The Secret of the ESB: 33rd and 34th Streets

(I explored these streets a few weeks ago, so my memory is now a bit fuzzy.)

I had intended to start Operation: See the City at the southern tip of Manhattan and work my way up. However, I was pressed for time the day I decided to start, so I settled for exploring two streets closer to home.

Despite my hatred of taking pictures of myself, I decided to recognize the start of my grand adventure with a picture on 34th Street.















After thoroughly embarrassing myself by acting touristy, I trudged east. As I approached my beloved Empire State Building, I realized that I had never taken a picture of the building that I have visited almost every day for the past year. Again acting touristy (but carefully getting out of the way of moving pedestrians), I took my first picture ever of New York's most famous building.




















Continuing east, I walked out of the desolate wasteland of strip malls that surround the ESB and through Murray Hill, a nicer and quieter neighborhood for rich people. Unfortunately, I saw nothing that interested me much until I got to the East River, which was interesting by virtue of being a river.

The next bit of my walk was a bit confusing--I thought I could walk down the sidewalk by FDR Drive to 33rd Street to head back, but I hadn't realized how large the NYU Langone Medical Center was. I ended up walking down this tiny road behind the hospital, feeling very lonely and deserted and ready to be mugged at any minute. The empty ambulances I saw comforted me a bit--at least I could get medical attention quickly. The hospital went all the way down to 30th or 31st, so I had to circle back to get to 33rd Street.

33rd Street didn't impress me much, either. It wasn't bad in the Murray Hill area, but it gets pretty yucky the farther west you go. Nearer Sixth Ave. it is full of sleazy shops and strip clubs. ick.


Also ick: In keeping with my goal to eat something on each walk, I bought a chili dog at Gray's Papaya. I know their hot dogs are famous, and they are right down the street from my apartment, but I've never been able to bring myself to buy one. I wasn't missing much. Though the guys manning the counter made me smile ("How many hot dogs do you want? Ok, 20? Oh, just one? Ok, that will be ten bucks."), the hot dog made me feel kind of sick. However, I sat in the shade in Greeley Park and people-watched while I ate it, so it wasn't a total loss.


At this point, I was getting rather warm as the sun beat down, adding to the 90+ degree heat. However, I pressed on. I pressed on past the humongous Post Office, past a bagel shop I'm excited to visit later, and almost all the way to the Hudson River. The last two blocks before the river were all warehouses, chainlink fence, and lots of homeless men, so I skipped that part and headed back up to 34th to walk back to my starting point. I figured my mom would be glad I cheated.

Honestly, I really hate walking on 34th from the river to Sixth Ave. I'm usually hot and tired by the time I get there, and this time was no exception. Plus, walking past Penn Station is kind of miserable because it is so crowded.

However, I did smell one of the nicest smells I've encountered in the city this summer while plodding along: flowering sumac. The shrubs were growing by the LIRR tracks, and their blossoms provided a pleasantly "green" smell to the city street. I think I may have been desperate for nature if I liked the smell of sumac, but I'll happily take what I can get.

Before long, I was back at my POB, dehydrated but content. I partially regret having started my project on such lousy streets--New York is much nicer than what I've described here. However, now those two are out of the way, and greater adventures await.

Memorable sights: Tons of Korean women in traditional dress walking near the East River.
A little girl playing "One, two, three, WHEE!" (My family knows what I
mean) with her dad and big brother.

Memorable smells: Sumac! (and trash, but I'll ignore that.)

Memorable sounds: The sound of quiet by the East River

Didn't spend a lot of time consciously praying for the city, but I walked in faith, and that counts for something.