[Journal entry for May 12, 2013; Riverside Park, New York City]. An old New York saying asserts that in this city, “you need to be early in order not to be late”. Fearing traffic on the George Washington Bridge, I arrived to proctor the Frontiers of Science final examination almost two hours early. I parked on Riverside Drive and took a long walk in Riverside Park. I first walked by Grant’s Tomb, a monumental stone building with a dome, supported by columns and flanked by sculptures of eagles. The main part of the park occupies a wooded strip between Riverside Drive and the Henry Hudson Parkway, and is surprisingly secluded, except for traffic noise. There’s also a bicycle path in the much narrower strip between the Parkway and the Hudson River. I walked south as far as 96^th Street, passing soccer and baseball fields and a dog run. Most of the early-blooming trees and bushes have already gone be by, but a few of the later ones remain.

At 96^th Street, I passed beneath the archway of the Parkway interchange and spent a few minutes at the river’s edge. The day was breezy and the Hudson River had substantial chop. The schooner Virginia, out of Norfolk, was anchored just off-shore. Several other smaller sailboats were under way, further out in the channel.

I took the Riverside Drive sidewalk, on the east edge of the park, back north. It passes several small kids playgrounds.

About an hour and a half.