Walking Off the Big Apple

(revised April 2017) With the sun assuming its declining power in the course of a day and with thoughts ahead of autumn colors, it's a good time of the year to investigate our repertory of walks for the season. With its abundance of mature trees, especially a canopied esplanade that rivals Central Park's Mall, and views of the Hudson River, we need to include Riverside Park in our go-to paces for the fall. The entirety of this great long swath of park, from W. 72nd in the Upper West Side to 158th St. in Audubon Terrace, is worthy of a long walk, but these four miles may best be appreciated in one-mile segments. This post considers several features from 116th to 96th, starting in Morningside Heights near Columbia University and then walking south to W. 96th Street. Nearby subway stops on these respective streets provide convenient access to the park. Before descending into the park proper at W. 116th, stop to look at the marble stele fountain on the west side of Rivers

The Feast of San Gennaro is a religious festival, honoring the Patron Saint of Naples. But for many pedestrian patrons, it's all about the food. For example, cannoli tastes better when everyone wants one, and when the baker is about to run out of the cannoli with the mint chocolate filling. Midway attractions are here, too. Plus, it's OK to come down to Little Italy even when the game is on. The food fare is not all strictly Italian.

Update March 2013. Much of this are was profoundly affected by Superstorm Sandy in late October 2012. Read this post from March 3, 2013 assessing the storm's impact on the South Street Seaport . For anyone who regularly walks down to the South Street Seaport and the East River, it's obvious that the entire area has experienced a rejuvenation over the past few years, especially on the weekends. After the closing of the Fulton Street Market a few years ago, the seaside neighborhood looked rough around the edges, but now, thanks to the New Amsterdam Market (Sundays) and the artisan stalls that have opened up across the street on South Street, weekend strolls can include lots of entertainment and food shopping. From the deck of the lightship Ambrose, a view of Lower Manhattan (plus students of Trapeze School) fresh food from local food merchants at the New Amsterdam Market Trapeze School in action

The month of September  brings memories of younger days, born lightly on the returning cool breezes from the north. You may know the long-playing musical The Fantasticks by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt . The musical premiered at the Sullivan Street Playhouse (181 Sullivan Street, closed 2002) in Greenwich Village on May 3, 1960, and the signature song of the timeless, romantic story is "Try to Remember," a popular tune that invokes the month of September. The small-scale nature of the musical, along with its universal plot, adapted itself easily to regional theaters across the country and world. If you still cling to the Off-Broadway cast album, like I have for many years, you may still associate "Try to Remember" with its singer - Bronx-born Jerry Orbach (1935-2004). This was long before we knew him as NYPD Detective Brisco of the Law & Order television series. Orbach had a beautiful mellow quality to his voice, telling us in this song that experienc