for conducting naval and seafaring operations. Also present is The Sphere, a temporary piece salvaged from the World Trade Center attacks and dedicated to the victims of 9/11. We viewed many of these monuments on the way to Castle Clinton and while waiting for the ferry. There was one location that we did not get to earlier in the day that I wanted to stop at before exiting the park. As you leave the ferry and walk out of the park towards Wall Street you will encounter the New York Korean War Veterans Memorial. The sleek obelisk has a cut out of a soldier and details the sacrifices made by the various allied nations who fought against communist aggression in Korea during the 1950’s. After a brief stop to read the information, take a few photos and appreciate the commitments made by soldiers in our past, it was time to head to Broadway.

New York Korean War Veterans Memorial

For the next hour or so we proceeded to walk north up Broadway from the southern tip of Manhattan towards the Greenwich Village/Soho area. We passed Bowling Green Park on our way to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Charging Bull Statue, which is a very popular site that many tourists use for a photo opportunity. Why everyone is fascinated with taking photos of themselves next to a bull’s testicles is a mystery to me, but each to their own. (For the reasons mentioned above I do not have a photo, but it is only a short web search away.)

Then I shared some of the history of lower Manhattan as it connects to the names of streets and the history of New Amsterdam and colonial New York. We walked past Pearl Street where pearls were once collected off the coast which also was were the water met land over 300 years ago. There is Maiden Lane where it is believed that women either would bathe or conduct more inappropriate business. The historical accuracy of that name is often debated among those options. Wall Street was exactly what it sounds like where once an earthen wall stood most probably to defend against Native Americans.

Today Wall Street serves as the home of New York’s financial district. Located there is the New York Stock Exchange the world’s largest and most economically powerful of the world’s stock exchanges. I pointed out the location of a failed bombing attempt that occurred in 1920 by Italian anarchists at 23 Wall Street. At that point in history, it was the worst terrorist attack on America killing 30 and injuring over 100 pedestrians. If you know where to look, you can see a section of the building facade that has a hand sized piece of concrete missing as a result of the bomb blast. It is these small pieces of history that I find fascinating. Imagine how many people walk by that spot daily and have no idea about the events that took place there practically 100 years ago.

Trinity Church

We then made our way to Trinity Church. Located at 75 Broadway, this still active church is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of New York. I briefly spoke about its importance during the colonial time period. The church was originally built in the late 1690’s after its approval by the British governor for local community members of the Church of England with roots going back to the Dutch occupation of New Amsterdam. Many years later the church was one of almost 500 buildings that were destroyed during the Great New York City Fire of 1776. A second church was rebuilt, but weather damage caused structural damage that required the building to be torn down. Finally, a third church was built in 1846 after a portion of the parish separated to build Grace Church up the block. Remodeling and renovations have taken place since that time resulting in the building as it stands today. An interesting tidbit is that the American revolutionary and politician Alexander Hamilton was buried in the Trinity Churchyard Cemetery following his fateful duel with Aaron Burr. Of even greater historical relevance is that the first two Trinity Churches can be connected to the life of former President George Washington.

According to George Tsakiridis, Ph.D. and instructor in philosophy and religion at South Dakota State University, “there are two major events that indelibly connect Washington and Trinity Church; his first presidential inauguration and the consecration of the second church building. Washington was inaugurated President of the United States on April 30, 1789 at Federal Hall. After the ceremony he attended a service at St. Paul’s Chapel, as Trinity’s second building had not yet been finished. This second structure was later consecrated on March 25, 1790 on the same land that the first church occupied. Washington, at that point the President, attended the consecration ceremony sitting in a specially set aside pew. The ratifying charter had been previously approved in 1784, with the clause requiring loyalty to England not included.” For more information follow the link to the Trinity Church article from Mount Vernon.org website.

We continued our way north on Broadway. We passed what was once the home of J&R Music World at Broadway & Park Row. Prior to the digital era boom and the rise of online shopping this company used to house a number of store fronts and would retail everything from records & compact discs to cameras & stereo equipment. Once a must visit for music and technology aficionados was driven out of business by many of the products that once made them a megastore in lower Manhattan.

Across the street is City Hall Park. The park is surrounded by government buildings, most of which are at least over one hundred years old. The park is actually nothing special, but is connected to the colonial past of the city. During colonial times the park had an ominously darker side. According to the guide I had in graduate school, the park could have been used as burial grounds for Native Americans. It was also used for lynchings and the sale of slaves during the colonial era. At the end of the north side of the park, construction workers found human remains during foundation work. Located at Duane Street and Elk Street is the African Burial Ground National Monument which preserves the remains of more than 400 Africans who were buried at that location during colonial times.

We then proceeded to walk to Canal Street. It was named after a canal was dug in order to drain a contaminated pond into the Hudson River during the early 1800’s. My friend pointed out that it felt like many of the street markets that we explored throughout Asia. Considering Chinatown were directly to our right on the east side of Broadway, it makes sense those connections can be made. Street vendors were selling countless cheap products from belts to stereo systems at discount prices. Wheeling and dealing for the best deals on the block was a hobby of mine during high school and many of the negotiation tactics I use when traveling as an adult today I learned as a teenager on Canal Street and its surrounding shopping district. Shopping here can be very hit or miss, but is worth a few minutes to walk around, even if you have no desire to purchase anything. Little Italy was only a stones throw away, but that was for another time.

We then made our way into Soho, where, if we had money, we could have gone shopping. As you walk your way up Broadway into Soho and towards Greenwich Village the neighborhood begins to change from a business and financial center to a bohemian neighborhood with art galleries, small cafes and eateries as well as the most posh clothing stores in fashion. There are also many more affordable clothing stores as you proceed north. If you are into what I classify as urban-techware then make a stop at Transit, Active and Yellow Rat Bastard. You can find everything from The North Face to all those silly parody shirts that are often inappropriate in a classroom despite the fact that kids wear them anyway. I often run into current and/or former students when I am shopping in the area, and they are often doing the same thing.

If you have some time and need sneakers this is where to go. There are a plethora of shoe and sneaker stores in the area. Most are offering some kind of deal. The vast majority of the shoes are real, but there are always some knockoffs so make sure you know what you are looking for. If the discount sounds too good to be true it probably is. Besides, counterfeit products are sold at some of these stores. Personally, I have never had an issue, but again I know the difference between real Nike Air Max sneakers and real North Face products compared to cheap imitations. Regardless of what your budget, tourists and locals alike can find some amazing deals if you shop around.

Eventually we made our way to West 4th Street. I pointed out the old Tower Records building and the weekend flea market that no longer exist; relics of a New York and a world that was once dominated by a much less streaming and downloadable music industry. From there we headed towards Washington Square Park, which at this point is almost completely surrounded by buildings owned and operated by New York University (NYU). Musicians and artists set up on nice days and perform at various locations around the park. One area has chess board tables that host some of the fastest cash chess games on the planet. Talented chess players from around the world travel and compete against one another at this location.

Garibaldi Statue in Washington Square Park

Originally the park was part of a Native American village. When the Dutch took over, they gave the land to slaves in an effort to create a buffer between them and the Natives. Economically, the Dutch had the freed slaves give a portion of their profit back to them. By 1826 the park was turned into military parade grounds. Fountains were erected in 1852 and 1872. A monument honoring the general and politician Giuseppe Garibaldi who unified Italy was commemorated in 1888. In 1889, to celebrate the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as president of the United States, an arch was erected. This temporary Memorial Arch was replaced in 1892 by the permanent Tuckahoe marble arch. Human remains were found during the construction process. The arch is modeled after Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. Two statues of George Washington were eventually added to the north side of the Washington Square Arch. Following these major construction projects, the park underwent a series of renovations, turning it into the Washington Square Park you see today.

Statues Side of the Washington Square Arch (Entrance View)

The park is deeply rooted in the counterculture and anti-war movements that began following World War II and reached its boiling point during the Vietnam War. What began with folk singers meeting with friends on lazy afternoons to play some music eventually evolved into the park being a meeting point for beatniks, counterrevolutionaries, hippies, etc. call them what you will. My father has told me stories about him and his friends ditching college classes at PACE University to join in the anti-war protests during the 1960’s. Although that is long in the past, the park still carries similar vibes. One thing that doesn’t remain though is the park was once also a local spot used by many street level drug dealers, but that has changed drastically even since my youth. Hanging out over the course of an afternoon at Washington Square Park will typically always result in being witness to some rather interesting sights and sounds of the colorful citizens of the city of New York.

Park Side View of Washington Square Arch

Next I walked my friend around parts of Greenwich Village. We wandered up and down the streets making our way down MacDougal Street. Eventually we made our way to Bleecker St. and walked towards the west side. We passed 6th Avenue and made our way to the restaurant we booked on Open Table right after the Ferry Tour.

We had dinner at Blossom NYC at 41 Carmine Street. They actually have three locations around Manhattan. They serve a pure vegan menu and came highly recommended from a friend who is a vegetarian. The menu had a great deal of variety that can satisfy the cravings of meat eaters. Additionally, each item on the menu had codes next to certain dishes that inform customers about possible food allergies and other dietary restrictions. For example, some items were: gf=gluten free, nf=nut free, sf=soy free and others were combinations of them.

The the food was extremely fresh. The pea gnocchi appetizer dish was better than most of the gnocchi I’ve eaten around the city. My friend ordered the seaweed caviar canapé that had nuts, cheese, cucumber and golden beets. We both enjoyed the combination of flavors. It was a very light starter. For our main courses we ordered the “salmon” and the “burger”. The “salmon” tofu was prepared with beet-marinated tofu, creamy dill sauce, lobster mushroom scallops, forbidden black rice, fennel, leeks, and broccolini. It was very smooth and velvety with umami flavors. The “burger” was actually three sliders. Unfortunately, the dish had a massive amount of coriander, which is not one of my favorite spices. The menu did not state that the spice would be included. The best part of the dish was that it came with garlic vinegar French fries. They were more savory than sour, but better than the actual protein. We also ordered sweet potato fries and truffle mashed potatoes as side dishes. They were both very tasty and completely filled me up. Although some of the desserts looked appetizing, especially since a couple behind us were sampling 3 of the dishes, we were stuffed and passed on the last course.

The bill was very reasonable. To be completely honest, if you didn’t tell me I was eating at a vegan restaurant, I would not have realized. The food was very high quality in terms of preparation and execution. Small plates were roughly $8 – 12 and large plates were not higher than $23. Desserts averaged around $10. Considering all of these points, I would go back in the future. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in trying a vegan meal.

After an action packed day in Manhattan: first taking the ferry tour to Liberty and Ellis Islands and then slowly walking our way up Broadway, it was time to go home. We were able to take in many amazing views of the city. Everywhere we went we encountered the local history of New York City and were able to witness the many places from history that still exist and show how NYC developed over the course of the last 300 plus years. We had a good meal. It was also a completely unique experience. Rather than be lazy and waste any extra money on a cab, we jumped on the train at the West 4th Street station and headed back to Williamsburg. We walked more than ten miles over the course of what ended up being a very long, but rewarding day.