Happy 4th!

Tuesday 7/4: Bay Ridge

Distance: 5.82 miles
Time: 0:50
Pace: 8:35
Temp: 81
Dewpoint: 70
Weather: warm, humid, and hazy

Click on image for interactive Google Map


Route: Start at 4th Ave and 86th St, then back and forth between 4th Ave and Shore Road down to 91st. Then up Shore Road to Mackay, then over to 4th Avenue and 73rd via 71st and 72nd. Along the way, I also ran a couple of dead end streets (Shore Ct. and the little western part of 78th St).

Notes: Convinced that somehow, as I slumbered last night, the almost magical ability of the human body to heal itself had transformed painful injury into mere nagging soreness, I decided to go out and do a quick five or six miles to see how the leg was doing. Any trepidation about my leg was tempered by anticipatory Independence Day excitement (I'm especially looking forward to the concert this afternoon, as well as watching the fireworks tonight from the roof of the new apartment in Greenpoint) and eagerness to try out the new camera.

So I took the R train down to 86th Street and started running, and... had another great run. Bay Ridge is certainly the most suburban setting I've seen so far, with sycamore-lined streets and lots of houses I'd be able to afford only if I won the lottery. And, in keeping with the holiday spirit, there were flags everywhere. Along Shore Road there were great views of the bay and the ship traffic, and off in the hazy distance I spotted the Statue of Liberty. I almost didn't want to stop, but figured I'd take it easy since my leg was still sore. And the new camera appeared to work fine, though it took some discipline to resist the urge to stop every time I saw something interesting. Still, I managed to take a few shots, so here's a sampling:


72nd Street


Looking down 3rd Ave toward the Verrazano-Narrows bridge


An ad on 4th Avenue


A container ship heading for the Narrows