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As I’ve mentioned before, my mother tells me I have the “courage to interrogate reality.” As much as one’s personality can be described in a statement, this one is fairly undeniable for me.
Last weekend I met my father and step-mother in Half Moon Bay as they began their week-long Harley ride “wherever they feel like riding to on any given day” and it got me thinking ~ my adventurous side (err… middle) is not only ingrained in my lil’ self, but most decidedly, inherited. I was basically born with a paradoxical sense of knowingness and curiosity which propels me to places I’ve never been and yet places in which I feel very much at home.
While there are vast variations on my adventurous roots, here’s a glimpse at a few that I’m sincerely grateful for:
Adventure of the Imagination: This comes from both parents. What I love though is that they are both very grounded individuals ~ I wouldn’t label either of them “dreamers” but I would certainly say that they make their dreams happen in their lives. And this ventures fairly far back in the family trees: My mother’s grandfather was an inventor ~ he had an airplane/landing strip at his home and apparently had Charles Lindbergh as a buddy. My grandfather on my father’s side had a mine in the mountains outside of Yosemite then purchased an entire railroad and community because he liked it there (so did I! This is where I grew up.). My mom was accepted into the San Francisco Ballet at the age of 16 (she politely declined) and my father became a race-car driver. I come from a long line of practical dreamers.
Adventures in Travel: Again, this comes from both parents. Mom is more of the “hotel in Paris/Nice/London/Tuscany” type and dad is more “ride the Harley and stop at an Inn on the coast whenever we feel like stopping” kind of traveler. I have heaping doses of both approaches… though that’s not to imply I ride a Harley when I travel. I’m a spontaneous planner, I suppose.
Adventures in People: I love people’s stories. Adore them. Why are they the way they are? Where have they been? What have they seen? What shaped them? Influenced them? I think my mom is a people explorer but she’s not really one to ask questions. She’d rather have people share whatever it is they want to share. My dad is a bit more of a “I’ll join you wherever you’re coming from” sort of story-listener. Both are empathetic listeners in their own way… I am straight out an empathic, curious, and voracious listener of people stories.
Any way you look at it, I’ve got Adventurous Roots. How can I not with a father who looks like this?
Miraculously sunny day here in NYC ~ hooray!~ so I celebrated by venturing to lower Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. Apparently this area has the highest concentration of historic buildings in Manhattan and seems to have done a great job of maintaining that old maritime feeling (I actually felt like I should cheers with an ice-cold beer and yell “argh!” in a loud gruffy voice…maybe throw a barstool, etc.) with contemporary additions (shops and such) that add a bit of a Disneyland sort of animated feeling to the area.
The more recent appearances of J.Crew and Abercrombie & Fitch aside, mercantile buildings from the 19th century that have been renovated, sailing ships such as the Peking from 1911, old wooden planks, and creeky docks, I’m happy to say, still take center stage.
Well, for me they did.
So here are my tips for visiting the South Street Seaport:
1. Take a moment to appreciate the history. The heydey of the seaport was from 1820 – 1860! (I never stop loving the feeling of historic roots in NYC… I’m a bit of a nerd that way.)
2. Investigate the view– the Brooklyn Bridge, the juxtaposition of old and new, etc.
3. Eat/drink something while sitting outside. Lots of fun little/big cafes and eateries.
4. Wear sunscreen. Oops!
5. Take pictures. : )
The High Line park debuted itself to the city of Manhattan last week — the perfect opportunity to investigate this long (1 1/2 mile) elevated park on the West Side of the city. This reprieve from the city streets below is surprisingly calm — one genuinely feels a bit smoother on the inside upon arrival. And I know this wasn’t just me — the pace of the people walking the length of the park (that spans through the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Clinton’s/Hell’s Kitchen) on opening weekend was that of a meander. A rare pace in the (great!) madness that is Manhattan.
The original “High Line” was built in the 1930′s when the city decided that sending speeding trains through Manhattan was not an all-together safe idea — apparently, when the tracks were still at street level, their path was referred to as “Death Avenue” — men on horseback rode in front of the trains (West Side Cowboys!) to alert people that a train was coming. So cool! (And yet logistically frightening!)
(Image from the High Line Website– click through to see more or visit the High Line Blog for more info.)
Anyway, today they integrated the original train tracks into the design… mixing horticulture and history. A great addition to the city indeed!
