It's a Small World...

Tuesday 8/01: Greenpoint and Williamsburg

Distance: 3.68 miles
Time: 0:30
Pace: 8:09
Temp: 85
Dewpoint: 73
Weather: very warm & humid

click on image for interactive map


Unique Miles Today: 3.61
Total Unique Miles: 171.06
Percent of Brooklyn Run: 9.82

Route: I started at Norman and Manhattan, ran west to Wythe, south to Clymer, east to Bedford around to Berry, and then North on Berry to Nassau to Manhattan, then back up to Norman and over to Guernsey.

Notes: I was prepared for the worst today. It was already 83 degrees when I got up at 7, with commensurately high humidity. And given my physical decrepitude after the move (which is now stretching into its fourth day), I was almost ready to just stay in bed.

But I figured a very short, 30-minute-or-so run might be mentally beneficial, so I plotted a simple route and hit the street for my first outing in the new neighborhood. And it ended up being a great one. The first good sign was the surprising number of fellow runners out and about in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. There were plenty of runners in Park Slope, to be sure, but I had always assumed most of them were heading to or returning from Prospect Park. And in other neighborhoods, it sometimes seemed like I was the only runner for miles.

But the real shot in the arm this morning came a few minutes in, as I found myself heading down Wythe Avenue alongside another runner. She apparently had seen me snapping a picture a moment before, so she asked if I often took pictures when I ran. Sheepishly, I fessed up to the whole running-all-of-Brooklyn thing, assuming she'd think I was nuts and speed off. Instead, to my great surprise (and minor embarrassment), she said something to the effect of, "oh, you're that guy!" It seems that she had seen my blog mentioned on Curbed and had checked it out. She told me her name was Stephanie, and that she's an architect in Manhattan who's heading to MIT this fall to pursue her doctorate (an endeavor with which I can relate, of course). I abandoned my planned route and ended up running with her for about 20 minutes, all the while engaging in a very pleasant (if somewhat labored, what with the running and all) conversation about the neighborhood, school, and, well, running. Sure, it was kind of cool that she'd seen this blog and everything, but but the whole experience was a real boost to my motivation and my attitude, at a time when I probably needed it the most. So thanks, Stephanie -- and good luck this fall!

Because of the short run and the good conversation, I took only a handful of pictures today. My apologies for the quality, but here are the best four:


Hipsterism 101: the ironic use of popular culture iconography


Absolute Wythe Avenue


I'm not sure what this is, but it's on Berry Street


They're gonna need a lot of water today (Manhattan Ave)