Inwood Hill Park, New York City

[Eric K. Washington]

A Manhattanite can get pretty cranky about heading twenty minutes out of his way on an errand. So how is it that a trip that sets him aback some 450 million years should inevitably give him a profound sense of purpose, peace and pleasure? Go figure.

At the forested, northernmost tip of Manhattan island, the Henry Hudson Parkway Bridge is as romantic a sight as any as it extends from Inwood Hill Park to the Bronx mainland. The park's picturesque ridges, crags and outcroppings were carved from the migration of glaciers during bygone days of prehistory. Today, the park hosts the Dyckman Marina, a link of New York State's Hudson River Greenway Water Trail, a hiking path and the Hudson River Bike Trail.

According to the Parks Department, Inwood Hill Park's natural salt marsh is Manhattan's very last. Yet as it appeared to me when I took this photo - a blueish reflective pool in the gloaming of a spring evening - that salt marsh seemed as sweet as a cocktail.

 

On that thirsty note, the nearest watering hole is the very pleasant Indian Road Cafe (600 West 218th Street at the corner of Indian Road - the island's only so-called "Road" - which nods to the area's indigenous pre-European population) located on the park's northeastern border. A hybrid of restaurant and market, the Cafe also features frequent programs of music, art and photography by local talent. It is slightly upscale, but not exorbitant. However numerous other local eateries can be found just a few blocks away along Broadway.

[Sam Scribe]

What an intriguing post, Eric; you've just convinced me to visit Inwood Hill Park next time I'm in New York City.