Category Archives: Exploring Marble Hill in Manhattan

Day Seven: Visiting Lower Inwood Park Neighborhood from 207th Street to Dyckman Street and Harlem River Drive August 15th, 2015 (revisited again December 2019 and June 16th and November 23rd, 2024)

September 8, 2015Candy and Ice Cream stores for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Marble Hill in Manhattan, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring Washington Heights in Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Hot Dog, Hamburger & Fries for the budget minded., My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking around ManhattanA Walk in Manhattan, Addthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Ann Loftus Park, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, diningonashoestringinnyc, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring Washington Heights, Finding niche neighborhoods in NYC, G's Coffee Shop, Inwood, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet, MywalkinManhattan.com, NYC Parks, Professor Justin Watrel, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Inwood, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watrel, William Tighe Parkjwatrel

My walk today took me all over the lower park of Inwood. My all day walk took me from the northern border of 207th Street to the Harlem River covering both sides of Dyckman Street to Inwood Park and the Marina area covering Payson Avenue and the lower part of Seaman Avenue. My legs were killing me at the end of the day but the sites I saw were amazing.

I started at the 207th Street stop and walked up 207th Street walking both sides and peeking into the small businesses that lined the street. There are still a lot of Mom & Pop stores in this area catering to the local clientele.

G’s Coffee Shop at 634 207th Street

G’s Coffee Shop 634 West 207th Street New York, NY 10034

On a recent visit to the neighborhood, I had both breakfast and lunch at G’s Coffee Shop at 634 207th Street (see reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). The food is so reasonable (their breakfasts are delicious) and the service is very friendly. You feel like you are part of the neighborhood here.

G’s Coffee Shop burgers at 634 207th Street are excellent

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Coffee-shop/Gs-Coffee-Shop-205601462950934/

I walked both sides up and down Seaman Avenue lined with pre-war apartments and sprinkled in with some small houses. Then I back tracked to walking the side streets of 204th Street, Cooper Street, Academy Street, Beak Street and Cumming Street admiring all the buildings and pocket parks along the way. I doubled back to Seaman Avenue and walked Payson Avenue which lines Inwood Hill Park.

The apartment buildings that face the park are offered spectacular views of the flora and fauna of the park and paths leading into the park are just steps away. It is interesting that taking some of the paths off Payson Avenue lead you right into the interior of the park and takes you into the interior of a forest right on Manhattan Island.

Once you exit Payson Avenue to Dyckman Street, walk the stretch of Inwood Hill Park to the end. You will pass a very active playground which on the weekend seems to be one long birthday party. At the end of Dyckman Street on the Hudson River side you will find the very edge of Inwood Park that leads to La Marina Restaurant at 348 Dyckman Street on one side that offers sweeping views of Hudson River and the Palisades on the New Jersey side.

The entrance to the Dyckman Beach Cove

The other side of the street leads to the soccer fields and to the Dyckman Street pier and next to it a small, picturesque beach and rock formation. It offers some of the best views of the Hudson River and who knew that there was a beach in this part of Manhattan. On a sunny day, it is the most relaxing place to relax on the benches and just look at the view of the Hudson River and the cliffs across the river.

The Dyckman Beach attracts more than just people on a warm day.

The ducks on the beach

After a long rest, I walked back down Dyckman Street to cover the area between that and Riverside Drive which opens to Fort Tryon Park. These streets have a row of pre-war apartment buildings that offer great views of the park and as you exit, more small pocket parks and playgrounds are on both sides. Dyckman Street between Payson Avenue and Broadway is lined with upscale eateries making it the ‘Restaurant Row’ of Inwood with more on the way.

Fort Tyron Park entrance

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d2305249-Reviews-Fort_Tryon_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4350&action=edit

The entrance to the park

The beautiful gardens in Fort Tryon Park

I took the walk to the other side of Dyckman Street that led to Fort Tyron Park and from the hill offers another view of the Hudson. I relaxed in two smaller parks that are part of this sea of green on Dyckman Street.

The entrance to Ann Loftus Park in the Fall of 2025

The very active Ann Loftus Playground, named after a local neighborhood leader, had all the rambunctious charm that a playground should have with kids playing on the swings, jumping through an active fountain and climbing on the jungle gym, which I thought had been outlawed since the 80’s. Parents chatted with one another while kids ran all over the park.

Ann Loftus Playground and Park on Broadway

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/11234

The Ann Loftus Playground just finished their renovation

The park again in November 2025 when I walked through to enjoy the foliage

The park was not as busy on a cool November afternoon in 2025

Enjoying the views during the Fall of 2025

Sidewalk Art in the park

Another park across the street, the Lt. William Tighe Park Triangle, which is named after a prominent Inwood resident and veteran of two World Wars, was locked in the day but I could see the colorful plantings and small benches that lined the park. This park sits across from the Dyckman Street ‘Restaurant Row”.

There was a free art show in 2023 in William Tighe Triangle Park

William Tighe Park Triangle at Seaman Avenue

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lt-wm-tighe-triangle/history

I finally got to walk inside the park

The inside of he park is beautiful

It was a nice little art show

In 2023, the park gates were finally open (in the nine years I have been doing this project, they have never been open), they were having a small art show, so I was able to walk around the garden. The artwork was nothing interesting, but the park is so beautifully maintained and landscaped that it was fun to walk around and take a quick break from the walk to see it. This is why it took so long to leave upper Manhattan, there was so much more to see and do that not been open before.

I made my first pit stop of the day at McDonald’s for one of their new frozen Strawberry Lemonade ($2.00). I have been swearing off McDonald’s for a while, but this is something so perfect and wonderful to have on a hot humid day. It is so sweet and tart it will quench your thirst while you are walking around the area. It is the perfect fast-food drink.

Dyckman Avenue shopping district

I made my way down Dyckman Street on the other side, passing many family-owned businesses catering to the neighborhood and a few national chains proving that this area is very up and coming. I covered the lower parts of Sherman, Post and Nagel Streets lined with their apartment buildings and businesses until I passed Fort George Avenue and the start of High Bridge Park.

The entrance to High Bridge Park off 207th Street in the Spring of 2024 (park under renovation)

High Bridge Park entrance right off the subway stop in Spring 2024

Along the stretch of Dyckman Street the park while rustic was full of trash. It wrecked the effect of the high hills and large boulders with their small paths. Once passing 10th Avenue, I reached the entrance of Harlem River Drive and the beginning of High Bridge Park with the lush greenery and small parks and gardens within the larger park.

High Bridge Park is unique in itself that there are many smaller parks that are part of it. As I walked into the park on a busy weekend day, it seemed that every family in the area was either having a barbecue or a birthday party as people were cooking in every part of the lawn that was open. As you enter the park and walk down the path off Harlem River Drive you find the quiet and secluded Swindler Cove Park with its well-tended paths and natural preserve appearance along with beautiful views of the Harlem River. These winding paths will take you through the back woods and offers nice places to sit and chat.

High Bridge Park at West 190th Street and Amsterdam Avenue

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/highbridge-park

I then walked up 10th and 9th Avenues crisscrossing the side streets up to 207th street. At the end of each side street from 201st through 207th there is a small park at the end of the block that the park system runs. Again these parks, as small as they were filled with families having small parties. Each little park was called Sherman Cove Park, and all offered nice views of the Harlem River.

Sherman Creek Cove Park at 3703 Harlem River Drive

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sherman-creek-park

Sherman Cove pathways

Sherman Cover waterfall

It was a nice place to rest after a long day of walking. I finished my walk on this side of Inwood with a grape soda at the Community Food Store at 2893 Broadway. This bustling store offers everything you need for a day in the park or to run a small business.

Sherman Cove by the East River with new grass regrowth

My last stop of the day when I doubled back down 207th Street was a snack at Dichter Pharmacy and Soda Shoppe at 4953 Broadway. This Pharmacy is a throwback to the old Woolworth stores with the things you need to buy in the front and an ice cream parlor and lunch counter to the side. I saw their sign for ‘the best ice cream sundaes in New York’, so I had to test their claim. I was not disappointed. I had a vanilla and blueberry sundae that hit the spot after a hot day and was tempted with an order of Mozzarella sticks but decided to be good (they did stop making the hot food in 2023).

Dichter Pharmacy at 4953 Broadway

https://www.facebook.com/DichterPharmacySodaShoppe/

They have a full menu of lunch and dinner items, and it is worth checking out this unique spot. It is worth it just to sit back and chat with the soda jerk. So many great things to see today though my feet were killing me.

Check out my other blogs on walking around the Inwood neighborhood:

Day Two: Exploring Inwood on Independence Day:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/25

Day Six: Walking the Streets and Parks of Inwood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/59

Day Seven: Walking the Lower Parts of Inwood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/67

Day Eight: Touring the Dyckman Farmhouse and the Surrounding neighborhood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/71

Day Nine: Exploring between the Inwood Parks

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/85

Day Ten and Eleven: Exploring Inwood Parks

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/89

Places to Eat:

Dichter Pharmacy and Soda Shoppe

4953 Broadway

New York, NY 10034

(212) 569-1230

https://www.facebook.com/DichterPharmacySodaShoppe/

Open: Monday-Saturday-9:00am-7:00pm/ Sunday-Closed

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d8439353-Reviews-Dichter_Pharmacy-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

McDonald’s

208 Dyckman Street

New York, NY 10039

(212) 569-2909

http://www.mcdonalds.com

Open: 24 hours

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5065796-Reviews-McDonald_s-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

La Marina (Closed in 2018)

348 Dyckman Street

New York, NY 10039

(212) 567-6300

http://www.lamarinanyc.com

Open: Monday-Thursday-3:00pm-12:00am/Friday-3:00pm-1:00am/Saturday-11:00am-1:00pm/Sunday-11:00am-12:00am

My review of La Marina on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d3459344-Reviews-La_Marina-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Community Food & Juice (Closed in 2018)

2893 Broadway

New York, NY 10025

(212) 665-2850

Open: Monday-Friday-8:00am-9:00pm/Saturday-9:00am-10:00pm/Sunday-8:00am-9:00pm

G’s Coffee Shop

634 West 207th Street

New York, NY 10034

(212) 942-0679

Free Delivery

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Breakfast—Brunch-Restaurant/Gs-Coffee-Shop-205601462950934/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d17445018-Reviews-G_s_Coffee_SHop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/1103

Places to Visit:

Ann Loftus Playground

4746 Broadway

New York, NY 10040

https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/8827

Open: 6:00am-1:00am

Fort Tyron Park

Riverside Drive to Broadway

New York, NY 10040

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park

(212) 795-1388

Open: 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d2305249-Reviews-Fort_Tryon_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/4350

Lt. William Tighe Triangle Park

Dyckman Street & Riverside Drive

New York, NY 10034

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lt-wm-tighe-triangle/history

Open: 24 hours

Inwood Hill Park

Off Payson Avenue & Dyckman Street

New York, NY 10024

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lt-wm-tighe-triangle/history

(212) 695-9675

Open: 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d3598044-Reviews-Inwood_Hill_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Swindler’s Cove Park/Sherman Creek

3703 Harlem River Drive

New York, NY 10034

(212) 333-2552

Open: 8:00am-8:00pm

Highbridge Park

New York, NY 10040

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/highland-park

(212) 639-9675

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d8403376-Reviews-Highbridge_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Day Six: Walking the streets and parks in Inwood August 8th, 2015 (Again June 16th, 2024)

September 2, 2015Bakeries for the budget minded, Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Marble Hill in Manhattan, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Historic Hudson River Valley in New York State, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, The Great Saunter Walk-The Entire Manhattan, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around ManhattanA Walk in Manhattan, Addthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, D'Lillian Bakery, diningonashoestringinnyc, Exploring Inwood, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Inwood, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, Little Shop on Main Street, LittleShoponMainStreet, Muscota Marsh, MywalkinManhattan.com, Shorakkopoch Rock, Upper Manhattan, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

My walks in Manhattan seem to have a late start. Work and household responsibilities come first but then the ride into the city is always anticipated. I look forward to that walk around the neighborhood. My walk took from 218th Street to 207th Street from 10th Avenue to Inwood Hill Park. Today I started my trip in the late afternoon and started to walk on the other side of Broadway at 218th Street, home to the Columbia Athletic Complex.

The entrance to the Hudson River from Muscato Marsh

As a Cornell Alumnus, I have spent many a day at the Stadium watching the on again off again rivalry between the two schools. In the last six years, I have attended three away games at the Columbia Stadium, and I believe we have an even record with them. I have to admit that Cornell’s football record has not been great in the past few years but we as Alumni can still dream of that unbeaten season.

The inlet in the summer months

As I walked through the complex watching the Columbia team do its warmup, I have to tell you one thing, even though our teams sit at the bottom of the Ivy League each year (we’ll get better), over the past three years I have noticed more cheering Cornell Alumni at the games, which our team seems to appreciate. It is funny to go to an away game and there are more people on the Cornell side of the stadium then the home team.

Columbia C at Marble Hill

Walking around the complex brings back many great memories of warm afternoons and the Alumni parade to the Cornell Club. Don’t miss the Lion statue in the middle of the complex. It really is quite a site. The Lion Statue was a result of the Class of 1899 and was designed by artist Fredrick G.R. Roth.

Fredrick G. R. Roth was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He was trained at the Academy of Design in Vienna and the New York Academy. He studied animals in their native habitat. In the early 1930’s, he worked in the Works Projects Administration as head sculptor.

The statue has been moved to a few locations over the years since its inception. In 2005, the school renamed the mascot “Roar-ee” (Columbia Alumni Page).

The Lion Statue at Baker Field

https://www.wikicu.com/Columbia_Lion

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11962

Artist Fredrick Roth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Roth

Artist Frederick Roth was a Brooklyn born American artist who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the Royal Academy in Berlin. He continued his studies at the New York Academy and was known for portraying living animals (Wiki).

Grab an ice cream cone at the ice cream truck that is always parked at the entrance to Inwood Hill Park. His soft serve ice cream is $3.00 plus the chocolate topping, a dollar less than downtown.

On the edge of 218th Street, past of the Columbia Boathouse is the Muscota Marsh (See my reviews on VisitingaMuseum@Worpress.com and TripAdvisor) that overlooks the big ‘C’ on the cliffs in the foreground. This beautiful and relaxing little park can be reached by walking down the hill from the sports complex. It is the only freshwater marsh in the City of New York.

The Columbia Boathouse in Muscato Marsh

The Muscota Marsh at 218 Street and Indian Road is a one-acre public park adjacent to Inwood Hill Park and located on the shore of the Spuyten Duyvil Creek, which is a section of the Harlem River. Opened in 2014, the marsh has both a freshwater marsh and a salt marsh. Besides attracting plant and animal life, these wetlands are intended to help filter rainwater runoff, and this helps to improve the water quality of the river. (Wikipedia).

Muscota Marsh at 218th Street and Indian Road in Inwood

https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/muscota-marsh

Muscato Marsh in Inwood

The benches overlook both the Bronx and cliff views of New Jersey and a small piece of land that juts out from Inwood Hill Park that has a picturesque view in the foreground. It makes a nice walk to stroll amongst the benches and look at the plantings or just sit on a bench on a sunny afternoon and just enjoy the views. It is quiet and relaxing.

The boathouse and the Big C

The views of the bridge from Muscato Marsh

Once you leave the marsh, you enter Inwood Hill Park, which offers its own beauty, strolling along the paths and walking through the lawns and woods. You will pass Indian Road Playground at 570 West 218th Street, a small park that is popular with the neighborhood kids. I went to the point of the park that juts into the river and watched a group of teenage boys fishing in the river. Traditions don’t die hard in this city as my grandfather did the same thing in the East River in the early 1900’s.

Inwood Hill Park in Inwood

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/inwood-hill-park

As you stroll down the path from this spot in the park and continue along the path, you will come across Shorakkopoch Rock, a boulder marking the site where Peter Minuit bought the island of Manhattan from the native Reckgawawang Indians for about 60 guilders of trinkets and beads in 1626 (See VisitingaMuseum@Wordpress.com and TripAdvisor).

Peter Minuit buying the Island of Manhattan

https://www.thirteen.org/dutchny/interactives/manhattan-island

I ended my day at the corner of 207th and 10th Avenue having covered this whole part of Inwood. This is a beautiful, diverse and active neighborhood where everyone seems to get along and look out for one another. Even the vendors look you over as you enter the Number One subway back downtown. I don’t know if they are looking for business or making sure you’re not creating funny business. It’s part of the neighborhood that I wish more tourists would see especially in supporting our Dominican residents.

Peter Minuit

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Peter-Minuit

The boulder marks the spot of a giant 280-year-old 165-foot tulip tree once stood until it died in 1932. Legend has it that this is the spot of one of the greatest real estate investments took place. It is such an important part of Manhattan history that most tourists miss.

Shorakkopoch Rock inside Inwood Park where Peter Minuit bargained for Manhattan

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shorakkopoch

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/inwood-hill-park/monuments

Strolling back to the neighborhood, I walked down 218th Street and admired the homes that line the beginning of Park Terrace and the south side of 217th Street. These gothic looking homes have beautiful features and gardens to admire in the front. Their well-landscaped yards showcase the best in colorful flowers and shrubs that attract both small birds and butterflies.

These homes remind us of a time when the neighborhood had a real residential feel to it. This part of Inwood reminds me a lot of Beacon Hill in Boston, with its sloping streets, well-tended courtyards and prewar apartment buildings. It’s a nice stroll just to pass the buildings and be taken back to a different time in the city.

The Houses in Inwood are really beautiful

Inwood rose garden

In the middle of the neighborhood sits Isham Park at Isham Street & Seaman Avenue. This was once part of the Isham family estate that the Isham family had donated to the City during the early part of the 20th Century. It was home to the Isham Mansion of William Bradley Isham. The mansion was torn down in 1940 due to disrepair. Bounded by Seaman Avenue and Broadway, this offers the neighborhood a quieter alternative to the bustling Inwood Hill Park next to it. What a lot of people don’t know is that Park Terrance leading into Isham was the original entrance to the Isham estate.

Isham Park at Isham Street in Inwood

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/isham-park

Isham Park stairs

On this quiet afternoon, residents were reading, playing ball and catching up with their neighbors. It had a real family feel to it. Right off the park sits the Bruce Reynolds Memorial Gardens at 11 Park Avenue. These beautiful, well-landscaped paths were dedicated to Bruce Reynolds, a local resident and a former member of the N.Y. Parks Department and a Port Authority Police Officer who died on 9/11.

Bruce Reynold’s Park in bloom at 11 Park Avenue

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/isham-park/highlights/14066

The Bruce Reynold’s Gardens

Mr. Reynolds had been a big part of the neighborhood cleanup of the park and got local youths to help set it up when the gang problem in the neighborhood got to be too much. After time spent in the Parks Department as a ranger, he moved on to become a Port Authority Police Officer (NYCParks Department).

PO Officer Bruce Reynolds

Police Officer Bruce A. Reynolds

These gardens are a legacy of his hard work to maintain this local neighborhood garden. It is a quiet place to sit and relax. The flowers were in full bloom when I visited, and the gardens were loaded with bees, butterflies and birds moving along the flowering beds. I also want to note that the members of the community have Saturday potlucks and there are concerts open to the public in the warmer months. It is a pleasant park to sit and relax in.

The bird feeders of the gardens

My walk continued down 207th Street after covering all the roads from 218th Street to 207th Street from Inwood Park to Broadway. I was quite the hike up and down the hills. The neighborhood is surrounded by elegant pre-war housing especially around Park Terrance with its pocket gardens between the buildings. A nice place for the residents to get together and mingle while walking their dogs. 207th Street is mostly residential from the park to Broadway and then gets very commercial from Broadway to the entrance to the University Heights Bridge.

The art show at the Bruce Reynold’s Gardens

On a bustling summer day, people are out socializing, selling their wares on the sidewalk and there are fantastic street vendors selling everything from shaved ice with syrup, rainbow ices, fresh orange and fruit juice and pastelitos fried right in front of you. All along this shopping street are reasonably priced stores selling clothing, cell phones and housewares. Here and there you can see some changes in the neighborhood with new restaurants catering to both old and new residents, but for the most part 207th Street is the equivalent to Mott Street in Chinatown except this street caters to the neighborhood’s strong Dominican community.

There is nothing like a rainbow ice on a hot day

There are terrific pastelitos at a small cart on the corner of Sherman and 207th Street that fry theirs right in front of you and you have a choice of chicken, beef, egg and pork for a $2.00.

The pastelitos at 207th Street street vendor are delicious

The pastilitos are delicious at this vendor

The chicken pastilitos

The beef ones

This is one of the best deals and they are sizzling hot. Recommendation: buy two chicken and one beef and a coke with the guy next to them. It is a great walking lunch while exploring both sides of the shopping district. Finish the meal off with a rainbow ice, three scoops for $1.00 at a vendor on the other side of Sherman Avenue. Be prepared to speak your broken Spanish if you are not fluent.

Another good option for reasonable food in a nice atmosphere is D’Lillian Bakery at 526 West 207th Street for wonderful baked products like sugar doughnuts and fruit turnovers. They also sell pastelitos as well and most items here are around $1.00. Just be prepared to speak Spanish.

D’Lilli Bakery at 526 West 207th Street

https://m.facebook.com/DLili-Bakery-108946600987922/photos/

Isham Park during the summer months

Check out my other blogs on walking around the Inwood neighborhood:

Day Two: Exploring Inwood on Independence Day:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/25

Day Six: Walking the Streets and Parks of Inwood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/59

Day Seven: Walking the Lower Parts of Inwood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/67

Day Eight: Touring the Dyckman Farmhouse and the Surrounding neighborhood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/71

Day Nine: Exploring between the Inwood Parks

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/85

Day Ten and Eleven: Exploring Inwood Parks

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/89

Places to visit:

Baker Athletic Complex/Lion Statue

Robert K. Kraft Field/Lawrence A. Wien Stadium

533 218th Street

New York, NY 10034

https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/outdoorsculpture/tag/scholars-lion/

Open: Game Days

Isham Park

Isham Street & Seaman Avenue

New York, NY 10034

(212) 639-9674

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/isham-park

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden

11 Park Terrace

New York, NY 10034

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/isham-park/highlights/14066

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am (When Isham Park is open)

Inwood Hill Park

Payson and Seaman Avenues

New York, NY 10034

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/inwoodhillpark

From Dyckman Street to the Tip of Manhattan

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d3598044-Reviews-Inwood_Hill_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Shorakkopoch Rock & the Native American Indian Caves & Indian Road Playground

Inwood Hill Park

Payson and Seaman Avenue

New York, NY 10034

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/inwoodhillpark

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shorakkopoch

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d21055143-Reviews-Shorakkopoch_Rock-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1240

Muscota Marsh

575 West 218th Street

New York, NY 10034

nycparks.org

https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/muscota-marsh

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d21055137-Reviews-Mucota_Marsh-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VistingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1214

The length of 207th Street

“Little Dominica” for shopping

Places to Eat:

D’ Lilli Bakery

526 207th Street

New York, NY 10034

(212) 304-0756

https://www.facebook.com/pages/D-Lillian-Bakery/121478847865628

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d20300446-Reviews-D_Lili_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Day Two: Exploring Inwood on the West Side of Broadway on Independence Day July 4th, 2015 (again on June 16th, 2024)

August 30, 2015Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Marble Hill in Manhattan, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking around ManhattanAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, diningonashoestringinnyc, El Lina, Exploring Inwood, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring Washington Heights, Inwood, Inwood Hill Park, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet, MywalkinManhattan.com, Touring Manhattan by foot, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

Taking the number One subway back uptown, I continued my travels to 215th Street station right next to the Columbia complex and sports center. My journey took me to 10th Avenue from the tip of the island to West 220th Street to West 207th Street. For you folks out there they think the island of Manhattan is completely gentrified with upscale housing and businesses, you must visit this part of Manhattan. There is hardly a Gucci store on every corner.

This has got to be the most commercial area of Manhattan I have seen so far. Home to Time Warner repair trucks, the NYC Sanitation Department, the MTA Headquarters and the Knightsbridge Terminal it made for interesting walk. Between 9th and 10th Avenue from 218th Street to 216th Streets is the Knightsbridge Bus Terminal, which is the center of much action throughout the day.

Tenth Avenue near all the restaurants near the 207th Street shopping district

The New York Sanitation Department is located from 216th Street to 214th Streets and it is best to avoid this area most of the day. It was quiet on the 4th of July. The only person I saw was a security guard and his dog, who was so happy to see someone he jumped up and down. When I went back to tour the area later in the month, it was a whirlwind of action with garbage trucks going in and out of buildings and the place really smelled. It is not exactly an area I would recommend to tourists unless they want to see how the city really runs.

All along 9th Avenue are places to get your car repaired and washed. At the end of every street, there is a nice view of the river, but I would suggest holding your nose. From 214th Street to 207th Street, The MTA has their building behind high walls and barbed wire. 208th Street has a parking lot and a few truck vendors. Not much to see here and the operation is behind closed doors.

The MTA Facility and the New York Sanitation Department Facility take up most of the corner of this part of Manhattan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inwood%E2%80%93207th_Street_station

Walking Tenth Avenue near the 207th Street Shopping area

Parts of lower 10th Avenue are being gentrified as some of the former parking garages and repair shops are giving way to small more upscale restaurants. The area around the subway station at 207th Street is a bustling shopping area catering to the large Dominican population living on the Broadway side of Inwood with everyday stores, very reasonable and good restaurants specializing in Dominican and Spanish cuisine and several clothing stores. This area is slowly going through a transition as the neighborhood is starting to change to a younger, artier crowd.

Inwood Hill Park pathways

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/inwood-hill-park

The Inwood Hill Park Rose Garden

Inwood Hill Park

Inwood Hill Park by the Hudson River

The best part of this part of 207th Street is the local street cart vendors selling everything from Pastelitos (a kind of empanada) to fresh mango juice and shaved ice all for around a dollar. It is a nice way to have a reasonable to go meal while you are walking around. One restaurant for delicious Pastelitos is El Lina at 500 207th Street.

El Lina Restaurant at 500 207th Street

Their fillings are generous, and the service is very friendly. It is one of the many restaurants that line the ‘restaurant mile’ on 207th Street. From the subway station to Broadway, it is interesting to look at the menus and peak in the windows of the many shops and dining establishments that line both sides of the street.

El Lina’s Pastilitos are delicious

Both the Chicken and the Beef are great and perfectly cooked

This vibrant section of the neighborhood hustled every day that I visited it and the subway stop is always busy. If you are looking for tourist spots and excitement, it’s not for you. If you want a true experience in Dominican culture and food, a trip to this part of Inwood is for you. It is not just the restaurants and shops that make the neighborhood, it is the interaction of the people in the neighborhood, the music, the conversations and debates and the overall life of the streets that make this neighborhood a neighborhood.

The street art in the neighborhood on West 204th Street

Don’t miss the interesting street art in the neighborhood. These taggers are very talented!

One of the taggers was sending a message of crime in the neighborhood (I think)

Check out my other blogs on walking around the Inwood neighborhood:

Day Two: Exploring Inwood on Independence Day:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/25

Day Six: Walking the Streets and Parks of Inwood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/59

Day Seven: Walking the Lower Parts of Inwood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/67

Day Eight: Touring the Dyckman Farmhouse and the Surrounding neighborhood:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/71

Day Nine: Exploring between the Inwood Parks

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/85

Day Ten and Eleven: Exploring Inwood Parks

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/89

Places to Visit:

Inwood Hill Park

Payson & Seaman Avenues

New York, NY 10034

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/inwoodhillpark

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofInwoodHillPark/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d3598044-Reviews-Inwood_Hill_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Very tip of Manhattan from Dyckman Street to 220th Street

The Sidewalk Shopping starts on Broadway down 207th Street to 10th Avenue:

Don’t miss the street bazaar at 207th Street with the carts of merchandise, music and food.

Places to Eat:

El Lina

500 207th Street

New York, NY 10034

(212) 567-5031

https://www.facebook.com/linarestaurant207/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 8:00am-11:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

The many street vendors along 207th Street during the week but especially on the weekends.

Day One: My first day of the walk and the first day of the Summer: ‘Father’s Day’-Walking Marble Hill on the tip of Manhattan June 21st, 2015 (Again June 16th, 2024)

August 21, 2015Bakeries for the budget minded, Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Marble Hill in Manhattan, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Bronx, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), My walk in Manhattan on Father's Day, MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking around ManhattanA Walk in Manhattan, Addthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver, cheap dining, diningonashoestringinnyc, Exploring Inwood, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Marble Hill, exploring New York by Foot, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Inwood, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, Little Shop on Main Street, LittleShoponMainStreet, marble hill, Marble Hill Manhattan, MywalkinManhattan.com, NY, Rosarina Bakery, Taveras Food Center, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking in Marble Hill Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

I started the first day of walking on Father’s Day, June 21, 2015. I thought it was coincidental that the first day of Summer was Father’s Day, so it made the start of my walk even more special. I would have spent this day with my dad doing something special as we always did.

So in the spirit of the day and in memory to him, I started this project, “MywalkinManhattan” exploring the island that we both loved so much. I took the number One subway uptown to Marble Hill, a section of Manhattan that is located on mainland side of the Bronx.

Marble Hill is the northern most neighborhood in Manhattan and has a very interesting history. Marble Hill has been occupied since the Dutch controlled the area. On August 18, 1646, Governor Willem Kieft, the Dutch Director of New Netherland, signed a land grant that comprised of the whole present community.

The name Marble Hill was conceived when Darius C. Crosby came up with the name in 1891 from the local deposits of dolomite marble underlying it. Dolomite marble is a soft rock that crops out in the Inwood and Marble Hill communities, known as Inwood marble. This is the marble that was used for the federal buildings in lower Manhattan when New York was the capital of the United States in the 1780’s. (Wikipedia)

After an increase in ship traffic in the 1890’s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers determined that a canal was needed for a shipping route between the Hudson and Harlem rivers. In 1895, the construction of the Harlem River Ship Channel rendered. Marble Hill became an island bounded by the canal to the south and the original course of the Harlem River to the north.

The river between Inwood and Marble Hill from the Muscato Marsh

The Greater New York Chapter of 1897 designated Marble Hill as part of the Borough of Manhattan. Effective January 1, 1914, by an act of the New York State Legislature Bronx County was created but Marble Hill remained as part of New York County. Later in 1914, the old river was filled in, physically connecting Marble Hill to the Bronx and the rest of North American Mainland. (Wikipedia)

The Marble Hill Bridge crossing from Inwood

So, I took the subway to the Marble Hill-225 Station and started the walk. Who knew while it had been sunny and warm the whole trip into the city from New Jersey and on the trip up that the heavens would open up once I got the subway stop and I would have to run from the subway station to the River Plaza Mall which is around the corner from the subway station? I would spend a half hour at Target looking for a good map of the island.

By the time I paid for it, it cleared and was still cloudy. I have to say for a city neighborhood, Marble Hill has the best of the suburbs with many chain stores and restaurants within reach of everyone in the community. There are two malls in the neighborhood, one inside and the other right around the corner from the public housing.

The Train station at Marble Hill

I walked Exterior Street first, which is where the Marble Hill Houses are located. Not much to report but the street could use a good weed whacking. It was so over-grown that you have to walk in the street.

The Marble Hill Housing Project is one side of the neighborhood

The housing in this area is pretty standard with a large complex of buildings with a common yard and playground with benches. Because of the weather, there weren’t many people outside or on the streets. As I revisited Marble Hill in the Spring of 2024, there were more people in the playgrounds but most of the families preferred the one closer to the Bronx border.

The Marble Hill Houses are on one side of Broadway

https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-search/New-York/New-York-City/Marble-Hill/10061824

Once you cross Broadway, you have an array of unique turn of the last century homes mixed in with low pre-war apartment buildings. The Victorian style homes that line Jacobus Street and Fort Charles Street have true character and beautiful urban landscaping for the space the homes have for yards. There are all sorts of secret doors and terraces that you can only see from the street and there was a lot of pride in this neighborhood.

Marble Hill Homes are quite unique

The small side streets are filled with uniquely designed homes that have gotten a bit run down in the nine years since I visited the neighborhood. I was surprised that this neighborhood has not been discovered yet but most of the houses could have used some work. Some blocks looked better than others. Still there were some beautiful homes in the neighborhood.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Hill,_Manhattan

Some of the homes are really unique but still need some work.

From the core of Marble Hill, you would never know that you were in the city. It is good to take time to walk these small streets, especially on a nice day to enjoy flowers and plantings from the sidewalks. Even by the Marble Hill Houses, someone joined in and planted a vegetable garden on raised beds by Broadway. By the middle of the summer, this will be filled with fruits and vegetables to the residents that planted it.

The raised bed gardens at the Marble Houses are still going strong in 2023

Broadway is the commercial strip on both sides of Marble Hill that continues around the corner of 225 Street by the subway station entrance. For a quick snack, bypass the traditional fast-food places in the neighborhood and stop by Taveras Food Center at 5193 Broadway for their Pastilitos (a type of Cuban Pastry similar to Empanada).

Tavernas Food Center 5193 Broadway

They make them in both chicken and beef and at a $1.00 they make a nice quick meal while walking around.

Fresh Pastilitos at Taveras Food Center at 5193 Broadway

https://www.facebook.com/Taverasfoodcenter/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d18151210-Reviews-Taveras_Food_Center-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Pastelitos make the best snack when walking around

Walk around the corner with these treats and admire the view of the river at 225th Street or the quirky street paintings by the downtown subway entrance. Even though some people might consider this a nuisance, if you have seen the recent prices for urban art, it might be easier to pull down the wall and bring it to market. You never know when one of these ‘taggers’ may become famous.

Walking down Broadway from Taveras, stop at Rosarina Bakery at 5219 Broadway for a doughnut. Their thickly iced doughnuts are a real treat for a $1.00 and they have a nice selection of other pastries as well. There are all sorts of small businesses along Broadway that cater to the residents of Marble Hill, so take time to explore some of these shops.

Rosarina Bakery in the strip of stores by Broadway at 5219 Broadway

The baked goods at Rosarina Bakery

https://www.krvcdc.org/business/rosarina-bakery

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47369-d18147295-Reviews-Rosarino_Bakery-Bronx_New_York.html?m=19905

The donuts here are really good

My Vanilla Iced donut

Yum! Gives you the strength to walk more

I took a tour around the Marble Hill Houses and they are looking more run down considering they are being renovated. They have been under this renovation for two years now and the yards on both sides of Broadway look worse for the wear. I never see anyone outside enjoying the grass and the playground on the other side of Broadway never has any children in it.

The front of the Marble Hill Houses facing the water

The Marble Hill Houses sign

Marble Hill can be walked in about two hours but take time to stroll along the winding streets of the middle of the neighborhood and admire the homes and gardens and take time to walk along the river on 225th Street before taking the subway back to where you are going. The hills and parks are very pretty as the sun goes down.

The border between Marble Hill and the rest of Manhattan

The border of Manhattan

Happy Father’s Day, Dad with all the love a son could send you!

My father and I at “Tap O Mania” in front of Macy’s June 1994

To get there: take the Number One subway to Marble Hill (you can walk the whole neighborhood in two hours)

Places to eat:

Rosarina Bakery

5219 Broadway

New York, NY 10034

(718) 367-2271

Open: 6:00am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47369-d18147295-Reviews-Rosarino_Bakery-Bronx_New_York.html?m=19905

Taveras Food Center

5193 Broadway

New York, NY 10034

(718) 933-2346

https://www.facebook.com/Taverasfoodcenter/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-11:45pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d18151210-Reviews-Taveras_Food_Center-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Things to see:

Walk along the winding streets in the middle of the neighborhood along Jacobus, Charles Place and Adrian Avenue to see the unique architecture. The views by the river on the Manhattan border are also quite nice of Inwood Park.

Walk along the Harlem River to see the sunset.

My Walk in Manhattan: my walking experience around the whole island. I started this project on Father’s Day, June 2015 to Today

Happy Father’s Day!

(This project is dedicated with much love to my father, Warren George Watrel, who still inspires me!)

Hello and Welcome to ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’, an extensive project to walk the entire island of Manhattan. My name is Justin Watrel and I will be your guide in exploring the island of Manhattan, searching every nook and cranny of the island for the unusual, the usual and the in between.

The official walk started in front of the Marble Hill Houses in the Marble Hill neighborhood

‘Walking the Island of Manhattan’ may not be terribly original as there are about four other people doing the project at the same time, but this project is different in the way I see the island. Not rushing through to prove I have walked it but to see what these neighborhoods are all about and what is there to discover and enjoy.

The unique homes of Marble Hill were my starting point in June 2015

For all you ‘Manhattanites’ who think you know your island, I will show you things that you have never seen and places you have never gone, restaurants you have never tried and historical sites and museums you never knew existed. Maybe just a few blocks from where you live. As the son of two “Brooklynites’, I have traveled around the city a lot since 1969, my first time in the City when my parents took me to Chinatown to Hunan Gardens, a Chinese restaurant on Mott Street. I ended up there for eight birthdays until it closed in the early 2000’s.

Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown every February

“My Walk in Manhattan” is a project to walk the entire island of Manhattan in New York City from top to bottom from the beginning of the Summer of 2015 until I finish the walk. Manhattan is 13.4 miles long and 2.3 miles wide and covers a total area 23.7 square miles. Along the way of walking the streets of Manhattan, I will be walking into parks, museums, restaurants and looking at the architecture of the neighborhoods and the buildings in them.

My soon to be path around the Island of Manhattan

I have found that people miss a lot when they walk with their cellphones and only look down at it. When you look up, you see the true beauty of the City. You see the stone work of old brownstones, you see small boutiques off the beaten track and can indulge in those hole in the wall restaurants that are usually found by foreign tourists. Nothing is more interesting then seeing a stone face on a building staring back at you, a tiny pocket park that residents created out of a garbage dump and that small entrepreneur trying to create a vision.

The Cable Building at 611 Broadway

This project was inspired by many things. My major inspiration for this project follows the recent passing of my father, Warren George Watrel. My dad and I loved to walk around the city and spend the day at various museums, walking around Central Park and the Conservatory, taking the subway to try new restaurants in Chinatown or Little Italy or any new place I had read about in the Village Voice (my Bible when looking for things to do on weekends).

Columbus Circle on the West Side

My father was a ‘Brooklynite’ from Williamsburg (long before it was ‘Hipster Central’, he would have been amused) and loved the city, so this voyage is dedicated to him. Having watched the movie “The Way” with Martin Sheen, we look for inspiration in our travels and try to find the answers to why something happens the way it does. Walking to explore does that.

I was my father’s caregiver after his illness hit him and I continued my trips into Manhattan as my father got better. It was the inspiration to this site’s sister site, ‘BergenCountyCaregiver.com’. After he passed in 2014, I wanted to spend Father’s Day doing something different yet do something that we would have done together. Thus started the first walk in Marble Hill.

My first Day in Marble Hill, Manhattan

Another inspiration was a recent article in New York Magazine entitled “Which New York is Yours? A Fierce Preservationist and a Pro-Development Blogger Debate” in which the author Justin Davidson asks about the disappearance of New York’s Character. “What does that character actually consist of? If we did make an all-out effort to preserve it, how would we know what to protect?” How much is the city changing? I have worked off and on in New York City since 1988 and the answer is in some parts of Manhattan it is night and day. Could you imagine walking in Bryant or Tompkins Square Parks in 1990?

I did and they were very different places back then. With the changing Zoning Laws and gentrification of many neighborhoods, its not the city of 1970’s movies. What I am looking for are those unique little pocket parks that we pass, those statues of people we have no clue who they are and those historic plaques of places gone by and people we don’t know.

Astor Row Houses in Harlem

Another are the books, ‘Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost its Soul’ by Jeremiah Moss and ‘The Death and Life of the Great American City’ by Jane Jacobs. How do cities keep progressing and changing? How does change effect a city and what direction are we going in? Does the Island of Manhattan have to be all luxury or can it be mixed to help keep the creativity alive and keep innovation going? Do we want the big bad 70’s again or the luxury brand of the 2010’s and 20’s? How is it impacting and changing the city? How much has Manhattan and the rest of the boroughs changed with the rezoning of the city under the Bloomberg Administration. This can also be looked at in the documentaries “Gut Renovation” and “My Brooklyn”.

The last inspiration was my doctor. He said I have to lose ten pounds. I am hardly over-weight but like many people he feels that I will be healthier if I lose the weight and keep it off. I want to see how a walk like this tones the body.

Bowling Green Park in Lower Manhattan

I know many people before have walked the entire length of Manhattan while others have or are attempting to walk the every block in the city, mine has a more personal reason. To really see the city I love from the ground up and explore parts of the island that I have never ventured to and see what I find there. Along the way, I want to see how the city changes while I am taking the walk. This is not the “Christopher Columbus” attitude most people are taking when exploring the neighborhoods but more honoring those residents who are trying to make the City better.

The Bowling Green Park Fence

My project also includes stops at various points of interest and to get a better feel for all the neighborhoods, I am walking both sides of the street to get a better look at the buildings in each neighborhood and what defines the character of a neighborhood. I get the impression from some of the readers of Mr. Davidson’s article and from comments on the Internet that Manhattan is some “playground of the wealthy that is being gentrified to the hilt and soon no one will be able to afford any part of Manhattan”. Like in any place, there are people struggling everyday to survive in New York and like every city in the country, people are moving back in droves and want a quality of life for them and their families.

Delacorte Clock in Central Park

In the Age of COVID, it has been interesting starting the project again. I had been on hold from March 13th, 2020 through June 10th, 2020 when the City was closed for anyone other than First Responder and people who had to work there. I was so happy when I could return and continue walking Manhattan. My walk down Broadway for the forth time was a surprise with all the businesses closed on the Upper West Side and I met the challenge of “The Great Saunter Walk” , the 32 mile walk around the perimeter of the island in 14 hours. There is now more to see and explore and write.

The COVID world though has me facing closed businesses that I have covered over the years. Restaurants and stores that I have mentioned in this blog since 2015 have since closed permanently or closed for the time being, I am not too sure. We also have a walking world of masks that keep us safe. The times in Manhattan are changing from the way we eat in restaurants to the way we shop and visit museums.

SoHo boarded up after the June Riots 2020

Fifth Avenue boarded up after the June Riots 2020

Things are constantly changing in Manhattan since the riots in June and COVID keeps raging in the City with people not wanting to wear masks. I hope that things will get back to normal soon. I still see people out and about doing their thing and enjoying the warm weather so I am optimistic about life. Still though, Manhattan keeps changing with the Theater District boarded up and Chinatown looking like a ghost town. We will see how New York City recovers from COVID like the rest of the country.

By August of 2025, the area completely bounced back

I have now expanded this site to three other blogs, ‘VisitingaMuseum’ (VisitingaMuseum.com), which features all the historical sites, community gardens and small museums and galleries I find in not just Manhattan but throughout the rest of the NYC and beyond in the suburbs.

‘DiningonaShoeStringinNYC’ (DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com), where I feature wonderful little restaurants, bodegas and bakeries that I find along the way. The one requirement is that the meal is around $10.00 and under (for us budget minded people).

“LittleShoponMainStreet” (LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com) where I find unique and creative stores in Manhattan and locally whose merchandising, displays, merchandise and service stand out in an age of Amazon. This harks back to a time when shopping was enjoyable and not a chore.

I have also added two new sections to the blog, “My life as a Fireman”, which I have moved from an old site that I had created for my old engine company to describe my experiences on the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department over the last 16 years. Also, this is what takes up my time when I am not exploring New York City.

Justin Watrel, Fireman

Another is “A Local Journey” are tours of downtown’s and communities outside the New York City area to travel to when you need to escape the City’s clutches. I have specific guidelines in finding stores, restaurants and museums/cultural sites in the area. This has lead me to really explore my own town of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ and exploring out of town destinations like Red Hook, NY and Beach Haven/Long Beach Island, NJ. You would be amazed on what these small towns offer.

Downtown Red Hook, NY in the Summer months

With COVID still rearing its head when I am in New York City, I do everything to stay safe from being fully vaccinated (I have take both shots and no I have not turned into a ‘Pod Person’) to wearing a mask and keeping hand sanitizer on me. I abide by all NYC Parks rules and try to stay away from people when in museums and restaurants.

Downtown Red Hook, NY during the Christmas holiday season

Even with all its problems, New York City is still the most exciting City on earth and follow the blog, neighborhood by neighborhood and join me in discovering what makes Manhattan one of the greatest places on Earth!

So to readers who will be following me on the journey walking through Manhattan and beyond, I hope you enjoy trip walking by my side!

Me in Red Hook, Brooklyn discovering my new love in “Street Art”

This project is dedicated to my father, Warren George Watrel, with lots of love and many wonderful adventures and memories to keep me company as I take “My Walk in Manhattan”.

My dad, Warren and I at his 60th high school reunion in 2013

‘Break My Stride’ still plays in my mind when I do this walk.

This walking song plays in my mind when I start ‘Walking’. Thank you Mary Mary!

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