Escaping the City: A Daytrip to Breakneck Ridge

The variety of things to do, places to explore, and opportunities to take advantage of in New York City is truly astounding. Nevertheless, it is still a city, and cities (as densely populated areas with countless buildings as tall and far as the eye can see) categorically have certain limitations. Namely, nature and green space is conspicuously restricted. Although Fordham's Rose Hill campus achieves an impressive balance between grassy areas and the buildings they surround, I sometimes find myself craving an inversion of the urban landscape: nature as far as the eye can see interrupted only by the odd building or two, rather than the other way around.

Campus is even more beautiful in autumn.

To this end, my friends and I recently took a daytrip to go hiking. Although none of us have a car at school, there is a Metro North Railroad station just outside campus that enables practically door-to-door transportation to Breakneck Ridge, a mountain with a number of trails along the Hudson River in Cold Spring, NY.

Hiking at Breakneck is very popular with New Yorkers in the fall, so our train was standing-room only.

The train stop is about 300 feet from the entrance to the trail, which begins with a steep uphill climb. This ended up being the most challenging and tiring section of our hike, with some nearly-vertical sections that required minor bouldering. The effort was worth it though...

Looking south back towards NYC - over 50 miles away.

The view from the summit was astounding.

The view west across the Hudson. Hardly a cloud in the sky.

Although I'm originally from Massachusetts and very proud of New England's reputation for breathtaking vistas when the leaves begin to change color in the fall, I'll admit that I was impressed with the landscape at Breakneck.

A group of birds of prey circled nearby throughout the day.

The park offers a variety of terrain on several trails marked by colored tree markers along the way.

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is just visible across the river from the southern end of the park.

We had packed lunches and ate on the mountain. Including breaks, our hike took about 5 hours from the time we got off the train until we reached the village of Cold Spring.

A great place to stop and take in the view.

After visiting the town of Cold Spring (where we each grabbed a well-deserved ice cream), we hopped back on the train and headed home.

There may not be any mountains, but Edwards Parade is still a great place to spend time outdoors.

Tastes and Views of the West Side

This past weekend I walked above the streets of Manhattan. Overlooking the Hudson River on my left and gazing out at the Empire state building to my right, I felt happily at home as a Fordham student- as a New Yorker. I decided to bring my friend Erin, who was visiting from my hometown in Connecticut, to the High Line and then to the Chelsea Market to get both a beautiful view and a little taste of the city. 

View of the Hudson River from the High Line

The High Line is one of New York’s most unique public parks built on freight rail line elevated above the streets on the West Side of Manhattan. The walkway is a mile long and runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. The elevated views are beautiful and the scheme on the High Line is very hip with benches to lounge on, a few local vendors, and both gardens and contemporary art along the way. What is really cool about the High Line is that the tracks of the old railway are still standing in the gardens that run down the side of the path.

Standing over the streets of Manhattan

Erin, another of mine friend Alex, and I took the subway downtown and got on the High Line at 14^th street. We stopped multiple times just to take in the view and snap some pictures and then finished up by heading to the Chelsea Market to eat. Our plan was to muster up every free sample we could find! Chelsea Market is one of the greatest indoor food halls in the world, with more than thirty-five vendors selling everything from fresh pastas to organic smoothies to unique cookbooks.

Erin enjoying her fancy crêpe!

It was here where I came across the most delicious thing that I have ever put in my mouth…and I mean ever. A little Italian shop called Rana was handing out samples of their “Wild Mushroom Ravioli Fritti” and with one bite, Erin, Alex, and I all looked at each other in awe of its deliciousness.  We simply couldn’t resist going inside to eat more!

We also tried multiple samples of savory chocolates, fancy cheeses, and even homemade blueberry lemonade. Alex and I treated ourselves to fresh fruit smoothies before indulging in some heavenly- literally heavenly- crêpes. Erin ordered a Brie, apple, and honey crêpe and Alex went with the classic Nutella, banana, and strawberry crêpe. Needless today, we were happily stuffed on our way back to campus.

For a tasty taste and beautiful view of New York City, I highly recommend heading down the Meatpacking district to walk the High Line and visit  the Chelsea Market. As a Fordham student, I feel so extremely lucky to have everyday opportunities like this to explore the city around me! For more information, check out the High Line and the Chelsea Market online! 

Kayaking Through Cultures

Have you ever wanted to kayak on the Hudson for free and eat some delicious Awaze Tibs? Well, my friends and I participated in a program with an O’Hare RA to go kayaking on the Hudson River at The Downtown Boathouse. After our last class on Friday, we all took the subway down to 59th St./Columbus Circle and walked a few avenues over to Pier 96.  As soon as we arrived, we were all taken aback by the beauty and peacefulness of the pier. I never would’ve thought there could be such a quite place in the middle of one of the largest (and the best) cities in the world!

A picture I took of the Hudson while waiting

We were the last of the Fordham groups to arrive at the boathouse, so we had to wait around 45 minutes to go on the water. While waiting, we walked around the dock and listened to the lady in charge barking directions in one of the sassiest, but still encouraging, manners I have ever witnessed. Our favorite was her explanation for why not to swim in the Hudson (as if she knew that's what we were all secretly plotting.) She exclaimed: “And remember, there is no swimming in the Hudson. I repeat, no swimming in the Hudson. It is highly illegal. In fact, they will fight over who gets to arrest you, either NYPD, FDNY, Homeland Security, the Coast Guard... or even me. They will all gladly take you in.” For us, that was a clear enough warning.  

 Andrew, me, and Michael on the dock

When we finished kayaking, the sun was just starting to set, so we decided to walk around the city and get something to eat before heading back up to campus. While walking, we passed by the Intrepid and all thought…Nicholas Cage was lucky that kayak lady wasn’t there when he dove off the Intrepid in National Treasure because that is "highly illegal!" 

The Intrepid at sunset while we were walking

After walking around a bit, we came across The Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant in Midtown Manhattan and decided to give it a try. This was the first time any of us had been to a restaurant like it. For starters, we sat on little stools and ate in a woven basket without any utensils. But we all embraced the differences, looking forward to a non-traditional meal. To get tips on what/how to order and eat, we started staring at the parties around us. We quickly learned two important things. One, the meal is mostly shared between everyone, and two, don’t stare at people for too long. It’s rude. We received a swift and semi-joking “What are you looking at?!” from the girl sitting next to us. But we took that to mean she had been waiting for her Atakilt Wot for some time now and wanted to eat it in peace...very understandable. 

Once we ate all of our Awaze Tibs, Doro Wot, and Menchet Abesh Alecha, we triumphantly walked back onto the streets feeling proud of conquering all of our food and a whole new culture, and we all agreed it was a great night! The experiences further emphasized the importance of trying new things and not being afraid of something different. I would definitely recommend The Downtown Boathouse and Queen of Sheba to anyone!  

P.S. If you ever go to the boathouse, tell the kayak lady that Fordham says hi! (You’ll definitely know exactly which lady I’m talking about right away)