March 7, 2022

It’s always easier to run when the wind is at your back. This is especially true whenever you’re running along the water. In Hell’s Kitchen the second best place for a long run is the Hudson River Greenway. Central Park is the best, especially early in the morning or late at night. But from my apartment, it takes about a half mile to get there. The Hudson is only three blocks away, so it’s just easier to get to.

I like running by the water because it’s nice to have a view, somewhere and something to look out across. Central Park has a view but not like the Hudson. Central Park’s view changes a lot, although it’s a better run because you’re closer to trees and grass and away from the cars and noise. It’s also Manhattan’s nearest take on a forest. But from the HRG, the steady view of the river creates a certain calm.

Whether I’m running, walking, cycling, or standing and looking west toward the rest of the United States for a while, New Jersey doesn’t look so far away. Yet, when I think about what it would take to get over there –––– running up to the George Washington Bridge or running down to Lower Manhattan and getting in a car that would most definitely get stuck in traffic while driving through the Holland Tunnel ––– Jersey feels like its on a different continent, or in a different world.

This grey afternoon I ran north two and half miles with the wind at my back while glancing over at the Hudson. The sun was hiding behind the clouds and it wasn’t until I reached that place along the Greenway where you can reach over and touch the highway that I turned back around.