Walking Across the George Washington Bridge

 After meeting with my friend Joe at the Palisades, I was to walk across the George Washington Bridge (GWB) from New Jersey to Manhattan.  I know that the GWB is about a mile long so it won't be too long a walk.  The challenge is finding the exact location where I can get on the GWB Pedestrian and Cyclist sidewalk in Fort Lee, NJ.  Here is the official directions from the Port Authority of NY and NJ on where to cross the bridge:   GWB Pedestrian & Bicycle Information

However, reading something and actually know where to go are two different things.  Below is the map of the NJ side of GWB.

Shown in red letters, near the letter A is the approximate location where the pedestrian and cyclist sidewalk starts on the bridge.  It's difficult to find but once you are there you can tell right away that it is a sidewalk leading to the bridge.  Below is a picture of what it looks like:

Entrance to Pedestrian Sidewalk on the NJ side

After asking a couple of people in the Fort Lee Historic Park we took a chance and turn right after exiting the park.  That is Hudson Terrace.  About a block after exiting, Joe saw the sidewalk.  I got out of the car and as I was approaching the sidewalk I saw another pedestrian approaching from the other direction.  I asked him if this is the pedestrian sidewalk on the GWB bridge.  He said yes.  So, here I am walking on the south side of the bridge.

I met many pedestrians and a few cyclists coming from the NY side.  Being a week day it was not very crowded.  Some were joggers, a few construction workers, and some cyclists.  The view south of the Hudson River and Manhattan was amazing.  Below are some pictures of my walk.

About 50m from the start

Still on the NJ side

Looking south at the Hudson River on the NJ side

Getting to the middle of the Bridge

Looking south at the Hudson River

Protected from vehicle traffic by metal barrier

Getting near to NY side

Help for suicidal pedestrians

Hudson River from Manhattan side

Starting the descent to the ramp

Ramp on the NY side

Overhead view of entrance on NY side

Gate into the ramp going up to the Bridge on NY side

If you don't stop it should take about 15-20 minutes to cross the bridge.  However, I spent time taking photos and admiring the view.  While you are walking, heavy traffic is going through the middle part of the bridge.  There is a metal barrier protecting pedestrians and cyclists.  It is almost impossible to be hit by a vehicle because the barrier is about 3 ft high.  At the NY end you see a ramp curving down.  Then you come to a lockable gate and you are now at street level.

Sign pointing to the bridge on NY side

Rules for using the bridge

Street Level

First street after coming down to street level

Cabrini Blvd is the first street

GWB Mall, where the buses and subway stops

The first street you encounter after coming down to the NY side is Cabrini Blvd.  Three blocks away is Broadway Avenue, where the GWB Market is located.  Here is where you take the bus and subway back to other parts of Manhattan.  Below is the map showing the area around the NY end of the GWB:

Interestingly, there is a lighthouse at the bottom of the GWB on the NY side.  It's called the Little Red Lighthouse.  Here are some pictures that I took in October 2018.

Taking the Ferry from Manhattan to New Jersey

 Although New York and New Jersey are separated by about a mile-wide Hudson River, there are challenges crossing from one side to the other.  In the old days the only way to cross was by boat.  Tunnels and bridges were built in the early 1900s' so cars and trains can travel between the two states.  As real estate gets more expensive in New York, many choose to commute from New Jersey.  One of the most popular way is via trains run by the NJ Transit.  Of course, you can drive but you will find yourself in gridlock when driving into Manhattan.

Another less common method is the ferry.  This is run by a private company called NY Waterway.  

One fine August day I was to meet my friend Joe, who lives in NJ.  I can easily take the subway to Penn Station and take a NJ Transit train across the river and have Joe pick me up at one of the stations.  Instead I chose to cross the Hudson River via the NY Waterway ferry.  This is a new experience for me.

The most convenient place for me to catch the ferry is at Pier 79 at 39th St and 12th Avenue, called the Midtown Terminal.  This is a commuter ferry so it runs only in the morning and in the late afternoon.  The last ferry in the morning at the Midtown Terminal is at 9:30am.  Joe figured out that the easiest place for him to pick me up is at the Edgewater Terminal on the NJ side.  We were to drive to the Palisades State Park, a few miles north.  The fare is $11.25 for a one-way ticket.  There is a senior ticket for $10.50

I arrived at the Midtown terminal at about 9:00am.  The ticket window was closed.  It doesn't open till noon.  It's the only place where I can buy a senior ticket.  My other choice is to buy through the NY Waterway App on my phone or one of the machines in the ferry terminal lobby.  I decided to buy a regular ticket from one of the machines.  I asked around and found out that my ferry would be arriving at dock number 2.

At about 9:25am the ferry pulled into the terminal.  About 20 passengers disembarked.  Only 2 passengers, including me, embarked for the short ride across the Hudson River.  It traveled in a northwesterly direction to Edgewater.  It took about 30 minutes to cross.

NY-NJ Ferry Routes

A View of Midtown Manhattan

A Ferry coming in from NJ

Outside the Terminal

Another Ferry Approaching

Ferries Waiting for Passengers

View of Ferry with Midtown in the Background

Leaving the Terminal

Another Ferry Leaving the Terminal

A Distant View of Midtown

George Washington Bridge in the Distance

Approaching Edgewater Terminal

It was a short but beautiful experience on a cool morning.  Water always give people a calming effect.  

As a historical note, this part of the Hudson River is where the "Miracle on the Hudson" occurred on January 15, 2009.  An American Airlines flight, captained by Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger hit a flock of birds and had to ditch the plane on the Hudson River, near the Midtown NY Waterway Ferry Terminal.  Two NY Waterway ferries were the first to reach the plane and rescued the passengers.  All 155 people on board the plane were rescued and survived.  This was dramatized into a 2016 film called "Sully," starring Tom Hanks as Captain Sully Sullenberger.

Getsemani

 I never heard of the Getsemani neighborhood in Cartagena until I went there.  It is south of the downtown area.  Once you walk through the Clock Gate, cross the street, walk past the Parque Del Centenario on your left, veer to the left and you are into the neighborhood.  It used to be a crime-ridden area and was in danger of gentrification, until the residents fought back and refused to sell to developers.  It has developed into a popular tourist area with restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, hostels, etc.  

I took a Free Walking Tour (FWT) with Arturo.  It was another energetic tour through a colorful neighborhood.  Arturo stopped to explain some of the murals and buildings and the history behind them.  He introduced us to some of the restaurants and coffee shops and his neighborhood friends.  I will let the following pictures tell the story.

Getsemani Mural on one of the buildings

Paintings of Women

A Colorful Street

Local Resident Relaxing and Reading the Paper

A Fruit Seller

A Drinks Seller

A Restaurant with Many Food Options

Murals on Buildings

Colorful Umbrella Hanging Above the Street

Our Guide, Arturo

Plaza de la Trinidad or Holy Trinity Square

Neighborhood Board Game

Popular Street Vendor at Holy Trinity Square

Mural of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1982 Nobel Prize Winner in Literature

A Getsemani Tourist Sign

Haido, Empanada Vendor

Delicious Empanadas

A local artist at work

Our Group stopping at this coffee shop

We came here for dinner after the tour

It was a wonderful tour through a colorful neighborhood.  After the tour I treated Arturo and his assistant to dinner at the restaurant above.  The food was delicious.  What I paid for 3 people is as much as what I paid for a seafood paella dinner the night before.

The next day it's finally time to leave Cartagena and Colombia.  I asked the hotel to have a taxi picked me up at noon and take me to the airport.  It costs 20,000 pesos, about $5, for a 15-minute ride.  It'd have been cheaper if I called Uber but I want the hotel feel like they were of service to me and make some money.

I flew from Cartagena to Bogota, have a nice dinner at the food court, because there was no Priority Pass lounge at the International Terminal.  I checked into the Delta Airlines counter about 3 1/2 hours before flight time and soon I was on an almost 6-hour flight to JFK Airport in New York City.  I was the only one to go through the Global Entry lane and in five minutes I was at the luggage carousel waiting for my luggage.  From the airport I took a taxi to my son's apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  The flat-rate fare is US$65 from JFK Airport to anywhere in Manhattan.  I gave the taxi driver $70 and he was very happy.  That ends my wonderful journey to Quito, the Galapagos Islands, Bogota and Cartagena.