NEW YORK

I had the pleasure of visiting a very good friend in New York yesterday, and we walked several miles along the southwest end of Manhattan, through Battery Park and along the Esplanade.  One of the attractions along the Esplanade is this odd stone & tile structure, which houses nothing more than six chess/checker boards. 

 

On this very hot day there were no participants.  Research tells me it is called the “Upper Room” and was designed by someone named Ned Smyth in 1987.  When I saw it first I called it a “Temple to Checkers”. 

We took this opportunity to visit the pools at the as-yet-incomplete 9-11 memorial.  Thankfully, I didn’t lose any friends in this disaster, but there is a connection as a former MCC employee was among the victims.  I did not remember Alan Wisnewski’s name at first, but was able to find it on the touch-screen name finder kiosk.  I think the pools are a good way to memorialize the space, and they look big at first, but then you realize they’re the size of the buildings, and you realize that these towers were not very large in cross-section.  You don’t have to pay to go, but there is tough access control, including baggage scans. 

I also enjoyed another free attraction connected to the waterfront – the Staten Island ferry.  Where else can you get 20-minute sight-seeing boat rides for nothing?  Here’s a couple of examples of the view. 

 

We also had a police escort for some reason on the way to SI.  I didn’t see any activity at the dock, so I have no idea why they were along.