New York: Part I - A walk through lower Manhattan

Yet another conference brought me to New York for the first time in 15 years. I was staying at Washington Square just near Greenwich Village. The Washington Square Monument is at the end (or beginning depending on which way you look at it) of 5th Avenue.
Each morning I ate breakfast at the Waverly Restaurant with my buddy Scott.


A suggested walk through downtown took me to one of the most famous guitar shops in NYC on Bleeker Street and then "I boogalooed down Broadway" (Springsteen's "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City), through Little Italy and past the fabled CBGBs (home of punk rock) on Bowery.

Right down the street from CBGBs is the Bowery Misson for homeless folk, and then beyond that I walked through the massive Chinatown district which really does feel like Hong Kong in places (except the weather!)



I finally hit the bottom of Manhattan at the Brooklyn Bridge.







After taking advantage of one of the benches that run along the embankment and having a short discussion with a frankly scary person, I headed back up town and met up with JP Bowersock (guru to The Strokes and most recently guitar slinger in Ryan Adam's Cardinals) and his school buddy in the East Village. JP is a thoroughly nice fellow. We went to a crazy Chinese restaurant that had every kitsch styling imaginable, some cheap beer and some excellent aged rum.
I guess I must have walked about 7 or 8 miles all in, especially as later I walked back to my hotel and then back into the East Village to spend a thoroughly excellent time in Arlene's Grocery with a real nice band from Champange Illinois called Coustic Blend and the very excellent Johanna Stahley.