Today's MOZEN: A Walk Along The River.

Words and Photos by F LoBuono

New York is America's largest city. It's more than two times larger than Los Angeles and nearly four times as large as Chicago. To outsiders she is big, bold, and often intimidating. And they would be justified in feeling that way. But to anyone who knows New York, really knows her, she is actually a huge amalgamation of many small towns and neighborhoods.  So, the City provides us with an endless source of change, diversity, and challenge. In Manhattan alone, there are Inwood, Little Domenica, Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Sugar Hill, Yorkville, Germantown, Chinatown, Little Italy, Hell's Kitchen, Soho,Greenwich Village, Chelsea, the Meat Packing District, and so many others!  Each neighborhood has its own distinct flavor, creating the a bouillabaisse that makes New York the greatest city in the world.

One of the most interesting of these neighborhoods, and one that is frequently overlooked, is the Lower East Side, particularly near The South Street Seaport, Kips Bay, and the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. As the names suggest, the whole area still has the feel (and some of the look) of its maritime past. In the 19th Century, it was home to one of the busiest seaports in the world. A healthy whaling industry was also located here. Herman Melville wrote his classic Moby Dick while living within its environs. Now, the only ships that actually use it are the ferries that transport people to and from work, mostly at the near-by Financial District (yet another neighborhood). It was once also home to the famous, and most fascinating, Fulton Fish Market. The market still exists but has moved to more modern, trendy digs. However, the building that housed the market still stands. Many of the 19th Century homes and warehouses also still exist and many have been transformed into upscale restaurants and apartments. Still, you can get the feel of what it may have been like when it was a bustling port and trading center. It has picked up some glitz, but it still retains some of the grit that keeps it intriguing. A few years back, developers turned The South Street Seaport into a Disney-like mall of high-end shops and restaurants, similar to Baltimore's Inner Harbor Project. Although it attracted its share of tourists, it was generally shunned by New Yorkers. After a successful run of a number of years, it closed and is currently being redesigned.

Near the Brooklyn Bridge, where the flow of the river meets the tides of the harbor, forces are created that are so violent it is known as Hell's Gate. I think that these waters are a perfect metaphor for the City itself: always churning, always moving, always flowing. I love to watch the sea birds ride those turbulent currents and dive for the fish swimming below. Because the area is located on the east side of Manhattan, it is a most wonderful place to arrive at early. In this way, you can witness the breath-taking sunrises over Brooklyn and the magnificent bridges that span the river with such power and grace. Of course, the greatest of these is the Brooklyn. Its massive yet beautifully shaped towers and its spider-like webbing of support cable make it one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It is truly a fitting and lasting tribute to the City. But there is another bridge that lends beauty to the area; the often overlooked Manhattan Bridge. Made almost entirely of iron and steel, the beauty of the towers, forged to be not only strong but beautiful celebrate form and function to make the bridge a work of industrial art.

If you walk along the river's edge, make sure that you look west, back into the City. When you do, you will be able to see what New York is really about - and that is CHANGE. New York is always morphing into something new. It's one of the things that gives the City its frenetic pace. Yes, it has a long and glorious history and it celebrates that history. There are many examples right here of the role New York played in this Country's founding. Federal Hall, where Washington was inaugurated as our first President, is located just a short walk away. But, it is also always finding ways to move forward, to be on the cutting edge. This is clearly evidenced when you look west. The outer edge of buildings are obviously from the early and mid-19th Century. Made mostly of brick brought by barge about thirty miles down-river from the village of Haverstraw, they form a sort of facade representing the old New York. However, as you move away from the outer layer and towards the center, the whole look and, therefore, feel changes. The low-slung, brick and mortar buildings are replaced by towering, glittering steel and glass monoliths. The Freedom Tower, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, is just a few city blocks away. Its highly polished steel and glass frame gleams in the morning sunrise to dominate the landscape now, the ever new, New York.

But New York and its neighborhoods are not just about buildings. It's about people. And each neighborhood has its own ethnic make-up. As you walk along the river, you start to notice the great majority of the people are Asian. Hearing them speak, we can ascertain that they are most likely Chinese immigrants whom live in nearby Chinatown. One of New York's largest ethnic neighborhoods, Chinatown has expanded greatly in recent years and now occupies a good portion of lower Manhattan. If you go early enough, which I like to do, you can see many of the older Chinese all along the river's edge practicing their traditional method of exercise: Tai Chi. A form of martial art, tai chi combines elements of physical movement with a strong spiritual connection. The practitioners execute the routine in what appears to be super-slow motion, exaggerating the the length of time to complete each punch or kick. This helps to bring the focus of the movement to a place not only within the body but within the mind and spirit, as well. It is incredibly beautiful to observe, especially in this setting. One morning, I watched, mesmerized, as an older Chinese man practiced this ancient art within the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Small in stature, his body was wiry and perfectly proportioned. He appeared to be in his late 70s and was totally focused on his tai chi. I'm sure that he never even noticed me watching. And, that's the point of tai chi. He was completely within himself. Traffic was flying by. Ferries were docking. People on there way to work were hustling past. None of it mattered. I watched spellbound as he threw a "punch" that was so slow and exaggerated it seemed to me to take about twenty minutes to complete. He was so connected to himself and his surroundings that it made me feel as if he were part of the earth instead of just standing on it.

New York is not for the faint of heart. At times, it can be downright brutal. But, at others, it is unparalleled in its ability to reward those with the guts to make it here. It offers opportunities in ways that no other city can match. Yes, it can be an assault on the senses. But, it can also offer treasures that are sublime. And they can be found virtually anywhere in this city. You just have to have the tenacity to find them.