While Central Park is a citywide landmark and enclave for conservation its charm is in its escapism. New York City high rises peek over treetops; airplanes etch contrails in the sky; but this park represents a refuge for nature, not an attempt at integration with the surrounding metropolis. For this reason the piers that circumscribe Manhattan, especially by the Hudson River, offer a more striking image of nature’s place within the concrete jungle. And the bike paths that trace this region aren’t just a tourist’s best friend but a miniature highway rubbing shoulders with the real thing. It’s more than a convenient bike lane: there’s a lot to see and do by the Hudson. Scenic vistas are peppered with restaurants; biking along the underpass you’ll see the whole gamut of sports being played, from basket- to baseball and soccer, in the typical New Yorker pickup style; like the rest of the city there’s a niche for everyone, and I want to help others find theirs.
I want to reproduce what I’d consider a typical Hudson River experience with this photo essay. However, this is more than acting as a tour guide—for me it’s about capturing the immediacy of these experiences. My plan is to record myself biking up and down the Hudson’s bike path. My photos will contrast the Hudson River freeway with the sights and sounds of its adjacent piers. I already have a trail mapped out in my head: I would start my journey on Fifty-fifth street Twelfth avenue and bike up the Greenway, as the path is called, towards Ninety-sixth street. Between these two points are basketball courts, gymnastic rings, several interesting modern sculptures, and tons of geese. But what’s just as important to me is how the public uses it all; I want people interacting with the environment to bring these experiences to life. Hopefully I will also be allowed to interview the people I photograph, so I can learn why they choose to spend their time here by the Hudson. This will also add a more human element to my tableau that will, I hope, further impress the intersectional nature of this other environmental enclave.