Part II: My day in the Big Apple, the High Line Walk

On Tuesday, I'd reserved a seat on Megabus.com to take me from South Station in Boston to New York City.  The bus left at 7 a.m. and arrived in the city at about 11:30 a.m.; there were no stops along the way, and we arrived w/n 5 minutes of our scheduled time which is amazing considering the traffic in the city.

My destination in the Big Apple was the High Line which is a 1-mile New York City linear park built on a 1.45-mile section of the elevated former New York Central Railroad spur called the West Side Line.  It runs along the lower west side of Manhattan, and has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway.  From my understanding, it was modeled after a similar project in Paris, the 3-mile Promenade Plantee, completed in 1993.  The High Line currently runs from Gansevoort Street three blocks below West 14th Street, in the Meatpacking District, to 30th Street, through the neighborhood of chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention center.  Repurposing of the railway into an urban park began construction in 2006 and the first phase opened in 2009 and the second in 2013.  The third and final phase will open in the fall of 2014, and I've heard that a Low Line is also under consideration!

When you go to New York City on Megabus, it will drop you off at 7th Avenue and 28th, but make note that when you leave the city on Megabus, you leave from 34th Street b/t 11th  & 12th Street. I discovered that this was just a few blocks from where the High Line ended, how lucky was I!  And that I'd have plenty of time to not only do the High Line but also walk over to Time Square a must-see for any tourist?!  (or not....it's a jungle!)...Here are my pictures from the afternoon...the bus was scheduled to leave the city at 6:15 p.m..

There are several places to eat on the High Line, I chose a yummy Taco Place!  Of course, I had to have a nice cold beer with it...

After lunch, I was ready to tackle the city....

This is a oasis in this jungle, the New York Public Library.

And so, there you have it, my day in the city!  Back on the Megabus,

A friend, a former student from UNE's MSW program, Sophia, came down to 34th Street to see me off.  Sophia has been living in NYC since she graduated 4 years ago, and she's come to love it.  It was very nice seeing her, and I appreciated that she took the time to see me.

See how all the buses are lined up along 34th Street?  There are signs making it pretty clear which one to return on...just be there in time as they depart promptly.

My week's adventures: Part 1: Boston, Harbor Islands

I decided to take advantage of my daughter's apartment in Charlestown by inviting myself (mothers can do that, right?) for several nights.  My plan was to take the Megabus from Portland to Boston on Sunday (at a total cost of $2 round-trip!) and eventually going to NYC from Boston.  I arrived in Boston early on Sunday, and my daughter was not going to be back in town until late afternoon, so I walked all over the city.  Which I always enjoy as it's quite a lovely walkable city, only thing is I had a 20? lb. back pack strapped to my back! And it was quite hot and muggy....so, by 2:30 p.m., I'd walked over and around Beacon Hill, the Boston Public Gardens, Commonwealth Avenue, the Commons and on over to Fanheuil Hall/Quincy Market, heading over to the North End and then crossing the bridge to my final destination near Bunker Hill where I plopped myself on the ground!

Here I am, ready to take on Boston and the Big Apple!

These are the beautiful lines of the Zakim Bridge that you see as you walk from Charlestown into Boston's North End.  The bridge and connecting tunnel were built as part of the Big Dig, the largest highway construction project in the U.S.  

Frog Pond in Boston Commons

In the North End

This "waterpark" is part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston's newest park, which stretches from TD Garden and the North End to Chinatown.  Just over a mile long, it has a very large variety of attractions including beautiful landscaping, festivals, sculpture, etc. as well as a selection of Boston's popular food trucks!

Above and below are the Swan Boats which you'll see in Boston's Public Gardens.

This is the Bunker Hill Tower, I've walked up the 200+ steps in the past but was too pooped to do so this visit!

That evening, Emily and I took a ride on out on the water on a local Ferry Boat from Boston's new Southport area which was developing very fast!


On Monday, I decided to take a ferry boat out to the Boston Harbor Islands, it was well worth the $15.  The islands have snack shacks, public bathrooms and visitor centers that are open during the summer (not sure of their off season hours).   Georges, Peddocks, and Spectacle Islands are all serviced from Long Wharf in Boston which was about a 30 minute from where I was staying in Charlestown.

A map of the islands.

I took these shots of the Boston Skyline below from the Ferryboat as we cruised over to the islands:

The above picture is of Spectacle Island Harbor and the picture below is of Georges Island, home of historic Fort Warren, a Civil War-era fort known for its graceful granite archways and reputed ghost, the Lady in Black.

Spectacle Island (above) is ideal for hiking, swimming, boating and learning.  There's a visitor center that has exhibits about the island's history, and there's a sandy beach (one of the few on the islands) which has lifeguards and changing rooms.  As you can see below, you can take in panoramic views of the harbor and city from the tallest hill on the islands (which was built up from all of the dirt that was dug up from Boston's Big Dig and sent over on barges!)  I took the picture below from Spectacle Island.


My path around Spectacle Island crossed with this wild turkey!

This marina makes Spectacle Island a popular destination for boaters.