It was a beautiful day in New York.
There was just the right amount of sun.
The right amount of cloud cover.
Of wind!
So my cousin and I decided to test out a trail we had passed by a few times, earlier that week. We had heard good things about the trails in New York City and I was ready to be wowed by a bit of grassland in the midst of the concrete jungle.
We were sorely disappointed. Oh, there was grass alright – and lots of it. The trails weren’t properly maintained, and what cutting they had done, the pieces were left in the path like hurdles on a race track.
But there were other things as well… like literally hundreds of packets of used drugs, articles of clothing, cans of Arizona iced tea, newspapers, dog poo, graffiti.
We basically picked our way through the grass and dirt, just to look at garbage.
On the upside, we did see a ribbon snake. I’m terrified of any snake to be perfectly honest, but the poor thing looked far more terrified of me and skedaddled off into the bushes before I could get a picture. I borrowed a good one from google images.
It freaked us out a little, as at the time, we had no idea if a snake like that would be poisonous or not, but it didn’t stop our adventuring! I even got a little boo-boo to show for it.
However, there was one thing that disturbed me far more than the mysterious snake, the garbage, the remnants of drug abuse and the ill-kept trails; and that was the religious propaganda.
In truth, one day that may require a post to itself, but today, I’ll only mention it. To see religious hatred and prejudice in a place like this really upset me. The park and Mother Nature is for everyone. It’s not a religious pedestal or pulpit for any belief system or indoctrination of any kind. Unfortunately, I don’t think this inarticulate “preacher” got the memo.
And then competition rolled in…
In the end, the only really good shots of nature that we saw and took, were:
This dying branch of berries tied up in brambles:
This acorn, which my cousin found amidst the garbage and drugs:
These weeds:
And this one flower. I never saw another:
I’ve always known that New York wasn’t the city for me. This visit pretty much cements that. Even so, being here has been a worthwhile experience, and certainly makes me a lot more appreciative of what I have back home and in Atlanta.
The big apple isn’t for everyone.
There are just too many worms digging in it for me…
Credits: The picture of the snake can be found along with other information about snakes in New York at this website.
Well the creator of that particular propaganda certainly has access to a lot of colored paint, but apparently no access to spell-check or a dictionary…..
Haha. This is true. No access to religious education either I guess, because all Abrahamic religions worship the god of Abraham. They just call him by a different name. Judaism, Islam and Christianity are all Abrahamic religions.
It’s a shame that there isn’t more respect for places like that. When I was a teen I really thought that big city life was what I wanted, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that it’s too far removed from the life I actually love. For me the Quad Cities is a good compromise between the two for now. I hope, despite the disappointment of that trail, that you enjoyed New York.
It is, but I suppose people view the trail as a hideaway spot to do things, unseen.
My compromise is Atlanta. It’s been good to me. Civilised and urbanised, but never more than 20 minutes from a hiking trail, very clean, and they disturb only as much of the natural forestry as is necessary for roads and buildings. I can respect that initiative.
I did enjoy my time in NYC though, but I can’t tell you how overjoyed I was to get back. Just not the lifestyle for me…
I’ve never been to Atlanta, but you are not the only one to sing its praises to me. I’m glad that you did enjoy your time in NYC, but I understand your joy at returning home. We’re only a few hours from Chicago, and I thoroughly enjoy visiting the city from time to time. It’s a heck of a town, but I’m always happy to get back to my slower paced, quieter little town. Much respect for that city, but I don’t think it’s for me!