Category Archives: Exploring New York City Parks

Day One Hundred and Fifteen: Visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Rose Night in June June 14th, 2018 (Visited again for the event June 12th, 2024, June 11th, 2025 and June 5th, 2026)

Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Brooklyn, Exploring Brooklyn Block by Block, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Brooklyn, Walking around Manhattan, Walking Downtown Brooklyn, Walking in Brooklyn, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Every year the Brooklyn Botanic Garden opens its doors to the membership for the Annual Rose Night in June. This is when the roses are at their peak of bloom and members and their friends and family come to enjoy a private evening.

The Cranford Rose Garden

The crowds at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens in the Spring of 2024

I have to admit that the weather has played a big role in the way flowers have bloomed this year. Plants have either opened too early or too late. The crocuses opened about three weeks too early and they sat in snow. The tulips opened on time and then were hit with three days of 80 degree weather, which just burnt them out. The daffodils had a good but quick season due to the hot and cold weather. Daffodil Hill and the dogwood trees in the garden were spectacular. What vibrant colors and what a beautiful display that night.

Daffodil Hill when it was in full bloom in April

Rose Night was tough. Normally it is a week earlier as most roses come out on the first week of June but for some reason, they moved it to the second week and a lot of the roses had already lost their petals. The weather had been a big factor as it rained so much in late May and early June.

The beautiful wildflowers in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Still, many of the roses were still coming out and the gardens were awash in colors. So many types of roses were blooming that they almost time themselves. The gardens were full of colors of red, pink, yellow and even green. The overhead trellises were lined in whites, yellows and pinks. Some had aromatic smells while other smelled line a plain flower.

The colorful flowers in the Rose Garden

The crowds were large the night of Rose Night in 2024

It was nice to walk along the paths and spot the names of the roses. Everything is marked so you get to see when the flowers were grafted and developed. Things are timed so intricately in the garden so they all bloom in certain intervals. Some of the beds were beyond peak while others were just bursting out after a long winter’s nap. You will walk in amazement down the paths to see so much.

Rose Garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden

It was a beautiful sunny Spring evening and the garden was packed with families picnicking on the lawns all over the gardens, having dinner at the Magnolia Cafe near the middle of the gardens where a special menu was laid out. Others like me were listening to music in the area by the gift shop or ordering Rose Sangria from the bar which was made with infused rose petals (and is delicious).

The Rose Garden Terrace

The crowds were large in the gardens

The musicians were playing show tunes and the gardens hired a wonderful singer for the night. She was doing all the old Cole Porter songs while I was listening to her and the band. It was nice to just relax with a drink and listen to the band with the other members. Some take it really seriously and dress to the hilt in blazers and hats. I sometimes feel a little under-dressed for the occasion.

I took a long walk around the gardens. A lot is being renovated with the new watershed system that the gardens are setting up which will be opened later this Summer. All the daffodils, dogwoods and tulips are long gone making way for summer flowers to enter the beds. There will be a lot more to see later in the season.

The Rose Garden Plaque

The beautiful display of roses in June 2024

There will be other members nights of picnicking on the lawns and movies to see and walking tours to show it all off.

The Cherry Blossom Lawn in the summer months

The crowds in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 2024

The fountain in the back the Cherry Blossom Lawn

The fountain in the back of the Cherry Blossom Lawn

The fountain in full bloom on Rose Night

The back entrance of the Cranford Rose Garden

The entrance to the back of the Cranford Rose Garden in June 2024

This is the reason why being a member of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is so important if you live in the New York area. There are loads of wonderful events to get involved with on a monthly basis.

The pathways in the Rose Garden

For dinner in 2024, I discovered Gino’s Pizza down Flatbush Avenue at 831 Flatbush Avenue and it is a pizzeria whose food is excellent. I have come across this pizzeria on a long walk I did down Flatbush Avenue on the way to Brooklyn College. I have eaten here several times and the food is wonderful.

Gino’s Pizza at 831 Flatbush Avenue

https://www.myginospizzeria.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d4439520-Reviews-Gino_s_Pizzeria-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com”

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/5220

They make their own tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil and you can taste the flavor in the sauce. I had a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich. Talk about an amazing sandwich.

Not only was it loaded with fresh chicken cutlets but topped with several handfuls of melted mozzarella cheese. The sandwich was a gooey delight and the perfect dinner. They have nice outside seating and I like watching the characters walk by.

In both 2018 and in 2024, Rose Night was a real treat. The weather was sunny and warm with no humidity, the music was wonderful and the Rose Garden was out of bloom at this point (the seasons seem to be two weeks early every year so that roses had already hit their peak) but still enough roses that the gardens were beautiful to look at. It was a relaxing and enjoyable evening.

Please read my blog on Rose Night 2019:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/9062

Rose Night June 11th, 2025:

I returned to Rose Night again in June 2025 and it was another wonderful evening at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was a sunny and warm night and I got there before the 6:00pm start time and it was nice when the gardens were quiet. I got to take lots of pictures and then walk around the gardens before the Jazz band started the night’s entertainment.

Arriving at the gardens before the start time

The Crawford Rose Gardens that evening.

Admiring the beautiful roses

Walking through the Rose Gardens and admiring the roses

The beautiful Rose Archways

The roses in bloom that evening

Members walking along the Rose beds that evening

Walking along the pathways in the Crawford Rose Gardens

I admired all the gorgeous roses that night

The roses with such vibrant colors

All different colors were in bloom

The colors of the other flowers in the gardens

The back part of the Crawford Gardens

The statuary in the back part of the gardens

Visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden before Rose Night in 2026:

I got an email from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden saying that the Cranford Rose Garden was at its peak of blooming and that I should see it while it was at its prime. I was busy at work and was able to travel down to down to the gardens a few days later. Talk about perfect timing as the petals just started to fall.

The Cranford Rose Garden at peak is one of the most beautiful sites. The colors and the fragrances are just amazing. I could not attend “Rose Night” in 2026 because of a prior commitment plus it would be a gloomy night with the threat of rain. So I went the Friday afternoon for the event the next Wednesday.

The Cranford Rose Garden in bloom

The Cranford Rose Garden is amazing from every angle and the views from the top of the hill overlooking the garden shows the extensive amounts of roses planted and the array of colors.

The beds of roses of all colors and species

The entrance to the Cranford Rose Garden is full of an array of different types of colorful flowers

The beautiful and diverse flowers in the Cranford Rose Garden

The beauty of flowers up close

All sorts of roses line the trellis borders of the Rose Garden

What I love about walking around is that you can see the diversity of the roses. The garden is planted with different species so they bloom at different times giving the beds an array of colors at different times. Along the beds and trellis everything bloomed so vibrantly.

The beautiful orange roses that lined the trellis

The colorful trellis pathways

The reds and pinks in full bloom

Roses lining the lamppost

Admiring the beds of roses at the Cranford Rose Garden

Purple reins supreme

Walking through the trellis pathways of red

The beauty of the trellis

The back part of the garden

The back terrace of the Cranford Rose Garden

The elegant statuary of the rose garden and the sun dial

The back Terrace area

The back of the Cranford Rose Garden is lined with all sorts of flowering plants having a rainbow of colors.

Walking through the terrace gardens

The beautiful roses in the back of the garden

The roses in the back of the Cranford Gardens

Walking out the back of the gardens

The back path of the Cranford Rose Garden

The fountain in the back of the Cranford Garden

Visiting the Cranford Rose Garden when it flowering is one of the most interesting collection of colors and scents. This is why I try to time my visits around the blooming of the flowers.

Places to visit:

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden

990 Washington Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11225

(718) 623-7200

http://www.bbg.org

Open: Mondays: (Closed)/Tuesday-Friday: 8:00am-6:00pm/Saturday & Sunday: 10:00am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60827-d103900-Reviews-Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2785

Places to Eat:

Gino’s Pizzeria

831 Flatbush Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11226

(718) 287-8800

https://www.ginosbrooklyn.com

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d2484193-Reviews-Gino_s_Pizzeria-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/5220

The Japanese Gardens on a summer evening

The Water Shed Gardens on a Summer evening

The Children’s Garden on Rose Night

The colorful flowers on Rose Night

The fountain in the Rose Garden

The video of the fountain in the Rose Garden

The members enjoying the music

The group New Orleans Renaissance played for us that evening

The group performing that night

The video of the band playing

It was an amazing night and a lot of fun. I could tell that everyone had a good time .

It was another great Rose Night at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden!

Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem

Day Fifty-Three: The walk through Upper Harlem from 155th Street to 145th Street between Bradhurst Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard August 28th, 2016 (again August 2nd, 2025 and June 16th, 2026)

Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring East Harlem in Manhattan, Exploring Hamilton Heights/Manhattanville, Exploring Harlem in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, 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, Gourmet restaurants for the budget minded, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I finally completed my walk of the entire Harlem neighborhood from 155th to 145th Street. I was lucky that it was a nice day with not much humidity. It has been pretty bad with the weather lately. This part of my walk took me to the area east of Jackie Robinson Park from Bradhurst Avenue to the East River. It was one of the harder sections of the city. I always felt that I was being watched by someone.

As I walked along the side street between 145th Street and 155th Streets the residents reacted to me differently. Some were smoking pot on the street and when I came back walking on the other side of the street they disappeared. One woman was having a very heated argument with a man on Frederick Douglas Boulevard that was getting pretty heavy and when she saw me immediately shut up. When I walked down the other side of the street, she and the man had also disappeared.

The police in the area kept driving around looking me over and when I was walking on 147th Street, someone threw a bottle from the building that hit the other side of the street I was walking on. I never thought I ever screamed ‘cop’ before but I got a pretty good idea that that’s what the local residents thought I was that afternoon. Things really quieted down as I walked around this area.

Like all other areas of Harlem, the area is quickly gentrifying. I have never seen so many young perky white kids running around the area. All the buildings lining Bradhurst Avenue by Jackie Robinson Park especially closer to 145th Street are all brand new and there is even a Starbucks on the corner of 145th and Bradhurst Avenue which means that the neighborhood is past the ‘transition’ stage.

Most of the area around 145th Street to Frederick Douglas Boulevard are new housing a lot of it catering to the CUNY students who are boldly pushing the boundaries of the campus into all parts of Harlem. They walk all over the neighborhood, sometimes much to the surprise of the local merchants.

The front of Jackie Robinson Park

Entering Jackie Robinson Park at 145th Street is very pleasant. Named after the famous baseball player, there are basketball courts, a public pool, picnic and barbecuing areas that are very popular with the local residents and walking trails. The rock formations in the middle of the park not too different to the ones in High Bridge Park tell the story of how the Ice Age molded these parks for the future.

Jackie Robinson Park at 145th Street

The pathways of Jackie Robinson Park

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/jackie-robinson-park_manhattan

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

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

Jackie Robinson was known to some as one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the sport but had a much more accomplished life. He lettered in four sports at UCLA and contributed to the community in youth sports as well. Entering the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers, number 42 broke the color barrier and integrated major league baseball. He helped the Dodgers win the 1955 World Series. Upon retirement, he served as a Vice-President of Chock full o’Nuts coffee company and continued supporting causes that meant something to him (Wiki).

The large formations are mostly covered with vegetation but still make quite an impression. The park was very busy that afternoon with kids crowding into the pool and many pickup basketball games going on. On the upper reaches of the park, there must have been four barbecues going on at once, many were having birthday parties and many of the area seniors were sitting around talking and watching what I was doing. I didn’t know that me walking around was such a topic of discussion.

The main staircase through Jackie Robinson Park

It must have spread around the neighborhood because a bottle came flying down from one of the apartment buildings on 147th Street. That surprised some of the people walking around the neighborhood. Between that and the police vans trolling the neighborhood, I felt like I was being followed.

The pathways through Jackie Robinson Park

Walking down Bradhurst Avenue, the street is lined with new buildings facing the park and many new shops that have opened between the park and Fredrick Douglas Boulevard along 145th Street like Starbucks and Popeye’s that cater to the students and residents alike. As you move further into the neighborhood, local businesses line the avenues along Fredrick Douglas and Macomb’s with interesting local stores and restaurants. The chain stores have found themselves up here so the services are changing in the shopping area.

At 146th Street is the Robert Clinkscales Playground and Community Park at 234 West 146 Street that was founded in the neighborhood in 1983. This small park has an active playground on one side with a cooling area in the middle and raised vegetable garden on the right side of the park with sitting areas throughout.

Even on a Sunday, the playground was very active with lots of kids being looked upon by their grandparents. The vegetable garden was in full form with lots of tomato and herb plants all around the gardens. It is a nice refuge from the hot streets and a good portion of the brownstones and apartment houses that surround the park have been renovated.

Robert Clinkscales Playground II

Robert Clinkscales Playground at 234 West 146th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/robert-l-clinkscales-playground-and-community-garden

https://www.captaingambling.com/thesportsfanjournal/sports/etc/robert-clinkscales-harlem-community-playground-garden/

I have noticed a trend in all the neighborhoods I have walked so far in Upper Manhattan. If a neighborhood puts the time and effort into Community Garden or triangle park, all the real estate around it improves. Time and time again I have seen homes renovated around these small parks and that the owners enjoy having a view of something.

Robert Clinkscales Playground

The Flower beds at Robert Clinkscales Playground

As I worked my way up the side streets, the area of renovation depends on how close you are to Jackie Robinson Park. The closer you are to the park, the newer the buildings and more construction is going on. The further you get away from the park towards Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, you move towards the projects. Even the projects are going through a renovation in the neighborhood as most are under scaffolding and look like they are getting a sandblast and new windows.

The lower part of the neighborhood is dominated by a bus depot at 145th Street and Lenox Avenue. Large apartment buildings dominate around this area of Lenox Avenue and the streets can get quite busy on the weekends. A lot of residents hang out outside their buildings gossiping with their neighbors. No one seemed to pay attention to me walking by until I made my way onto their side of the road and then everyone seemed to disappear.

As I made my way onto 152nd Street, the street was dotted with many small Community Gardens. There is a real community spirit within the neighborhood when it comes to Community Gardening.  The ‘Garden of Love’ run by the Bradhurst Garden Association at 321 West 152nd Street has beds of flowers and vegetables but locked from the outside and the 8th Avenue Garden at 301 152nd Street near Fredrick Douglas Boulevard, were small patches of green on this residential strip. The neighbors reclaimed these spots and by planting them and taking care of them really add to the fabric of the community as well as teaching the kids about gardening. Their a special touch to the neighborhood.

Walking up Macombs Place, I saw a neighborhood that is starting a very early transition. Beautiful townhouses and apartment buildings line the street and lead into the Bronx where Yankee Stadium is located. People were smoking pot outside one of the apartment buildings when I passed and were fighting with each other and when I walked back down the street, there were long gone. This seemed to be the trend wherever I went.

The exception was Colonel Charles Young Triangle at Macombs & 153rd Street, the one big park in the neighborhood outside of Jackie Robinson Park. This large triangle is in the corner of the neighborhood at 154th Street just off the bridge and dominates a very busy traffic corner. The park is named after the third Black graduate of West Point.

Colonial Charles Young Triangle

Colonel Charles Young Triangle at 154th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/colonel-charles-young-triangle

Many of the people in the neighborhood gather here to talk or in some cases have family parties as I had seen the three times I walked in the park. It is not well taken care of as it needs a good weeding and planting. The only thing I did was turn some heads.

Colonial Charles Young

Colonel Charles Young, third Black soldier to graduate from West Point

https://www.buffalosoldier.net/CharlesYoung.htm

Colonel Charles Young was born into slavery but whose father served in the United States Colored Regiment in Ohio and the family won their freedom. One of the first blacks to enter West Point, he accomplished skills in languages and engineering. After discharge, he worked for the park system and continued with his military duties (Wiki).

Much of the upper part of the neighborhood is commercial and when you walk down the steps to 155th Street, you are facing probably the most sterile and probably one of the more dangerous projects in the city at the old Polo Fields where the NY Giants used to play. As I said on a previous day, please do not linger around here. Even the police stay in their cars in this neighborhood and the site of a preppie 6:4 guy walking around the neighborhood for a third time must have had everyone wondering what I was doing there.

The Polo Grounds Houses on East 155th Street

https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-search/New-York/New-York-City/Polo-Grounds-Towers/10067840

Trust me, I walked down 155th Street to Bradhurst Avenue as fast as I could go and then crossed down Bradhurst before the other set of stairs that leads up to Harlem River Drive and Edgecomb Avenue where High Bridge Park is located. Pretty much the park separates the two areas from one another.

By Jackie Robinson Park in the summer

My last stop on the tour of this neighborhood was dinner.  I stopped at Charles Country Pan-fried Chicken on Frederick Douglass Boulevard between 152nd and 153rd Streets and a neighborhood staple (it has since moved). While eating lunch, I talked to Charles, the owner, who was taking a quick break. He could not believe the makeup of his customers that day which were mostly white and some were out of town tourists.

I told him that everyone reads about the restaurant on TripAdvisor and Yelp and that’s why he has such a hodgepodge of customers. There were some excellent reviews online. I just found the place while walking around earlier and checked TripAdvisor for what people were saying.

Charles Country Pan-Fried Chicken new location at 340 West 145th Street

https://www.charlespanfriedchicken.com/locations

https://www.charlespanfriedchicken.com/menu

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d1830370-Reviews-Charles_Pan_Fried_Chicken-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Thank God I ate there that day because Charles said that this was his last day at this location. He had been there for over twenty years and was moving to a bigger spot on 145th Street which is closer to CUNY. He explained that he needed more room as big groups wanted to visit and he had to keep turning them down. He only had about five tables and they were all full.

My meal at Charles Pan-Fried Chicken

The food is excellent. He really does cook his chicken in a very large cast iron pan and chicken is constantly cooking so it is fresh. They give you a big portion for a meal so bring your appetite (See review on TripAdvisor). I had the fried chicken dinner which consisted of a freshly fried chicken breast and wing, a big portion of creamy mac & cheese and cornbread.

The chicken is crisp and flavorful on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside. It was one of the best fried chickens I had in a long time.

The Fried Chicken, Mac & Cheese and Cornbread are delicious

As I was eating, I told Charles that I thought his food was excellent which he appreciated. Remember to wash it all down with their fresh lemonade. It will really cool you down on a hot day. It was nice to eat with and talk to the owner of the restaurant.

I really enjoyed my meal that afternoon

The day ended with a final walk into Jackie Robinson Park and a cool down period on this humid day. Many of the CUNY students have come to sunning themselves on the lawn on the hill off 145th Street or cooling down in the pool located in the park. After that, a quick subway ride from 145th Street back to midtown. The whole area between 155th Street to 145th Street both sides and in between had been done.

It was quite a walk that afternoon.

The reindeer statue in the park when I visited in June 2024

The Reindeer Statue in Jackie Robinson Park. There was no artist plaque for this.

The Black Yankee Team history before the integration of the teams started.

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

Places to Visit:

Jackie Robinson Park

Bradhurst Avenue & 151st Street

New York, NY 10039

(212) 369-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/jackie-robinson-park_manhattan

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-10:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d21085366-Reviews-Jackie_Robinson_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Robert Clinkscales Playground

234 West 146th Street

New York, NY  10039

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-6:00pm

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/robert-l-clinkscales-playground-and-community-garden

Colonel Charles Young Triangle

Macombs Place & 153rd Street

New York, NY  10039

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/colonel-charles-young-triangle

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/colonel-charles-young-triangle/history

Garden of Love Community Garden

321 West 152nd Street

New York, NY  10027

Places to Eat:

Charles Country Pan-Fried Chicken (three new locations in NYC)

2461 Frederick Douglass Boulevard

New York, NY  10027

(212) 281-1800

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%27_Southern_Style_Kitchen

Open: Sunday 12:30pm-10:30pm/Monday-Saturday 11:00am-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d1830370-Reviews-Charles_Pan_Fried_Chicken-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d479292-Reviews-Charles_Southern_Style_Kitchen-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Day Forty-One: Walking Dyckman Street through Harlem River Drive and FDR Drive 207th Street to 155th Street March 23rd, 2016 (again July 30th, 2025 and June 16th, 2026)

Bakeries for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring East Harlem in Manhattan, Exploring Harlem in Manhattan, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring Washington Heights in Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), The Great Saunter Walk-The Entire Manhattan, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Visiting a Museum in New York State, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The weather finally broke and it was a nice day to continue the walk. It has been a mild winter but it is hard to find time to do much with work and my volunteer activities plus the job search to keep me busy. Wednesday brought a sunny, warm day to New York City and I was going to take full advantage of it. After a busy morning at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, I took the A Train up to 207th Street and was about to complete the last leg of Washington Heights. I walked the entire stretch of Dyckman Street leading to Harlem River Drive to FDR Drive which covers the whole east side of the river. This part of my walk took from 1:45pm to 7:15pm. I walked fifty-two blocks both ways with stops in all parts of High Bridge Park.

Dyckman Houses by 10th Avenue

Click to access Dyckman_IAPv2.pdf

Click to access Dyckman.pdf

The Dyckman Houses as you are walking towards Highbridge Park in 2025

First off, there are many changes going on all over Washington Heights since I started the walk in June. There is scaffolding all over the place and many businesses are starting to change hands.

The Dyckman Street Shopping District by the Dyckman Houses

There have been more upscale looking restaurants opening up all over the neighborhood, more renovations in the parks and more white residents jogging in the parks and walking their dogs is telling me that the neighborhood is transitioning. So many apartment buildings and brownstones are being renovated that the whole look of the neighborhood is changing.

High Bridge Park is under renovation in 2025

I started the walk on Dyckman Street walking by the very top of High Bridge Park by Fort George Hill right across from the Dyckman Houses. This part of the park could be quite pretty if it were not so full of trash. The beautiful rolling hills and trees are loaded down with garbage. It’s sad in that this part of the park is in such bad shape since it gives the impression of what Manhattan must have looked like when the Dutch arrived with rock formations and hanging trees. If cleaned up and properly landscaped, it could be breathtaking.

The entrance to High Bridge Park by Dyckman Street and the Dyckman Houses in 2025

In the Spring of 2026 when I walked the neighborhood again, the Dyckman Street Park renovation was completed and Dyckman Street from Nagel Avenue to West 10th Street really looked nice with new parks and dog runs and all the garbage and trash gone. The neighborhood was really sprucing up.

The beginning of Highbridge Park

The Dyckman Houses

The Dyckman Houses sign

High Bridge Park dog park

High Bridge Park on Dyckman Street

High Bridge Park in the Spring of 2026

The Dyckman Houses at the end of Dyckman Street

I walked down Harlem River Drive making stops inside High Bridge Park along the way. It is sad that most of the park is full of trash and not well maintained. All along the highway though interesting rock formations and flowering trees enhanced what you really saw by walking next to it.

By the time you get to 175th Street, you can’t walk any farther and you have to make your way into the park, which I had been through many months before the Fall. The parks system is working on the pathway from 175th Street to about 170th and then it stops again. You will have to walk down Amsterdam Avenue to about 166th Street where the park meets the local school parks and then take the path extension through High Bridge Park.

The beginning of High Bridge Park by Dyckman Avenue

During the day, I would trust this path but I would not venture through it after twilight. As you wind down the paths, go off the beaten track around 170th Street and you will see all the natural cliffs that overlook the Bronx. This winding pathways can be rugged so make sure you have comfortable walking shoes when venturing off the paths. The natural rock formations are unusual and there are many places to view the surrounding area.

Walking the path down High Bridge Park by the East River

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

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

What was fascinating was the graffiti art work by the overpass at 175th Street. This form of tagging is all over Upper Manhattan and rather than a hindrance, the artists (or ‘taggers’) have an interesting display of faces and animals that would belong in any inventive gallery. The ‘x’ed out eyes on some of the cartoon like work hark back to the work of Keith Haring in the 80’s. Since these band of ‘gangs’ often paint over each other’s work, these pieces of art are in a constant state of flux and are ever changing.

High Bridge Park V

High Bridge Park in not so good light

The famous High Bridge Water Tower that is located in the park between West 173rd and 174th streets was built in 1866-72 to help meet the increasing demands on the city’s water system. The 200 foot octagonal tower was designed by John B. Jervis in a mixture of the Romanesque Revival and Neo-Greco styles and was accompanied by a 7-acre reservoir.

The High Bridge Water Tower from the park

The High Bridge system reached its full capacity by 1875. With the opening of the Croton Aqueduct, the High Bridge system became less relied upon; during World War I it was completely shut down when sabotage was feared. In 1949, the tower was removed from service and a carillon was installed in 1958. The tower and the cupola were rehabilitated and restored in 1989-90 and the tower was designated a NYC landmark in 1967. Located behind the Highbridge Play Center, it is fenced off and you can only see it from a distance. (Wikipedia).

Water Tower High Bridge Park

The Water Tower in High Bridge Park at 173rd Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/5937

The Highbridge Water Tower Highbridge Park Washington Heights, NYC 10022

The Highbridge Play Center located at West 172nd and West 174th Streets was built between 1934-36 in the Art Moderne style. It was built on the site of the reservoir and features a very large swimming pool that has been closed since the Summer. It was designated a NYC Landmark in 2007. (Wikipedia).

These two landmarks are located once you exit the path off Harlem River Drive and take some time to walk around this part of the park. Another landmark you should not miss is the High Bridge, which is the oldest standing bridge in NYC. Built in 1848, it was built to carry the Old Croton Aqueduct over the Harlem River. (Wikipedia).

The pathway between the East River and FDR Drive

The pathway with the Polo Ground Houses looming in the distance

The bridge is fun to walk over and offers the most beautiful views of the river and the surrounding park. On a clear day, you can see for miles around and once the foliage comes back a nice view of the park.

The Bridge at 173rd Street

The pathway brought me back to the Morris-Jumel Mansion park, which I had visited right after the holidays and to the end of the park at 155th Street. I exited the park at 158th Street and walked down the Historic Brush Staircase.

Walking towards the Polo Grounds Houses

Named after John T. Brush, the owner of the New York Giants baseball team that used to play in the Polo Grounds, the stairs were built in 1913 and were used to go from the ticket booth that was located on the top of Edgecombe Avenue to the stadium below. When the Giants moved out and the stadium was knocked down in 1967 to be replaced by a public housing project in 1968, the stairs were in a state of disrepair. (Google).

Brush Staircase at 155th Street leading to the Polo Grounds

https://www.mlb.com/news/john-t-brush-stairway-at-new-yorks-polo-grounds-site-being-restored/c-41404846

The Brush Staircase to the old Polo Grounds

Renovated in 2014 and rededicated, the stairs takes you from the top of the park at 158th Street back down to Harlem River Drive. The stairs are a steep walk so remember to hold onto the rail on the way down. At the bottom of the stairs is a very scary vendor selling Spanish food that looks like it has not passed inspection so avoid it and maybe grab a coke like I did that afternoon. Make sure to look at the inscription on the stairs as it harks back to a time when this was a major sports area and a footnote in NYC sports.

I ended the afternoon by crossing 155th Street and walking down the stairs by the bridge into the lower part of 155th Street where the public housing was located. I have to say that I was pretty naïve to walk through this area with my ‘CIA’ hat on (Culinary Institute of America where I am an Alumni).

The Polo Ground Towers are a 15.5 acre parcel of land in which four 30 story towers were built on the site of the old stadium. It was a scary part of the walk as even the cops that were located by the Community Center would not get out of their car. It was funny though in that no one looked at me weird or even bothered my but I could see that the firemen on the fire truck exiting the projects and the police looked at me strange.

Polo Grounds Apartments at 155th Street

https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-search/New-York/New-York-City/Polo-Grounds-Towers/10067840

Click to access Polo%20Grounds%20Towers.pdf

Everyone who lived there just went upon their business without even noticing me and I just walked around the projects down 155th Street and up and around Fredrick Douglas Drive and around Harlem River Drive West. There is a series of supermarkets, convenience stores and small restaurants. The area is isolated and pretty self-contained. I have to admit it is not the most pleasant place to live and looks plagued with problems.

The Polo Grounds Houses on East 155th Street

The funny part is that when you cross the street onto 154th Street, you can see where the buildings are starting to renovate and it looks like new residents are moving into the area just one block away. I made my rounds down Fredrick Douglas Boulevard around the block and headed around the projects on my way back to Harlem River Drive and then crossed over to the overpass where the sidewalk started to go back up Harlem River Drive across from the end of the projects. That was another interesting part of the walk.

Walking by the path on the East River

When I walked down the left side of FDR Drive in 2026, I stopped in Sherman Creek Park for lunch. It is an amazing little park. This former garbage dump area has now been converted into a wildlife preserve and an aquifer and wetlands area.

Sherman Creek Park

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

https://www.nyrp.org/en/gardens-and-parks/sherman-creek-park

Walking through the lawn By the start o go the East River

The pond in Sherman Creek Park

The Riley-Levin Children’s Garden

The Vegetable Garden

The front of the Riley-Levin Children’s Garden

The marsh area by the East River is all reclaimed land that was once a dumping ground for garbage.

The pathways through the marsh area which serves as an aquifer for the East River

Looking south down on the marsh land

The water must be getting cleaner because a white Heron was looking for food in the marshland water.

The white Heron

I finally left Sherman Cove Park after walking all the paths under the cool trees and made my was down the path paralleling FDR Drive. I walked up and down FDR Drive and please remember to stay on the paved pathways.

As you walk up the left side of the highway facing the river, you will realize the true beauty of Manhattan island by way of the river. Many pleasure boats, rowing teams and flocks of birds habitat this area. It has a whole culture just based on the river and from across the street you don’t see the faults of High Bridge Park. Just the visuals of the park and the rock formations jutting out.

The Dyckman Beach at the end of Dyckman Avenue

As I finished the walk at Dyckman Street and crossed over Broadway, all the upscale outdoor cafes were open and loaded with customers signaling that the warm weather was back, and winter might finally be over. Mother Nature has a way of toying with us, but it looks like the cold days are behind us and we are looking forward to a warm Spring ahead.

The 207th Street ‘Restaurant Row’

Just don’t walk around here after dark.

Places to Visit:

High Bridge Park

190th Street and Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY 10040

(212) 639-9675

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

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d8377627-Reviews-The_High_Bridge-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

High Bridge Water Tower and Bridge

Amsterdam Avenue & West 173rd Street in High Bridge Park

High Bridge Park

New York, NY 10033

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/5937

Closed for renovation

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d8377627-Reviews-The_High_Bridge-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/visitingamuseum.com/4467

Brush Stairway

Highbridge Park

New York, NY  10033

(212) 639-9675

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-8:00pm

https://www.mlb.com/news/john-t-brush-stairway-at-new-yorks-polo-grounds-site-being-restored/c-41404846

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/highbridge-park/monuments/184

Sherman Creek Park

3725 Tenth Avenue

New York, NY 10034

(212) 720-3480

https://www.nyrp.org/en/gardens-and-parks/sherman-creek-park

Click to access booklet.pdf

Open: Sunday-Saturday 24 hours

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d28168553-r1062346026-Sherman_Creek_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Sherman Creek Park 3725 Tenth Avenue New York, NY 10034

Day Thirty-Six: Visiting both the Morris-Jumel Mansion/Little Red Lighthouse in Riverside Park Washington Heights January 16th, 2016 (revisited June 9th, 2024)

Bakeries 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 Hamilton Heights/Manhattanville, Exploring Harlem 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 New York City Parks, 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, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, The Great Saunter Walk-The Entire Manhattan, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Before I could finish my walk of Washington Heights, there were a few sights I wanted to see before it got too cold. So on a mild but brisk afternoon after a long morning in the Soup Kitchen, I visited the Little Red Lighthouse and the Morris-Jumel Mansion. I missed seeing these spots during the summer.

My first part of the trip lead me to 181st Street and the long walk down the street to Riverside Park. I was amazed of how beautiful 181st Street is at all seasons. It is still breathtaking in the winter as it is during the summer except you can see more. You could view more of the formations on the riverside cliffs at this time of the year.

The shoreline by the Little Red Schoolhouse.

Even in the short time since the summer ended, there have been many changes in the neighborhood. More buildings are under scaffolding and being sandblasted. A lot of storefronts are empty and the mom-and-pop businesses that I passed over the summer have closed their doors showing that the neighborhood is in transition. Slowly more expensive restaurants and shops are opening east of Broadway.

The view of lower Manhattan from Fort Washington Park in 2023

View of the George Washington Bridge from the park

The park view in the early Spring

The walk down the path through Fort Washington Park is quite steep so make sure that you have comfortable shoes on and do your best to avoid the bike riders who speed by. At the end of the path, turn the corner and you will see the small lighthouse hidden behind a leg of the bridge.

The Pollinator Garden at the Little Red Schoolhouse.

It is rather unusual spot for a lighthouse, but it has a rather colorful past. Located underneath the George Washington Bridge along this treacherous section of the Hudson River once known as Jeffrey’s Hook, this is one of the few surviving lighthouses in New York City.

The Little Red Lighthouse in Fort Washington Park

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-washington-park/highlights/11044

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

As traffic increased along the Hudson River, so did the number of shipwrecks at Jeffery’s Hook. In an attempt to reduce accidents, a red pole was placed at Jeffery’s Hook jutting out over the river to warn travelers of danger. In 1889, two 10-candlepower lanterns were placed on the pole to aid navigation. Much of the land surrounding the lighthouse, including the riverbanks of Jeffery’s Hook, was acquired by the City in 1896 and became known as Fort Washington Park.

The Little Red Lighthouse had been erected on Sandy Hook, New Jersey in 1880, where it used a 1000-pound fog signal and flashing red light to guide ships through the night. It became obsolete and was dismantled in 1917. In 1921, the U.S. Coast Guard reconstructed this lighthouse on Jeffery’s Hook in an attempt to improve navigational aids on the Hudson River. Run by a part-time keeper and furnished with a battery-powered lamp and a fog bell, the lighthouse was an important guide to river travelers for ten years. The George Washington Bridge opened in 1931 and the brighter lights of the bridge again made the lighthouse obsolete.

The Little Red Lighthouse below the George Washington Bridge

The Coast Guide planned to auction off the lighthouse but an outpouring of support for the beacon helped save it. The outcry from the public was prompted by the children’s book, ‘The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge’, written by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward in 1942. In the popular book, the Little Red Lighthouse is happy and content until the great bridge is built over it. In the end, the lighthouse learns that it still has an important job to do and that there is still a place in the world for an old lighthouse. People then sent money to save the icon from the auction block.

Little Red Lighthouse II

The book “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde Swift

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

In 1951, the Coast Guard gave the property to the parks and in 1979 it was added to the National Register of Historical Places.

(New York City Department of Parks & Recreation)

The path leading up from the park.

It is a neat little park under the bridge and should not be missed when visiting this part of Riverside Park.

Instead of climbing back up the long path, I took a stroll down the paths of Fort Washinton Park and walked by the river that was so close that you could put your hand into it (don’t!). It was a beautiful walk to be so close to the river and see the vistas of the cliffs of New Jersey and view the river both up and down stream. On this cool winter day, the park had a few joggers but not too many other people.

Riverside Park in the Spring

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

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

My walk took me back to 160th Street and the cross bridge that took me back to the neighborhood that I had visited earlier this summer. This extension of Riverside Drive leads back to Broadway and I crossed back up to 161st Street to my destination of the Morris-Jumel Mansion located in Jumel Terrace right off High Bridge Park.

I made a pit stop for a snack at Esmeraldo Bakery on Broadway at 538 West 181st Street (see review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) for their Cubanitos, a sweet meat pie and Rellenas, a mashed potato meat pie that are deep-fried. They are so good and at 2 small Cubanitos for $1.00 and the Rellena for $1.25, it is quite a steal. Their doughnuts are really good as well. They are also $1.00. The staff always tolerates my broken Spanish.

Esmeraldo Bakery 538 181st Street

https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/tag/esmeraldo-bakery/

Jumel Terrace which is located between 162nd Street and 160th Streets located on a bluff overlooking the Harlem River on its own park like setting with great views of both the Bronx and other parts of Manhattan. It is surrounded by a neighborhood of beautiful, renovated brownstones, some still having their lights and decorations up from the holiday. It must have been beautifully decorated for Christmas.

The Jumel Terrace Historic District in the Summer

The Morris-Jumel Historic District in the Spring of 2024

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

The historic district sign

The Morris-Jumel Mansion, located at 65 Jumel Terrace, is the long surviving Colonial residence left in Manhattan. The mansion was built as a summer ‘villa’ in 1795 by the British Colonel Roger Morris and his American wife Mary Philipse, it originally commanded extensive views in all directions. It viewed New York harbor and Staten Island to the south; of the Hudson and Harlem rivers to the west and east and of Westchester County to the north.

Morris-Jumel Mansion at 65 Jumel Terrace

The grounds of the Morris-Jumel Mansion at the back of the mansion

https://www.morrisjumel.org/

Colonel Morris was the son of the famous architect Roger Morris, a fact which may explain the extremely innovative features of the mansion such as the gigantic portico and the rear wing which was the first octagon built in the colonies.

The Morris-Jumel Mansion Gardens in early Spring

The house’s situation and large size made it ideal as military headquarters during the Revolution and it was occupied successively by Washington, General Sir Henry Clinton and the Hessian General Baron von Knyphausen. As the Morris’s were loyal to Britain during the Revolution, their property was seized and sold after its conclusion. In 1790, Washington returned for a cabinet dinner at which he entertained Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Hamilton and Colonel Knox among others.

The Morris-Jumel Gardens with crocuses peeking out

The later history of the house centers on the Jumel’s. Stephen Jumel was a wealthy French émigré who married in 1804 his beautiful and brilliant mistress, Eliza Brown. They bought the mansion in 1810. In 1815, they sailed to France and offered Napoleon safe passage to New York after Waterloo. Although he eventually declined the offer, they did acquire from his family many important Napoleonic relics, some of which can be seen in the Blue Room on the second floor. Stephen died in 1832 and Eliza married the ex-Vice-President Aaron Burr in the front parlor one year later. They were in the process of a divorce a few years later when he died on the day the divorce was finalized. On Eliza death in 1865, she was considered one of the wealthiest women in America.

Spring flowers peeking out in the gardens

The History of the Mansion:

(Morris-Jumel Mansion welcome Guide)

The house tour is self-guided and you are able to walk all around the first and second floors as well as the kitchen in the basement. The mansion had just finished having all the holiday decorations packed up for the season, so the mansion was in a little disarray. The kitchen is really interesting with all the period cooking tools in which we take the electronic ones so much for granted today. The antique waffle iron is really interesting.

The kitchen at the Morris-Jumel Mansion

The kitchen was set for the summer harvest

The upstairs bedrooms have been restored and you get to see where Aaron Burr slept. Eliza had adopted her niece and she became Eliza’s daughter and her children her grandchildren, which by the painting in the house she must have been very fond of growing up.

The historical account of Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr’s Bedroom

The historic description of Eliza Jumel’s bedroom

Eliza Jumel’s Bedroom

William Chase, Mrs. Jumel’s grandson’s room

William Chase’s bedroom

In the summer months, the gardens are really nice to walk around in and are nicely landscaped. On a cool winter afternoon, it was nice to sit outside but there was not much to see. The mansion is definitely best either during the holidays or in the warmer months.

Morris-Jumel Mansion IV

Madame Jumel and family

https://gothamist.com/news/the-incredible-story-of-eliza-jumel-once-americas-richest-woman-now-a-ghost-in-washington-heights

The entrance hall with the portrait of King George’s brother

The French Parlor historic sign

The French Parlor on the first floor of the home.

The Dining Room historical sign

The Dining Room off the main hallway

George Washington’s War Room on the second floor when he stayed at the house.

George Washington’s War Room and Office during the Battle of Harlem

The second floor hallway

It was nice to visit these sites as I missed them most of the summer and both are worth checking out. If you need to have dinner before leaving the neighborhood, Broadway is lined with many interesting Dominican restaurants that are reasonable and have nice menus.

When I revisited the mansion in June of 2024, the mansion was open for touring and walks on the grounds. They were also getting ready for a concert later that afternoon so I was able to tour the whole house in about an hour.

The Morris-Jumel Gardens in the Spring of 2024

The mansion and the grounds need a lot of work but you can see where the restoration has been coming along. There is still work to be done on the house to bring it back to its former glory.

Places to Visit:

Morris-Jumel Mansion

65 Jumel Terrace

New York, NY  10032

(212) 923-8008

http://www.morrisjumel.org/

Open: Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Friday 10:00am-4:00pm/Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d103500-Reviews-Morris_Jumel_Mansion-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on my blog, “VisitingaMuseum.com”:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/252

Little Red Lighthouse

Fort Washington Park

Hudson River Greenway

New York, NY  10032

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-washington-park/highlights/11044

Open: Walk around when the park is open

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d2368581-Reviews-Little_Red_Lighthouse-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on my blog, “VisitingaMuseum.com”:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/300

Places to Eat:

Esmeraldo Bakery

538 West 18st Street

New York, NY  10033

(212) 543-2250

Open: Sunday 7:00am-8:00pm/Monday-Friday 5:45am-10:00pm/Saturday 7:00am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5098947-Reviews-Esmeraldo_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/1364

Day Sixteen: From Inwood to Rockaway Beach-Point A to Point A: Number 1 Subway Ride from the tip of Inwood to Far Rockaway Beach (to visit Rippers) September 25th, 2015 (Again on August 31st, 2023)

"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Broad Channel Island, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring Rockaway Beach in Queens, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the New York City Subway System, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Hot Dog, Hamburger & Fries for the budget minded., My life at NYU-Graduate School, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Walking around Manhattan, Walking Around Queens, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I decided to take a break from the usual route and again got into the city late again (all those errands) and didn’t start the journey until 1:15pm. I started the trip on the number One Subway and walked down 207th Street to the A Subway at 207th Street. I took the over hour ride from the beginning of the A line to the end of the A line at 116 B in the Rockaway Beach area. This was my first trip to the Rockaway Beach in all the time I have lived in the New York City area.

My goal was to go to Rippers at 8601 Shore Front Parkway, a beach side hamburger stand that had been heavily written up all over the internet and taste the perfect hamburger. I had to see what the raving was all about.

By 2023, having walked over half of Manhattan and the weather being glorious that afternoon, I wanted to head back to Ripper’s again before it closed for the season. I had been on a walking tour of Chelsea Market and the new Little Island with my classmates from NYU that morning and decided that I wanted to end the day with a Ripper’s hamburger and a walk on the Boardwalk before it got too cool to come out here.

It was a long trip by subway. I sat and read the paper as the various stops passed by with the inter-changing people getting on and off the subway. I have never seen so many guys under the age of 30 with scraggly beards with backpacks and untucked shirts. I swear I think I am seeing a clone of a person with no personality on their way to a 9:00am class. Guys tuck your shirts in already. It isn’t cool!

Rockaway Beach Park

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/rockaway-beach-and-boardwalk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockaway_Beach,_Queens

Our recent research paper on the Growth, Decline and Rebirth of Rockaway Beach for my Graduate School Data Analytics class:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2d4880c7a9854cdb96ebdab778300e01

This will better explain what the Rockaways are all about now.

I finally got to Rockaway Beach stop 116 in about an hour and a half. I got out of the subway to stretch before getting back on the subway and took the line to the 90th Street stop and got off. It is a scary stop with all the projects surrounding the stop. By 2023, the area had vastly improved and much of what I had seen since Hurricane Sandy had been knocked down and rebuilt. The are looked so much nicer.

The area has vastly improved since my trip to Rockaway in 2015 and the whole neighborhood is going through a revitalization.

There is even a different mood at the beach.

Once you cross the street and get past the strip mall and closer to the beach, the area gets nicer. The Boardwalk and beach are really nice, but it was a very windy day and tough to sit on the beach for any length of time.

When I arrived on the last day of August in 2023, it was a wonderful sunny and warm day. The perfect day to visit the beach and have a hamburger. I am so glad that I came to the shore. I needed a good burger and Ripper’s was so good the last time.

Rippers 8601 Shore Front Parkway at Rockaway Beach

https://www.eatrippers.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g616325-d8424950-Reviews-Rippers-Queens_New_York.html?m=19905

The inside of the bar area at Ripper’s

Rippers was worth the trip. The food and service were excellent. The staff could not have been nicer and friendlier. I had a cheeseburger and fries with a Coke and thoroughly enjoyed it.  According to the Village Voice, the restaurant is a joint venture between Roberta’s, a pizzeria in Bushwick, Brooklyn and the Meat Hook, a butcher in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The burgers are perfectly cooked and flavorful.

After so many bad burgers on this walk, this one finally tasted like a freshly ground burger with the right seasonings. It had a rich beef flavor to it. The French Fries are freshly cut and have been dipped in flour and then flash fried seasoned with black pepper, paprika and salt. They have a salty richness to them as well. The portion sizes are very generous, and I did not need dinner that night.

Ripper’s inside

The best was the wonderful opera music that the staff was playing which I thought was a very nice touch and really made for a festive atmosphere even though the ladies at the next table made it clear that they did not appreciate opera music. They were playing ‘The Masked Ball’, which was very enjoyable. With the wonderful music, sounds of the waves in the background and the salt air on this sunny yet windy day made for the perfect lunch. The main reason I went today is that they close next week at the end of September and will not open again until next Summer.

In 2023, I had a very interesting conversation with a slightly drunk older patron and it was one of the most thought provoking and interesting conversations I had had in a long time. The guy made me really think about the last eight years of my life. Still I was here for the burgers and the shore and took a seat overlooking the beach.

Yes, the Ripper Burger was worth it!

The burgers and fries are amazing!

After a nice lunch on the picnic tables outside and a great conversation with staff, I walked over to the beach. It was not a day to lounge on the beach with all that wind and the waves were pretty rough.

In 2015, I saw a couple of brave souls swimming although the red flags were out. I was able to put my feet in the ocean one last time which was nice after such a long trip and the quick on the boardwalk was pleasant after being cooped up on a subway all afternoon. Then it was back to the subway for the trip back to Inwood.

The beaches were much more active my second time to Rockaway Beach.

When I returned in the summer of 2023, the surfer culture was alive and well on this beautiful late summer day. The surfers were out in full force and people were swimming and walking along the beach and the boardwalk area. I was watching them and surfing has become really popular out here.

Rockaway Beach in the summer of 2023

The surfer culture is alive and well out here.

Note to all subway riders, take a good look on each station after you leave the Broad Channel stop and get on the local S train. At each station stop from the 90th Stop to the 116th Stop, there is a stain glass display by each subway sign. Take a good look at the colorful and beautiful work by artist Michael Miller done in 2010.

They are very beautiful.

Michael Miller artist

Artist Michael Miller

https://www.michaelmillerfineart.net/

The artist’s work “Surf Station 90”.

“Surf Station 90”

Located at the Beach 90 Station in Rockaway Beach, the artist, who is a graduate of New Mexico State University and the School of the Art Institute Chicago, was given the commission by MTA Arts in Transit and created this piece using the inspiration of his paintings to make these glass creations. These were created between 2009-2012 and can be seen at all the stations. Try to see them on a sunny day when the sun reflects into the glass.

Subway Station 90 “Surf Station 90” artwork by Michael Miller

“Surf Station 90”

The brilliance of the work when the sun hits it.

I stopped in Broad Channel, a subway stops and small island beach community off the Rockaways’. Broad Channel has a nice homey feel about it with all the kids playing in the playground by the school and library, all the American flags up and down Cross Bay Boulevard and several people saying hello to me. I thought it had a down home feel to it.

I can still see the effects of Hurricane Sandy from three years ago as some homes have still not been rebuilt while others have redone their homes. Walking the boulevard was a nice way to walk off lunch, see the neighborhood and look at the shoreline and the very distant view of Manhattan.

When I came back in 2023, the whole area looked so different. There were many newer homes and the old ones had been renovated and the whole neighborhoods looked refreshed. It still looked homey with lots of neighborhood spots but it looked rejuvenated. I got there rather late so it was getting dark when I arrived. Still it was a nice trip and I got to walk the whole downtown area to Adrienne’s, a new contemporary Italian restaurant I had read about.

The Main Drag on Broad Channel Island

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Channel,_Queens

Adrienne’s at 25 Van Brunt Road must have opened since my last time walking around Broad Channel.

https://www.adriennes-nyc.com/

Then came the long trip back to Inwood, I dealt with the on again off again passengers and a large group that came on at the airport stop. For those of you who are flying into New York City and want the cheapest transportation into Manhattan, the A train can be beat. It is a little longer but still a great way to travel.

The beautiful late summer sunset over Rockaway Beach and Broad Channel.

I got back to 207th Street by 8:15pm, seven hours late and an interesting way to spend the afternoon in search of the perfect hamburger. 207th Street back to the Number One Subway was alive with people. Many of the outdoor cafes on Broadway and on the beginning stretch of 207th Street were in full swing on this nice but cool night.

207th Street ‘Restaurant Row’

While 207th Street was not the outdoor flea market like it is on the weekends, it was still lively with people shopping and eating out. I then took the long train ride on the One Train downtown. I got home by 9:30pm. It was a nice trip to the shore.

For those of you who are the adventurous sort, take one of the subway lines from beginning to end. This trip was an eye opener to a part of the city I hadn’t ever visited in all my years coming into New York.

From A to A starts at the 207th Street stop to Rockaway Beach.

My recent paper in my Data Analytics Class on Rockaway Beach:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2d4880c7a9854cdb96ebdab778300e01

Places to Eat:

Ripper’s

8601 Shore Front Parkway

Rockaway Beach, NY  11693

(718) 634-3034

Open: Check the website for seasonality

https://www.eatrippers.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g616325-d8424950-Reviews-Rippers-Queens_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to Visit:

Rockaway Beach-right in front of you

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockaway_Beach,_Queens

Broad Channel Island-take time to walk around the island and its small downtown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Channel,_Queens

Don’t the glass work art at each beach stop in the Rockaways by Artist Michael Miller.

https://www.michaelmillerpaintings.com/

J. Hood Wright Park

Day Fourteen: Walking in Southern Washington Heights/Fort Washington from 174th to 164th Streets West of Broadway September 16th, 2015 (Again on July 6th, 2025 and June 16th, 2026)

Bakeries for the budget minded, Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Fort Tryon, Exploring Fort Washington, Exploring Harlem in Manhattan, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City 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, Gourmet restaurants for the budget minded, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I finally finished the area on the western side of Broadway from 178th Street to 164th Street. It was a long day of walking. I also covered the entire lengths of Haven Avenue and Fort Washington Avenue past Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which pretty much dominates over this area. There is a pretty distinct line in the neighborhood once you cross over 180th Street and you get to 165th Street, which is the border of the ever-changing Dominican neighborhood and the Hospital neighborhood. Things become much more commercial and a little upscale below 165th Street as it caters to the hospital staff.

Even the housing stock changes. The area around the hospital you can tell caters to the staff and the guests and once over the 168th Street border, it goes back to Dominican neighborhood. Between Yeshiva University and the hospital, this area you can see is going through a rapid flux. The streets are full of such beautiful, classic housing stock and if it were in the lower 90’s on both sides would be snatched up for more than double the price.

The corner of West 181st Street and Broadway

The stonework along on some of the buildings with pillars and statuary brings almost a European feel to this area. I call the changes the ‘new window’ theory. Whenever you see new window frames in an older building, you know the area is changing. The gentrifying cliché of white people walking their dogs or jogging rings so true around here. I see the looks in the faces of the guys playing dominoes in the park and their eyes roll.

I got up today as classes were letting out at PS 173 across from J. Hood Wright Park. The streets were lined with well-dressed students yelling and screaming at one another all over the street. The school is very impressive looking almost like an Ivy League school with its beautiful stonework and pillared entrance. It complements the park very nicely.

J. Hood Wright Park

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/j-hood-wright-park

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d10814377-r1064847127-J_Hood_Wright_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Hood Park in the summer of 2025

J. Hood Wright Park, the former estate of banker and financier, J. Hood Wright is located between 176th Street to 173rd Street and has gone through an over two-million-dollar renovation. The park was full of action this afternoon.

James Hood Wright

James Hood Wright, banker and financier

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

People were walking their dogs, sunbathing by the rock formations and reading on the backside park with the most spectacular views of the George Washington Bridge. The park has a dog walk in the back, a baseball and basketball court and walking paths that wind the whole park.

The rock formations at Hood Park

The best was all the street vendors outside the school. You had your choice of soft serve ice cream, shaved flavored ices, freshly fried Pastelitos (meat pies) and fresh fruit. The shaved ice is the best on a humid day. I had a mango-strawberry ice that was so refreshing. You can also get three very sweet peaches for a dollar.

The Mango ice is so refreshing on a hot day

The park in the summer of 2025

It was nice to just sit in the park and relax, watching kids chase each other around the playground and eating their snacks while dog walkers compared notes.

The views of the George Washington Bridge from the park

The lawn by the rock formations

The gardens by the dog walk in the park

The gardens in Hood Park in the summer of 2025

I stopped by Mambi Steak House at 4181 Broadway at 177th Street, a Dominican restaurant that is very popular in the neighborhood. The fresh Pastelitos are great and there is a nice selection of other takeout items as well.

Mambi Steakhouse

The Mambi Steakhouse at 4181 Broadway at 177th Street

https://www.seamless.com/menu/el-mambi-steakhouse-4181-broadway-new-york/2121488

Their pastilitos are amazing!

On the hot line, there are all sorts of lunch specials such as beef, chicken and codfish stew, pepper steak, eggplant and lasagna. Wonderful smells wafted through the entire restaurant. With two Pastelitos and a coke in hand, I walked the lengths of Haven Avenue and Fort Washington Avenues and the side streets from 164th Street to 178th Street. The streets were lined with the most amazing pre-war apartment buildings and a lot of rebuilding and renovations especially around the hospital.

I concluded my walk at La Dinastia Restaurant at 4181 Broadway on the corner of Broadway and 171st Street, a Dominican-Chinese restaurant. This restaurant is wonderful and the pictures on the window of the place don’t do it justice.

La Dinastia Restaurant at 4181 Broadway

The inside of La Dinastia

https://www.facebook.com/ladinastia72/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d534262-Reviews-La_Dinastia_II-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I had a boneless chicken crackling with a special fried rice. The chicken cracklings had a breading that was a cross between a tempura and fried chicken with spices and the special fried rice was full an array of ingredients such as shrimp, ham, chicken, sausage and vegetables.

Chicken Cracklings with Fried Rice

My lunch of Chicken Cracklings with House Fried Rice and Salad

The Chicken Cracklings and Fried Rice is one of their specialties

The meal was huge. They gave me about eight large pieces of chicken with almost a pint of fried rice. It was a meal you cannot finish at one sitting, and it made almost three meals. The restaurant is well worth the trip with the combination of flavors and fusion of Spanish and Chinese cuisine. It will be worth a second trip.

The walk concluded the area from 164th Street to 178th Street west of Broadway. The next part will be the area east of Broadway from 193rd on down. I hope for good weather.

Street art off Broadway and 172nd Street

Please read my other blogs on walking Washington Heights. It was a big area to cover:

Day Twelve: Walking West of Broadway to West 170th Street:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/98

Day Thirteen: Walking Broadway west of 193rd to 165th Streets

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/113

Day Fourteen: Walking south down Broadway west of 174th to 164th Streets

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/122

Day Fifteen: Walking west of Broadway from Washington Heights to Harlem:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/139

Day Seventeen: Walking the border of Riverside Drive in Washington Heights from 181st to 153rd Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/163

Day Eighteen: Walking down Broadway from Wadsworth Terrace to Wadsworth Drive:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/184

Day Nineteen: Walking the East side of Broadway from 193rd to 155th Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/192

Day Twenty-One: Walking Washington Heights from Amsterdam Avenue to Highbridge Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/210

Days Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six: Crisscrossing Broadway from 181st to 155th Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/225

Day Thirty-Six: Visiting the Little Red Lighthouse and the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/850

Day Forty-One: Walking Dyckman Street from 207th Street to 155th Street and the Polo Grounds Apartments:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/1376

Places to visit:

Don’t miss the view of 181st Street toward the George Washington Bridge. It is amazing!

J. Hood Wright Park

West 173rd Street at Haven Avenue

New York, NY  10033

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/j-hood-wright-park

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

Places to Eat:

La Dinastia Restaurant

4059 Broadway at 171st Street

New York, NY  10032

(212) 928-6605

http://www.ladinastiany.com

http://www.ladinastiany.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday-11:30am-10:30pm/Friday-Sunday-11:30am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d534262-Reviews-La_Dinastia_II-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Mambi Steak House

4181 Broadway

New York, NY  10033

(212) 928-9796

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mambi-Restaurant/120047598010998

Open: 24 hours a day

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d3605814-Reviews-Mambi_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Paterno Trivium

Day Thirteen: Lower Washington Heights/Fort Washington Walking Broadway from 193rd Street to 165th Street West of Broadway September 13th, 2015 (Again on June 17th, 2026)

Bakeries for the budget minded, Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Harlem 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 New York City Parks, 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, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, The Great Saunter Walk-The Entire Manhattan, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I continued my walk in Washington Heights in the middle of the neighborhood west of Broadway when the heavens opened up. Thank God it did not last forever. The sun did come out later that afternoon and did cool down a lot. It was the perfect weather to walk around the neighborhood.

I took the subway back up to 181st Street and walked past the rock formation again that abuts the surrounding buildings. I can’t believe that someone would want to blast this away to build something but it looks like its under construction. This is such a focal point in a neighborhood filled with pre-war apartments.

My start point 181st Street Station in the Fall

The view of the side of the street

Looking down the street from the subway stop in the Fall of 2025

Bennett Avenue is just as beautiful in the summer months with all the trees in full form. You get a beautiful view of the rock formations while walking down the street.

West 193rd Street

West 193rd Street

The entrance to the 190th Street subway

The rock formations on Bennett Avenue

My first part of the walk took me down the 181st Street shopping area and maybe I missed it the first time but there is a Starbucks on the corner of 181st Street and Fort Washington Avenue. This is the tale tell sign that the neighborhood is changing again. This part of Washington Heights west of Broadway is really beautiful with its rolling hills, pocket parks and tree-lined streets and the most amazing view of the George Washington Bridge from the corner of 181st Street and Pinehurst Avenue.

West 181st Street by the George Washington Bridge

The West 181st Street shopping district is much quieter in the western side of Broadway than the eastern side

The street slopes  down and you have a view of Riverside Park in the distance, a tree lined street and the pocket park next to the dead end of Pinehurst Avenue.

Walking up Pinehurst Avenue

This is a perfect place to take pictures and climb the stairs to relax on one of the many benches that line the walkway. Toward the top of the stairs, the fence is lined with modern art that is festive and unique. As I said on a previous day, this part of the neighborhood reminds me of the marina area in San Francisco.

The end of West 181st Street near Riverside Drive

Street sculpture in the West 181st Street shopping district

When you climb the stairs at Pinehurst Avenue, you are greeted by the Hudson View Gardens Apartments, a mixture of stone and Tutor apartments landscaped to match the adjoining parks. This offers the most amazing views and the buildings are so beautiful.

The Castle Apartments

The Castle Apartments on 181st Street

The Castle Apartment’s

The view at the bottom of East 181st Street

The view of the George Washington Bridge

The Plaza Lafayette at the end of 181st Street

This attractive apartment complex lines the streets of the west side on Pinehurst Avenue, across the street from James Gordon Bennett Park, a staple that attracts families from all over the neighborhood. The courtyards of the complex are colorfully planted and match the stonework of the buildings. The whole affect with the park across street is quite striking.

The Hudson View Gardens Apartments in lower Inwood

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

James Gordon was a newspaper publisher who launched the New York Herald in 1835. He donated this land which was part of his property. The land sat on the site of the original Fort Washington that had been part of the Revolutionary War battles. The park opened in 1929 and the unique aspect of the park is that is that the west side of the park site an outcropping of the ‘Manhattan Schist’, the layer of bedrock in which is the core of the island and how all the skyscraper’s are built on the island. This part of the schist is the highest point of Manhattan (Wiki).

James Gorden Bennett

James Gordon Bennett Sr. founder of the New York Herald Newspaper

https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Gordon-Bennett-American-editor-1795-1872

I spent time in Bennett Park at West 183rd Street watching kids climb rocks, frolic around the playground and play with their parents, who were enjoying the park just as much as the kids. It gives me faith that raising children in New York City has changed over the last twenty years. I am seeing more and more young parents in the city staying put and bringing life back to New York establishing their roots here and not in the suburbs.

James Gordon Bennett Park at West 183rd and Fort Washington Avenue

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

Bennett Park offers a lot. There is lots of equipment in the playground to keep any child occupied. There is a area for soccer, kite flying, rock climbing and even a cannon to climb on. Kids were flying planes, throwing balls with their parents or chasing one another without a cellphone in sight. That gives me faith in the next generation.

Bennett Park in the Spring of 2026

This is noted to be the highest point in Manhattan in James Gordon Bennett Park

The sign for the highest natural point in Manhattan in Bennett Park

The highest point in Manhattan

When I walked out of the park entrance, I came across the memorial dedicated to Fort Washington which was once on the park’s location. I was surprised with the ‘250th Anniversary” of the country this year, this was not decorated.

The Fort Washington Historical marker

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=12670

Leaving Bennett Park and walking up the length of Pinehurst Avenue, I stopped at the little triangle park to rest and take a phone call.

Looking down Pinehurst Avenue

The Paterno Trivium, at the corner of Cabrini Boulevard, Pinehurst Avenue and West 187th Street is another small pocket park run by the NYC Park system.

Paterno Trivium

The Paterno Trivium at Pinehurst Avenue is perfect for relaxing in the Fall of 2025

The Paterno Trivium sign

The Paterno Trivium in the Spring of 2026

It was a perfect place to converse with local seniors on the current status of New York City, happenings in the neighborhood and recommendations of restaurants on the small restaurant row on 187th Street. There is a little bit of everything in this area.

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/greenstreet-mz188/highlights/9757

Charles V. Paterno

Charles V. Paterno, Builder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V._Paterno

The park was named after Charles V. Paterno, a developer who was responsible for developing most of the Fort Washington section of Manhattan. He developed the Hudson View Garden Apartment complex, the Gothic apartment buildings near Fort Tryon Park in 1923-24. The park opened in 2000 and has become a Greenstreet site (NYCParks.org).

Castle Village Apartments around West 181st Street

Home

I then walked around Chittenden Avenue off Cabrini Avenue to see the views of the Hudson River. This section of the City is like a hidden gem in one of the most picturesque sections of Manhattan. They really keep this area quiet.

Walking down Cabrini and Chitterden Avenues by the Hudson River

Looking down the Hudson River from Cabrini Chitterden Avenue

After walking both sides of Fort Washington Street and finished the upper western part of Washington Heights, I walked down 181st Street towards Broadway and made my way down Broadway to 165th Street following the western perimeter of the neighborhood.

The West 181st Street shopping district by Broadway

Make note of this shopping district around 181st Street on both sides of Broadway which is loaded with reasonable restaurants and stores all along the street and down Broadway, St. Nicolas Street and parts of Audubon Avenue. It was especially vibrant during the holiday season when all the overhead Christmas lights were up.

The West 181st Street shopping district at Christmas time

The shopping area again in the early Fall of 2025

I then walked around the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital complex with dominates the 165th Street from Broadway to the Hudson River. All the housing surrounding the complex has been updated obviously for the staff of the hospital and in the later evening staff from the hospital was walking all over the neighborhood, conversing, walking their dogs and eating out.

Walking down Fort Washington Avenue on my way to the hospital

There is a distinct change in the neighborhood once you cross 169th Street on Broadway. It goes from a Dominican neighborhood to a more college oriented one, lined with chain stores, upscale restaurants and gourmet shops and businesses catering more to the college and hospital staff then to the neighbors slightly to the north. Honestly though, I see plenty of young Hispanic professionals in the restaurants.

Walking back up Fort Washington Avenue from Broadway

I had enough time to walk all the side streets between Broadway and Haven Avenue and the first three blocks up, the housing looks strictly for the hospital staff changing again around 172nd Street. I ended my walk for the evening walking the edges of J. Hood Wright Park, watching everyone walk their dogs through the park and the last playground stragglers leaving the park for the evening.

The entrance to J. Hood Wright Park in Washington Heights

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/j-hood-wright-park

My review on TripAdvisor:

The views from the lawn at Hood Park

J. Hood Wright was a wealthy banker and financier who owned a mansion on the site and donated heavily to the local Washington Heights branch of the library (NYCParks.org).

James Hood Wright

James Hood Wright, a banker and philanthropist

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

The rock formations at Hood Park

The gardens in Hood Park

I stopped at La Nueva Empanadas Monumental at 3772 Broadway for some empanadas to munch on way back to the subway station. I had the chicken and cheese and the chicken. Not bad but a little doughy and be prepared to speak your broken Spanish if you unless you speak the language.

La Nueva Empanadas Monumental at 3772 Broadway

http://www.empanadasmonumental.net/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d15166228-Reviews-Empanadas_Monumental-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=69573

Most everyone is a Spanish speaker in the restaurant and some of the patrons seemed a little shocked that I walked in. To me, it’s a nice place for a quick, reasonably priced snack.

Their empanadas are really good!

I will be finishing the rest of this side of Broadway in the coming days.

Please read my other blogs on walking Washington Heights. It was a big area to cover:

Day Twelve: Walking West of Broadway to West 170th Street:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/98

Day Thirteen: Walking Broadway west of 193rd to 165th Streets

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/113

Day Fourteen: Walking south down Broadway west of 174th to 164th Streets

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/122

Day Fifteen: Walking west of Broadway from Washington Heights to Harlem:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/139

Day Seventeen: Walking the border of Riverside Drive in Washington Heights from 181st to 153rd Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/163

Day Eighteen: Walking down Broadway from Wadsworth Terrace to Wadsworth Drive:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/184

Day Nineteen: Walking the East side of Broadway from 193rd to 155th Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/192

Day Twenty-One: Walking Washington Heights from Amsterdam Avenue to Highbridge Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/210

Days Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six: Crisscrossing Broadway from 181st to 155th Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/225

Day Thirty-Six: Visiting the Little Red Lighthouse and the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/850

Day Forty-One: Walking Dyckman Street from 207th Street to 155th Street and the Polo Grounds Apartments:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/1376

Places to Visit:

James Gordon Bennett Park

West 183rd and Fort Washington Avenue

New York, NY  10033

(212) 639-9675

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

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bennett-park/history

J. Hood Wright Park

West 173rd Avenue between Haven Avenue and Fort Washington Avenue

New York, NY  10033

(212) 639-9675

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

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/j-hood-wright-park

Paterno Trivium

At the corners of Cabrini Boulevard, Pinehurst Avenue and West 187th Street

New York, NY  10040

Open: Check the Website

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/MZ188/highlights/9757

Places to eat:

La Nueva Empanadas Monumental

3772 Broadway

New York, NY  10032

(646) 559-2502

https://empanadasmonumentalnewyork.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday-9:00am-11:00pm/Friday, Saturday and Sunday-9:00am-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d15166228-Reviews-Empanadas_Monumental-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Day Twelve: Washington Heights/Fort Washington from Fort Tryon Park West of Broadway to 177th Street September 8th, 2015 (again June 16th, 2024 and June 16th, 2026)

Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Fort Tryon, Exploring Fort Washington, Exploring Harlem in Manhattan, 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 New York City Parks, 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, Exploring Washington Heights in Manhattan, Gourmet restaurants for the budget minded, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), The Great Saunter Walk-The Entire Manhattan, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I finished the remainder of my walk of the lower part of Fort Tyron Park today. What a scorcher of a day at 95F and the humidity was not great either. The initial part of this walk started at the middle of the park at the 190 Street station. Take the elevator from the subway station to the top floor and exit through the park. You will be in front of the Margaret Corbin Circle, a beautifully landscaped cul-de -sac at the lower end of the park, where the buses drop everyone off. In season, the flowers are a colorful bouquet of different varieties with the green of the trees in the background.

The Margaret Corbin Circle by the entrance to Fort Tryon Park

I walked around the extension of the park at the subway entrance which I had never noticed before and saw all the Tiger Lilies in bloom. Large shade trees surround this part of the park. Then I walked through the main entrance to walk through Heather Garden again which is in full bloom this time of year.

The sign for Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tryon Park

The entrance to Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tryon Park sign at Margaret Corbin Drive Circle

Entrance to the park off the circle at Margaret Corbin Drive

I walked around the Stan Michels Promenade past the Heather Gardens. It is such a great place to stroll and look at the various plantings. I was floored when I saw crocuses blooming this time of year when they are a Spring flower. The Heather Gardens to the side of the promenade was in full bloom and I took the time out to see what was planted. All sorts of birds, butterflies and bees make this their home so be on the lookout for things flying around.

The entrance to the Stan Michels Promenade and Heather Garden in 2025

The Heather Gardens in the Stan Michels Promenade

The Heather Gardens in the Spring of 2024

The Heather Gardens in bloom

The gardens were just as spectacular in the Spring of 2026. The colors were so vibrant and it was fun to walk along the beds.

Walking through the Heather Garden

Walking through The Heather Garden

Walking through the Heather Garden

The other side to Heather Park

I stopped for lunch at the New Leaf Café at 1 Margaret Corbin Drive (Closed in January 2020). This pretty little restaurant is as you enter the park and a short walk from the subway terminal. I have to admit that the restaurant is just beautiful with a great location and the view from the patio is pretty spectacular, but the food doesn’t match it.

The cheeseburger I ordered nicely cooked with no flavor, the fries were standard, and the dessert menu was pretty boring. It can be pricey on the lunch menu so stick to the sandwiches. The restaurant closed during COVID and has finally reopened in 2026 as ‘The Bonnefont’.

The Bonnefont Restaurant replaced the New Leaf Cafe

The New Leaf Café in Fort Tryon Park (Closed January 2020)/The new Bonnefont Restaurant is open for lunch and brunch

https://www.facebook.com/NewLeafNYC/

https://thebonnefont.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

The service is friendly and attentive. The waiter I had, Sarah, was explaining to me how she was training in some new people and was a little distracted. I thought she was perfectly fine. I told her I loved the view and the restaurant, but the meal did not match the atmosphere. She explained that they are still working on the dessert menu and new things are being added. It is a place to visit for the view alone. (Note to readers: You can see all my restaurant and attraction reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com).

Fort Tryon Park gardens and paths

I relaxed after lunch on the Linden Terrace, a stone terrace that has views of the park and in the distance, the Hudson River. It is a great place to relax in the shade on a hot day and read a book or the paper. I plotted my game plan of the neighborhood and took the elevator back down to Broadway and walked from 190th Street to 177th Street. It was a nice walk on a hot day.

The bench area in Fort Tryon Park

The beautiful flowers by the benches

Fort Tyron Park has an interesting history. The park is named after Sir William Tyron, the last British Governor of the Providence of New York. It was donated to the City by John D. Rockefeller Jr in 1935 after buying the old C. K. G. estate and employing the firm of the Olmsted Brothers, who created Central Park, to redesign it into a park.

The Fort Tryon Park plaque right by the bench area

Sir William Tryon

Sir William Tryon

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

The Battle of Fort Washington was fought here during the Revolutionary War and the first women to fight in Battle here, Margaret Corbin (who the road is named after) was wounded here. The park had fallen in hard times in the 70’s and 80’s and has now received a full restoration (Wiki).

Margaret Corbin

Margaret Corbin

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

Fort Tyron Park at Riverside Drive to Broadway

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

Walking under the George Washington Bridge is something new for me. You never realize how busy that bridge is until you walk under it and around it. I was surprised by all the construction around the bridge. It seems that they are building retail space under the bridge. Who knew you could develop upscale shopping under the George Washington Bridge?

As I walked around 177th Street on the west side of Broadway the one thing I noticed was the classic housing stock around Cabrini and Haven Avenues. It is really beautiful with elegant entrances and pillared fronts. The buildings do need some work, but this area has interesting housing stock.

I took an interesting detour around the playground and under the bridge off Haven Avenue. When you walk up the crumbling steps to the walkway around the entrance and exit to the George Washington Bridge, it takes you around a spiral path around the streets through mountains of household garbage that the homeless must discard, places where these people must sleep, or gang members meet. The worst part is when you finish following the path, you must turn around and go back the way you came because the path is blocked off at the other end by a wooden door as the stairs on the other side is being repaired. This little side trip is not for the faint hearted as you do not have much room to walk around and to any passerby by car, they would have their own thoughts of why you are up there.

The street art around the playground at 177th Street is very interesting and if you decide to take the walk around the bridge area, check out the painting along the cement rail of the three faces. It really is a unique piece of artwork. Walking up the hill on 181st Street, there are some great shops and restaurants and the view walking up the hill is quite a site. It looks like a street in San Francisco.

I then walked through Jacob Javits Playground and watched the parents and their children enjoying themselves in the early afternoon. There must have been a half day because the playground was really crowded in the early afternoon.

Jacob Javits Playground

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/8724

https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/3895028/jacob-javits-playground

My review on TripAdvisor:

Jacob Javit’s Playground

My path took me up Cabrini Avenue past the Castle Village Apartment complex, a series of buildings with a spectacular view of the Hudson River and nicely landscaped yards around the buildings. The details along the buildings really make the complex seem like a series of medieval buildings and from what I could see from the street level a very nice place to live. The path up the road lead me right back to Fort Tyron Park, fitting from what I saw on the way up the road.

Castle Village Apartments and Park at 120 Cabrini Boulevard

Home

Walking down Cabrini Chitterden Avenue by the Hudson River

Looking down the Hudson River from Cabrini Chitterden Avenue

The Castle Apartments on Cabrini Avenue

On my way back down the avenue, I crisscrossed the side streets at 190th, 187th, 181st, 180th and 179th, looking over the various restaurants and stores in the area. All around me I can see signs that the neighborhood is in the process of changing as the smaller low scale establishments are being replaced with more updated restaurants, shops and coffee bars.

Some of the true neighborhood stores you can tell are keeping up by changing their signs and frontage displays to cater to the newcomers. There is a real change going on in this part of the area and local merchants are starting to cash in on their new clientele while keeping the old ones happy. I stopped by a vendor selling shaved rainbow ice for $1.00. These little ice vendors are a pleasure on a hot day and are located at various spots on Broadway.

I double backed on Broadway and walked up Overlook Terrace and believe me, there is a reason why they call it that. You really have to walk up a hill and by time you reach the top by the hospital, you really have a nice view of the neighborhood. I took this to 190th Street right back up to Fort Tyron Park. You’ll find that all the roads on this side of Broadway lead back to the park. I walked the side streets back down and made the turn making Bennett Avenue my final part of the day.

Fort Tryon Park overlooking the Hudson River

Bennett Avenue like the other streets in this part of Washington Heights is dominated by natural rock formations that line pockets of the streets. Bennett Avenue is no exception as there are beautiful formations of rocks and trees that line the sides of the road on the western part of the street. Halfway up make sure to stop at the Bennett Rest, a pocket park near the rock formations to take a rest. It was a long day of the walking, and this little park is right near a Gothic looking Lutheran Church that was having a Farmers Market. A nice distraction from looking at all the apartment buildings.

West 193rd Street

West 193rd Street in the Spring of 2026

The entrance to the 190th Street subway

The rock formations on Bennett Avenue around 190th Street

Overlook Terrace

This part of upper Bennett Avenue must cater to the families working and attending Yeshiva University on the other side of Broadway as many Jewish families were walking around the neighborhood after work and relaxing in the parks in the neighborhood. The street is filled with classic looking pre-war apartments, some with doorman and chandelier foyers.

I complete my walk today walking back down Bennett Avenue. Note the beautiful rock formation that faces you walk down 192nd Street from Broadway. It is quite the site and reminds you that not all of Manhattan was blasted away to build things. I crisscrossed all the side street from the edge of Bennett to the beginning of 181st Street, noting all the businesses that faced Broadway and the restaurants that started to fill up for the evening. Note to walkers, there are some interesting restaurants around the 187th Street between Cabrini and Fort Washington Avenues to check out as well as some nice stores.

Walking down Bennett Avenue from 192nd Street during the Fall of 2025

By nightfall, I was walking up the west side of Broadway from 179th Street to the Dyckman Street A Train entrance passing Fort Tyron Park for one last time that day. People still walk in this park at night, and I saw joggers exiting. It is obviously an active park at all hours of the day. Ann Loftus Playground was still going strong even in the dark with little kids running around at 8:30pm.

The subway station by the Fort Tryon Park entrance

Walking through Fort Tryon Park from the Cloisters into Ann Loftus Park is beautiful in the late Spring and early Summer. Everything was lush and green and the gardens were all in bloom.

Exploring Fort Tryon park

The pathways of Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tryon Park by Broadway

Fort Tryon Park

Note: Avoid the McDonald’s on Broadway and 180th Street. The service is terrible, and they mix up your order. Also, the food is not that good.

For all the things people say about Washington Heights, you have to see it to believe it. It really is a nice neighborhood.

Please read my other blogs on walking Washington Heights. It was a big area to cover:

Day Twelve: Walking West of Broadway to West 170th Street:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/98

Day Thirteen: Walking Broadway west of 193rd to 165th Streets

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/113

Day Fourteen: Walking south down Broadway west of 174th to 164th Streets

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/122

Day Fifteen: Walking west of Broadway from Washington Heights to Harlem:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/139

Day Seventeen: Walking the border of Riverside Drive in Washington Heights from 181st to 153rd Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/163

Day Eighteen: Walking down Broadway from Wadsworth Terrace to Wadsworth Drive:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/184

Day Nineteen: Walking the East side of Broadway from 193rd to 155th Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/192

Day Twenty-One: Walking Washington Heights from Amsterdam Avenue to Highbridge Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/210

Days Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six: Crisscrossing Broadway from 181st to 155th Streets:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/225

Day Thirty-Six: Visiting the Little Red Lighthouse and the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/850

Day Forty-One: Walking Dyckman Street from 207th Street to 155th Street and the Polo Grounds Apartments:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/1376

Places to Visit:

Fort Tryon Park

On Dyckman Street & Broadway

Heather Gardens & Linden Terrace & Ann Loftus Playground

(212) 795-1388

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

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

Places to Eat:

New Leaf Café (In Fort Tryon Park-Closed January 2020)

One Margret Corbin Drive

New York, NY  10040

(212) 568-5323

http://www.newleafcafe.com

Open:

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d478282-Reviews-New_Leaf_Restaurant_Bar-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Avoid the McDonald’s in the neighborhood. The food and service are horrible.

Hillside Avenue in Inwood

Day Nine: Between the Parks on Dyckman Street south from Broadway to Hillside Avenue August 24th, 2015 (again on June 16th, 2024, on May 29th, and June 2nd, 2026)

Bakeries 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 New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, 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, Interesting Bakeries in Manhattan, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, The Great Saunter Walk-The Entire Manhattan, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When you walk south on Dyckman Street you will be reminded they you are in a very hilly section of the neighborhood. I walked Broadway to Hillside Avenue, and I have to say I got my exercise today. Hillside Avenue and the surrounding streets are all up and down hills. Hillside Avenue as you are walking up has unusual rock formations and small patches of wooded area which was in 2015 unfortunately filled with garbage.

When I revisited in May of 2026, the entrance to the park had been renovated and cleaned up of all the garbage. It now has a new playground and dog park for the neighborhood to enjoy. Even the parks within the Dyckman Houses are going through a renovation.

The beginning of Highbridge Park

The Dyckman Houses

The Dyckman Houses sign

Click to access Dyckman.pdf

https://nycharealtalk.org/lots/1022160001

High Bridge Park dog park

High Bridge Park on Dyckman Street

High Bridge Park in the Spring of 2026

The Dyckman Houses at the end of Dyckman Street with High Bridge Park to the left

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

The neighborhood should really rally around this because it is quite beautiful. It is even nicer toward the end of the street with the large rock formations and the trees growing out of them.

I covered the lower parts of Sherman Avenue, Nagle Avenue, Bogardus Place and then traveled west to cover Ellwood Street, Sickles Street, Arden Street, Thayer Street and Dongan Place. These blocks were filled with pre-war apartment buildings and local family businesses. The one thing I noticed on a lot of these blocks is that many families set up tables and chairs and sit outside in the afternoon and night and play dominoes and cards and talk to their neighbors.

The Dyckman Shopping district

I felt like it was a throwback to the days when my mom, who lived in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn back in the 50’s, would talk about everyone sitting outside because there was no air-conditioning, and you would converse with your neighbors because everyone was in the same boat.

What’s nice about this neighborhood environment is that these families watch what is going on and know the comings and goings of the people in their neighborhood. For all the talk about Inwood not being a safe place, I never felt nervous. The one thing I will remember after today is that Manhattan is not flat.

Walking through the Dyckman Houses is an interesting experience.

I walked around the Dyckman Street Houses and into the park area between the buildings. Word of advice, when walking around public housing. Never wear a ‘9/11 Remembers NYPD and FDNY’ shirt. At 6:4 with a thick mustache, I could see that some of the people on the park benches assumed I was a cop walking through to inspect what was going on and I saw a few small groups of people actually get up and leave when I looked at them. That was strange.

I finished the day by walking the border of the neighborhood by walking up Hillside Avenue and the edge of Inwood back to the subway station where I had started. There has been a lot of new construction in this area as more people want views of both Inwood and Fort Tryon Parks. I have to admit that the view is amazing.

Walking up Hillside Avenue from Broadway

Hillside Avenue separates Inwood from Washington Heights

Walking up Hillside Avenue rock formation

After a long walk on a hot day, head over to the corner of Nagle and Dyckman Street. There is a woman who sells the most refreshing mango and strawberry ice for $1.00, and it will cool you down immediately. Before leaving this section of Inwood, double back to Bogardus Place and Hillside Avenue and watch the sunset. It is a pretty amazing sight.

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:

Stop by the vendors on 207th Street from Broadway to 10th Avenue. There are all sorts of street cooks making everything from Pastilitos to fried breads and doughnuts. Take time to look at the wares in “Little Dominica”. This shopping district stretches from Broadway until you reach the other subway platform.

Places to Visit:

Highbridge Park

West 190th Street & Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY  10040

(212) 639-9675

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

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

Day Eight: Touring the Dyckman Farm House and the surrounding neighborhood of Inwood August 20th, 2015 (again on June 16th, 2024 and May 29th, 2026)

Bakeries 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 New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the New York City Subway System, 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., Interesting Bakeries, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I had some extra time today to double back to some of the sites that either were not open the day I walked this part of Inwood or did not have time to visit. The Dyckman Farmhouse tour (See TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum@Wordpress.com) is defiantly something you should tour while you are in the neighborhood. Sitting on the top of a hill overlooking Broadway at 4881 Broadway, you have to be sure to visit the house when it is open. Its hours are from 11:00am-3:00pm Thursday-Sunday. It is worth the visit to step back to the 18th Century and see how people lived in comparison to today. It’s a small island into the past in a bustling neighborhood.

The Dyckman Farmhouse at 4881 Broadway during the summer months.

Touring the Dyckman Farmhouse property

https://www.facebook.com/DyckmanFarmhouseMuseum/

The House in the Fall months

House sign

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum

The tour is self-guided and free. The house was built in 1785 by William Dyckman in the Dutch Colonial style on what was once a 250-acre farm estate that he inherited from his grandfather who had come to the New World in 1661. The original house had been further in the estate, and it was destroyed during the Revolutionary War.  The house left the family in 1868 and was bought again by Mr. Dyckman’s granddaughters in 1915 and was restored (Wiki).

Dyckman Farm now sits above the neighborhood in the Fall of 2024

The back of the farmhouse.

The house was donated to the City of New York in 1916 and is now part of the Parks system. The nice part is that the house has a self-guided tour, and you can take your time to look over the rooms and the gardens.

The Smokehouse behind the Dyckman house.

It really is a simple house as the Dyckman’s, who owned most of the land in this part of Inwood were farmers.  They owned the house for several generations, and it was the last family member living their grandchildren who invested in the house to open it up to the public.

The back of the property by the old smokehouse

The back of the house in the Fall of 2024

It amazes me of how many people lived in this house at one time with the amount of space in which they had to work. The bedrooms are pretty small and take time out to see the downstairs kitchen. It makes us appreciate today.

The upstairs bedroom at the Dyckman Farmhouse

The Dyckman Farmhouse rooms reflect its rural past but the family still entertained and housed many extended family members.

The second bedroom

The guest bedroom

The gardens in the back are a nice place to roam and relax. The beds are set up with both flowers and vegetables and are maintained by their Friends group. Sit back under one of the trees and just enjoy the view. It really is a time capsule to our rural past in an extremely busy section of Inwood. Watch their events calendar too as there are many activities at the Dyckman House.

Touring the inside of the house at Christmas time

Touring the inside of the Dyckman Farmhouse during the holidays.

The first floor is a reflection of a working farm and home. Things are sensible without being overdone. Still the family would have held a prominent place in the Dutch farming community.

The formal parlor at the Dyckman Farmhouse

The parlor in the Dyckman Farmhouse.

The farmhouse kitchen in the basement of the home. The hearth was also part of the heating system of the house.

I double backed and explored the surrounding neighborhood of Payson Avenue, Cummings Street, Academy Street and walked down Dyckman Street to Nagle Avenue. I made a quick pit stop at Nagle Bakery at 121-B Nagle Avenue, which is pretty good.

I had a Pastilito, a type of Dominican beef or chicken turnover, which they make really good, and they are only a dollar. I also had a fruit filled Coconino, a type of flaky pastry with mango filling that was a little dried out but not bad. The bakeries in Inwood are wonderful and offer a lot of selection at a very fair price.

Nagle Bakery II

The pastries at Nagle Bakery at 121 B Nagle Avenue (Closed January 2023)

https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2Fcategory%2FBakery%2FNagles-Bagels-Bakery-107578994044675%2F

This was the unfortunate part of most of the bakeries I tried in Inwood. By the time I got to the bakeries it was later in the afternoon so everything seemed not as fresh as first thing in the morning and it had been sitting since the morning. Nagle Bakery, though is not bad and if you are in the neighborhood, it’s worth the stop.

Nagle Bakery

Nagle Bakery at 121-B Nagle Avenue (Closed January 2023)

On my back to the subway at 207th and Dyckman Street, I stopped at Tony’s Pizza and Pasta at 4771 Broadway (now closed) for a quick slice before the ride downtown. You have to watch them here. On the outside sign, they advertise a $1.00 slice but when you go in its $1.50.

Then when you order the slice, you have to designate that you want the $1.50 slice, or they will try to bait and switch you with a larger slice that is $2.50. The $1.50 slice is not bad, and the sauce is pretty good, but the more expensive slice is much bigger. Not a good business practice but the pizza was pretty good, so I forgave them for that, and it is close to the subway station.

Tony's Pizza

Tony’s Pizza and Pasta at 4771 Broadway (Closed 2018)

The cheese pizza was really good.

With both Nagel Bakery and Tony’s Pizza both closed before and during the pandemic, my favorite place to eat in the neighborhood now and when I visit the Cloisters is G’s Coffee Shop at 634 West 207th Street. The food and the service at this local neighborhood spot is excellent and the prices are extremely fair (see my reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com).

G’s Coffee Shop at 634 West 207th Street

https://www.instagram.com/gscoffeeshop207

I made trip to the Cloisters and the Dyckman Farmhouse for a Christmas themed “Holiday Decoration” tour for both places and stopped in for a late breakfast because I was starving. They had a wonderful all day breakfast special, a Breakfast Burrito ($7.95), filled with eggs, chorizo sausage, salsa, avocado and hashbrowns wrapped in a soft burrito shell. It was very large and delicious. The flavors were really brought out by the salsa, hot sauce and the sausage. With a cool Lime Soda is really made the meal.

The Breakfast Burrito with Chorizo sausage was excellent.

When visiting the Dyckman Farmhouse again for a Spring walking tour, I stopped by G’s for lunch and had the Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe that I saw everyone ordering on the last two trips to the restaurant I had made and it was worth the trip.

The Bacon Cheeseburger was perfectly cooked with a nice amount of caramelization on the meat and was loaded with freshly cooked bacon and topped with a few pieces of cheese, chopped lettuce and tomatoes. The French Fries were cooked to order and were the small shoestring type that were crisp and plentiful on the plate. The burger had a nice complexity to it and the meat had a lot of flavor to it as it was a fresh patty not frozen. For less than $10.00, it made a nice lunch.

The Bacon Cheeseburger lunch at G’s Coffee Shop.

The service is very nice and the orders come out quick. It is a Hodge Podge of neighborhood types but that’s what I think makes this G’s Coffee Shop special, it really is a neighborhood restaurant catering to everyone. It is a restaurant that every neighborhood should have.

It was a quick afternoon in the city but a nice walk for the day. I just wanted to revisit the Inwood neighborhood to be sure that I covered everything and see the Dyckman Farmhouse. Don’t miss it at the holidays as well.

The front of the Dyckman Farmhouse in the Fall of 2024

The street level view of the home in the Fall of 2024

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:

Dyckman Farmhouse

4881 Broadway

New York, NY  10034

(212) 304-9422

Open: Thursday-Saturday-11:00am-3:00pm/Saturday-11:00am-4:00pm/Closed Monday-Wednesday.

http://www.dyckmanfarmhouse.com

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d108018-Reviews-Dyckman_Farmhouse_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/771

Places to Eat:

Nagle Bakery (Closed in 2018)

121-B Nagle Avenue

New York, NY  10040

(212) 304-4801

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nagle-Bakery/236597870195281

Open: Hours vary

My review on TripAdvisor:

Tony’s Pizza & Pasta (Closed in 2018)

4771 Broadway

New York, NY  10034

(212) 544-7476

https://www.tonyspizzanyc.com/

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

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5104514-Reviews-Tony_s_Pizza-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

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