"You're Out Of The Woods..." (Third Leg)

It's about 10:00 a.m. and we're at the top of the mysterious "bridge in the woods." The vista at the top looks something like this:

And, like this:




Eureka! We're officially on the Hudson River...and our rules now apply (we always have to have a view of the river...or be no more than one city block east of it). We have a fairly easy walk heading south and moving downhill. The path empties out to a field with a pretty well-tended baseball diamond (or two or three). All were occupied with team of varying ages...not being a sports fan (but a fan of sports movies), I couldn't say if any of them are ready for "a cup of coffee" with the majors, but I'm sure they were having a lovely time sweating away in the blazing sun. And, now that we were out of the shade, sweating was becoming a topic of conversation.

I digress, again. I hate to sweat! I mean, I really, really hate that all-too-familiar feeling of dampness as the beads pile up, one atop the other, in the most inappropriate places. The good news is that I do not sweat all that quickly, even when it's fairly hot outside. But, once I begin...let's just say I'm not a happy camper (or walker, in this case). It's even worse when one has to wear business attire. Wet rag, limp noodle, soaked sponge...all those gross, but accurate, images float past as I'm racing to lunches or meetings in midtown in the midday summer sun. Thank God we're not doing this stroll in Manolos and Prada (no --I don't own Manolos, Prada or anything remotely approximating them -- except for a knock-off of a famous handbag from "Bodegas Venetto" or designer name like that, that I saw in Barney's for around $600. Mine cost less than $25.00 from an Easy Spirit outlet...and women "in the fashion know" have commented on it. ). And, the few times I've worn heels associated with most designer shoes have been disasters (on the order of broken limbs and wounded flesh). Best get back to walk at hand...

NG and I spilled out onto Dyckman Street...a street I particularly like as I'm often on it when taking the "short cut to the short cut" I mentioned earlier. And, it has quite a few excellent Latino eateries that make this -- the western border between Inwood and Washington Heights -- such as lively, friendly place. Make sure to check out the Sunday brunch at Mamajuana...buffet and great live music. I just get happy every time I see Dyckman Street! Here at the westernmost end, on the river, there used to be a restaurant and marina. Sadly, it's all gone, save the gate and sign:

It was just past this gate that we were treated to the second real surprise of our stroll...