26.07.
I did the 230 km from Albany to Manhattan in almost exactly three hours on a smaller highway through a nice scenery with less traffic. For the next 170km I needed 6 hours.
I wanted to drive through Manhattan and entered the island on Broadway, which reaches to the north, far beyond the island. It soon turned out as a fatal mistake. Even the first two or three kilometers should have been a warning.
Pure chaos on the roads. Cars parked in the first lane and stopping in the second of three lanes to enter or exit or load and unload cargo. I drive through Washington Heights, Upper Manhattan, Harlem. What am I saying? In stop-and-go traffic I move from traffic light to traffic light. I don’t drive a kilometer without having to stop.
I pass known places that I visited in 2009. Finally I arrive at the Columbus Circle, which is located at the southwest corner of Central Park, and dive into the skyscrapers. Slowly go, with the masses of cars, to Times Square. There I turn slightly right, leaving the Broadway and driving down 7th Avenue.
Although traffic is moving very slow, it is very impressive to look down a seemingly endless street canyon. Sunday morning, when there is no traffic, would have been a much better time to drive through Manhattan. I move on to the southern part of the island. I have to go through the Holland Tunnel to Jersey.
More standing than driving, it goes forward, meter for meter. To cross the Island I almost needed around 2 1/2 hours.
It did not get better in Jersey. Has this city no end? With each stop, due to traffic or at a traffic light, the estimated arrival time to my destination gets later and later. Like the distance would increase, not decrease. Down to Philadelphia repeatedly jams and construction sites. My navigation device shows for hours, that is only 1 hour to my destination.
The hostel is surrounded by a park. Apart from the highway that passes, it is a relaxing place. I’m very exhausted and glad that I finally arrived.
27 to 29.07
Philadelphia or Philly, as it is also called.
The next three days are used for recreation and sightseeing. In Philadelphia, you have to see at least two things, the Liberty Bell and ..? Right. Rocky Balboa 🙂 Some of my friends asked if I was running up the stairs to the museum too. Of course I was running .. on train tracks, through the districts. People were going behind me, and I was running away. Because it was not fans following me, it was gangsters wanting my money.
No, just joking. I did not run up the stairs. It was more like lifting myself up there. But you can watch hundreds of people running up.
Liberty and Independence (Freedom and Independence) can almost be breathed here. Excuse me if I don’t write about historical or geographical details in my articles. I don’t want to reproduce what can be read in many other places. If you are interested, search yourself.
One of the cats here at the hostel slept under my motorcycle cover on my tank bag. I saw it by the tracks and the hairs. I think it was the white one.
Many of the historic facilities are free to visit. For museum visitors, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is highly recommended. I enjoyed it. A friend gave me the tip to visit the Penitentiary, a former prison. It was very interesting too. I also was at the Franklin Institute. You can meet Benjamin Franklin everywhere here. A true jack of all trades. The Institute is more for kids. You can discover a lot there.
On one of the days, it was Sunday, I walked about an hour to the Museum of Arts along N33 Street. On the right side the houses, on the left side Fairmount Park. People had picnics and barbecues, played music, where playing games or practiced tee at a driving range. Some houses are in poor condition and windows were covered with plywood. On the way back I got to a gas station because it was hot and humid, and I needed something to drink. “Food Mart” is printed in yellow letters on a blue panel. I entered the store. It was about the size of a gas station in Austria. You can get something to drink, to eat and some other supplies. Just, that store was a little different. You entered and found yourself in a space with a few square meters. The saleroom was equipped with thick glass, I assume it was security glass and separated the public area from the staff/shopping area. Between sales staff and customers, direct physical contact was almost impossible. Like if in a ticket booth, there was a small opening to talk to the personnel and an opening for money. You had to point at the things you wanted and the goods were given to you through an opening around a corner. Maybe during night this neighbourhood looks quite different.
Tomorrow I will move on to Baltimore. There I would like to follow a little bit Edgar Allan Poe’s footsteps. One of my favorite authors.
Thanks for reading, Jürgen