START: Beach 67 Street subway station (A train), fully accessible

FINISH: Beach 116 Street - Rockaway Park subway station (S train), fully accessible

DISTANCE: 3.1 miles (5 kilometers)

On this walk we’ll start at a newly accessible subway station, Beach 67 Street, at Arverne-by-the-Sea in the Rockaways. From there we’ll walk along the boardwalk, stopping (probably) at The Rockaway Hotel for a restorative, then to the subway terminal at Beach 116 Street.

We’ll gather by the station booth at Beach 67 Street for a start promptly at 12 Noon. Note that only alternate A trains go to Far Rockaway; do not take a train going to Lefferts Boulevard. An alternate route to the starting point is the Q52 SBS bus from Queens. Transfer from the subway at Woodhaven Boulevard (R train) or Woodhaven Boulevard (J train). Take the bus to Beach 67 Street. We’ll take a close look at the accessibility improvements at this station before moving on.

All are welcome but let me know you’re coming and be on time.

In the event of inclement weather this walk will be rescheduled with 24 hours notice.

WHERE: Manhattan’s Chinatown, old and new

START: Fulton Street subway station (2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J trains), fully accessible

FINISH: Brooklyn Bridge - City Hall subway station (4, 5, 6 trains), fully accessible

DISTANCE: 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers)

Those of you who follow this blog and join me on my walks know that the walk usually ends with a good meal off the beaten path. On this walk, food is the idea - along with some history. This walk was inspired by a recent item on radio station WNYC. We’ll at least walk past, if not visit, the three dumpling houses described on the radio: Jin Mei on Henry Street, North Dumpling on Essex Street, and Vanessa’s on Rivington Street. There are others on the route, like Deluxe Green Bo on Bayard Street, and plenty of history in plain sight. Come hungry and bring cash.

We’ll meet at the corner of William and Fulton Streets, in front of 150 Market, leaving promptly at 11.00. All are welcome but let me know you’re coming by signing up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSez9f2vWlehy8JZeBiJ_l4g9Q77bM4XeCA81FjaWl1OVuo_2w/viewform?usp=pp_url, and be on time.

In the event of inclement weather this walk will be rescheduled with 24 hours notice.

START: Kingsbridge Road subway station (D train), fully accessible

FINISH: 238 Street subway station (1 train)

DISTANCE: 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers)

We’ll take in the northern part of the Grand Concourse, starting at the Poe Cottage and seeing a lot of Art Deco apartment buildings, then crossing to Williamsbridge Oval and back to Mosholu Parkway. We’ll walk past the Amalgamated Houses. the oldest limited equity housing cooperative in the United States, sponsored by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union starting in the 1920s. We’ll descend the West 238 Street stairs and proceed into Kingsbridge for lunch (probably) at the Kingsbridge Social Club.

We’ll meet at the Kingsbridge Road subway station (D train), by the station booth at the south (Kingsbridge Road) end of the station, and depart promptly at 12 Noon. All are welcome but let me know you’re coming and be on time.

In the event of inclement weather this walk will be rescheduled with 24 hours notice.

RESCHEDULED - RAIN FORECAST

WHERE: The Mid-Hudson Bridge and the Walkway Over the Hudson, Poughkeepsie, New York

START/FINISH: Poughkeepsie station, Metro North Railroad and Amtrak (fully accessible)

DISTANCE: 3.1 miles (5 kilometers)

All are welcome; just let me know you’re coming and be on time.

Traveling by train between New York and Albany is one of the most scenic train rides in the United States, hugging the east bank of the Hudson River nearly the whole way. Along the way, one can see Bear Mountain, Storm King Mountain, and the United States Military Academy at West Point on the opposite shore. Midway between New York City and Albany is the city of Poughkeepsie, home of Vassar College and Marist College, and just south of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s home at Hyde Park.

From the Poughkeepsie station we’ll walk to the Mid-Hudson Bridge, then west over the bridge to Highland, then uphill to the Walkway Over the Hudson, a magnificent pedestrian and bicycle path on the former Poughkeepsie railroad bridge. We’ll then go down to the river, on to lunch, and back to the train. This walk will make for a nice one-day holiday.

We’ll meet in the waiting room at the Poughkeepsie station for a departure at 1.10 PM. Metro North trains run hourly between Grand Central Terminal and Poughkeepsie; take the train leaving Grand Central at 10.50 and Harlem - 125 Street at 11.01, or take Amtrak from the Moynihan Train Hall (Pennsylvania Station), train 233 departing at 11.20. I will be on the Metro North train in the front-most open car. There is parking at the Poughkeepsie station if you prefer to drive.

WHERE: Ward’s Island and Randall’s Island, New York City

START: 96 Street subway station (Q train), fully accessible

FINISH: Brook Avenue subway station (6 train)

DISTANCE: 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers)

Ward’s Island and Randall’s Island used to be separated by a body of water called Little Hell Gate. That was mostly filled in during the 1960s. Today the combined island is given over to athletic facilities, a constructed salt marsh, a Fire Department training facility, the Manhattan Psychiatric Hospital, the Triborough and Hell Gate Bridges, and much more. We’ll walk there from Manhattan on the Ward’s Island Pedestrian Bridge, then walk north to the Randall’s Island Connector and lunch in the Bronx.

Meet at the station booth at 96 Street. All are welcome; just let me know you’re coming and be on time.

In the event of inclement weather this walk will be rescheduled. Check this page one day before the walk.

WHERE: The Third Avenue Bridge, the Manhattan leg of the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge, and the Randall’s Island Connector

START: 3 Avenue - 138 Street subway station (6 train)

FINISH: Cypress Avenue subway station (6 train)

DISTANCE: 3.25 miles (5.15 kilometers)

Meet at the station booth at 3 Avenue - 138 Street station at 12.00 Noon. All are welcome; just let me know you’re coming and be on time. In the event of inclement weather, this walk will be rescheduled. Check this page the day before.

This walk will take in three of New York City’s walkable bridges, the second of which I have biked across but never walked across. We’ll have lunch at the Bronx Brewery and Empanology, a gem in an otherwise drab industrial area.

WHERE: The West 167 Street stairs (Joker Stairs), High Bridge, and Highbridge Park

START: Yankee Stadium, Gate 6, northwest corner West 161 Street and River Avenue, Bronx (161 Street subway station, 4 and D trains, fully accessible)

FINISH: 168 Street subway station (A and C trains, fully accessible; 1 train, not accessible)

DISTANCE: 2.9 miles (4.7 kilometers)

All are welcome. Just let me know you’re coming and be on time. In the event of inclement weather, this walk will be rescheduled.

Join me on a return visit to the Joker Stairs, 132 steps up, which I climbed in October 2020 and October 2021; to the High Bridge, which I’ve visited a few times, and to Highbridge Park in Manhattan. We’ll swing by the historic Morris-Jumel Mansion before having lunch in Washington Heights. Several previous posts on this site describe these walks, and the post about the October 2021 walk has a short video.

NOTE: Due to planned structural work there will be no D train service north of 161 Street - Yankee Stadium. Plan your trip accordingly.

WHERE: The neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside, in Queens.

START: Junction Boulevard subway station (7 train), fully accessible

FINISH: 61 Street - Woodside station (7 train and Long Island Rail Road), fully accessible

DISTANCE: 2.9 miles (4.3 kilometers)

All are welcome; just let me know you’re coming and be on time. We’ll meet at the station elevator at the corner of Junction Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue.

In the event of inclement weather, this walk will be rescheduled.

This walk is inspired by the excellent book The Intimate City: Walking New York by the architecture critic of The New York Times, Michael Kimmelman. We’ll walk through a fascinatingly diverse and changing area. We’ll also walk along a pioneering “open street” in New York City, 34 Avenue, meeting a lot of pedestrians and cyclists and dodging no cars.

This weekend, the 7 train will not run between Queensboro Plaza and Manhattan. To get to the 7 train from Manhattan, thence to the starting point, take the N or W train to Queensboro Plaza and cross the platform to the 7 train. Or take the E, F, or R train to Roosevelt Avenue and transfer upstairs to a Flushing-bound 7 train. Or take the Long Island Rail Road to Woodside and transfer upstairs to a Flushing-bound 7 train (the cost of a City ticket on the LIRR is $5.00).

START: Woodlawn subway station (4 train)

This will be a walk along the section of the Old Croton Aqueduct in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, then on to the Manhattan College Steps (120 steps) and lunch at the An Beal Bocht cafe. The Aqueduct trail is dirt, not paved.

We’ll gather by the station booth at the Woodlawn subway station, then get the #4 Bee-Line bus leaving at 12.16 to near the trailhead. Bus fare is $2.75, payable with cash (exact change) or MetroCard (not OMNY). After lunch, we’ll go back down the Manhattan College Steps to the 238 Street subway station (1 train).

All are welcome; just let me know you’re coming and be on time. This will be rescheduled in the event of rain that day or up to 2 days before.