The Two Parks of Manhattan

I've actually left London as the heat wave did to go to the Big Apple for the first time in a decade. I used to live here when I was aged 1, 3, and 8-10, but haven't came back since. I actually hadn't come back to the US at all until April (to Hawaii) and mainland US until now since May of 2015. Needless to say, a lot has changed (mostly not positive), but the moment I got on the Uber out of Newark, a lot seemed familiar.

It's NYC - so the food is naturally amazing (I'll do a post on food probably later). So I've told myself to eat what I want to eat. But it also means I need to exercise a lot. My steps have been averaging about 25,000 since I got here, and I've also tried out the two major running parks in Manhattan.

I'm staying on the Upper West Side, which is actually perfectly located for runs in both parks - Central Park and Riverside Park. Manhattan, as known, is made of blocs of streets with traffic lights on every corner, so the only way to have uninterrupted running is to run in these parks.

I've run three times here - first time was from my place to Midtown to meet up with friends for brunch, second time a loop around Central Park, and third time up and down Riverside Park.

NYC is HOT & HUMID! I usually run after breakfast, so it's not the worst time of the day - but it's still pretty unbearable. Both parks act like a refuge to the busy New Yorkers who want to get away from the hustle and the bustle of the city and its heat. One thing that has struck me here though that is different from London is how slower runners are. After all, I have heard of veteran marathoners complaining about how the US running culture is "don't mind the time, just get there in the end" which makes sense when you watch people who, despite having little experience, attempt to finish a marathon even if it means running it in more than 6 hours (that's doable walking pace, no?). There are a lot of inexperienced runners, which make it frustrating to run alongside sometimes, but the routes are nonetheless nice.

Here is the classic Central Park loop:

Central Park loop is actually just a little under 10 km and very easy to do with just one rode winding around the park.

Then there is the Riverside Park:

This one is a bit tricky. I tried to go down, didn't know when to stop, and then just turned back where I thought was best since my shoes were hurting me. It was way flatter than Central Park (I was quite surprised how hilly Central Park was). I then decided to head up north, which was kind of a bad idea, since the only exit after 103 St. was at 125 St., which meant I had a long run away from my place at 102 St. and then a long walk down Broadway. I went past Columbia University, though, and I guess as it was the only time I went north of Central Park this trip, it wasn't all bad.

I feel like I wouldn't want to live in Manhattan as a runner. There just aren't too many options, there are too many blocs, and too much heat in the summer. I know Central Park's got variations, but how bored would I get if I lived here and ran everyday? I don't know. But as first-time runner of these parks, I was quite happy with the running I squeezed during this holiday and re-visit to one of my hometowns!

#travel #running