Stress may be the #1 cause of X, Y and Z but if it weren’t for the pressures of this crazy week, I wouldn’t have sought out these relaxing, Never B4 ways to get away from it all...
- An early morning walk across the 103rd Street Pedestrian Bridge to Ward's Island in NYC
- Meditating in the Catholic Chapel at JFK Airport
- A tour of the Prague Zoo in The Czech Republic
I drive past the 103rd Street Pedestrian Bridge every time I use the FDR drive and it always catches my attention. Its grasshopper-green paint makes it hard to miss but what really fascinates me about this bridge is that the movable center section is so often left up. So, how do people walk across it?
Before I left for a meeting in Prague last Sunday, I took an hour away from the pressures of packing to indulge my curiosity about the bridge. After a 20+ block walk in a brisk breeze off the East River, I found the bridge lowered, easily crossable and surprisingly massive.
I also found it to be a good vantage point to enjoy the eastside skyline, which was shiny and sharp against the blue sky that morning. (From the bridge you can also see a small islet in the center of the East River. I never knew it was there and since, I’ve learned that it’s called Mill Island and that there are more than a dozen islands that make up the New York archipelago. Visiting them all is now on my Never B4 list.)
As for my curiosity about the center section of the bridge, my walk answered that question but raised a new one.
Question Answered: There are no stairs on the vertical stanchions of the bridge so I don’t see any way for someone to walk across it when it’s raised. Perched on each side of the center section is a pod for an operator to sit in but, as I said, there are no stairs on the stanchions. So once the bridge is raised (which it is a lot) it seems useless for walkers.
Question Raised: Why was this bridge was built in the first place? The main thing on Ward's Island seems to be the Manhattan Psychiatric Center for the criminally insane, and just how many people could be walking there to visit? (Click here for the answer which I just found.)
My morning adventure may have traded one question for another but my stress had completely disappeared. Even better, this Never B4 took no planning, the bridge was easy to get to and it was new to me. So, if any of you out there are looking for some easy Never B4’s, you don’t have to look far. Think of that thing in your own neighborhood, town, or city that has been piquing your curiosity and go check it out. You’ll be surprised at how energized you’ll feel once you do!
If you’re curious to about the other two-thirds of my trio of escapes this week, click here for a picture tour.
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