1,174: THIS ROADTRIP HAS SEVEN DAYS
Previously on Roadtrippin': Dead presidents and stuffed Adirondack wildlife.
Day 3, Part 1: Newark, NJ and New York, NY
Since it was a beautiful morning, I walked down McCarter Hwy to Newark Penn Station instead of taking a cab. The stroll was longer than I expected, but great for picture taking.
Left: Bishop Womack-El's face dominated Newark's billboards. He bills himself a "prophetic physician", which seems to involve a mixture of herbal remedies, religion and methods to accumulate wealth. Had Newark's expressways been equipped with wider shoulders, I would have taken at least half-a-dozen Womack-El signs, all with different pictures and messages, though somebody else found the same sign in another location.
Right: looking east into Manhattan. How many buildings can you name?
One element of Newark that is hard to ignore: barbed wire everywhere, whether it's protecting businesses (right photo) or freeway underpasses. This does not enhance the city's reputation - some friends thought I was crazy to stay here instead of Manhattan. Driving was the key to the decision, since I didn't relish the thought of facing NYC traffic...though access to quick transit to NYC and a large room at an affordable price don't hurt.
Two shots of the north end of downtown Newark. From here, I took the PATH train into Manhattan. Imagine a subway train winding its way through industrial wasteland and you have the Newark branch of the PATH system.
Left: I got off at the World Trade Center, the train entering via the construction site for the Freedom Tower. Leaving the station, one can look out at the project.
Right: The route to the subway. Note the rip in the ceiling - it and the flooring in this section remain from the original WTC buildings.
I had not been to the Museum of Modern Art since its overhaul a few years ago. The lineup stretched outside, but it moved swiftly. When I showed Mom the left picture on my small camera screen, she thought the bearded dude was me. Being a weekday, school groups were out in force, including this one admiring a classic.
Two current exhibits: Comic Abstractions and 50 Years of Helvetica, the latter including a surprising piece of CanCon.
The eye-catcher was Projects 85 (What Happened to Us), an amusing look at modern America by Dan Perjovschi that covered several stories of wallspace.
Left: life in a nutshell? Right: Looking out the window on 54th St, I noticed this moving van. Feel free to invent your own slogan for this company.
Left: Signage gone wild! It feels like every corner in midtown Manhattan bears at least 2-3 sets of names - in this case, the alternates are "the father of the blues" and a longtime local radio DJ.
Right: This plea for silence was found near Cooper Square, which has never struck me as a place to keep down the noise.
Next: Afternoon and evening in the Big Apple - JB
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