Our penultimate walk has the distinction of being the only one to touch all five boroughs. The same can be said of this week's focus: the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. This route visits memorial sites in all five boroughs - some grand and others understated. Note it is the only route to use transit during the course of the walk (the Staten Island ferry) though the walking distance of 26.2 miles is still maintained.
New York City is known for its rich literary history, and this week we'll visit the neighborhoods and locations that harbored the greats. Starting in in Williamsburg to visit Betty Smith's 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,' we'll hop the bridge for the remainder of our walk, visiting the birthplace of downtown birthplace of Herman Melville, the poetry scene of the East Village, the home of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance, and the infamous Chelsea Hotel among many others.
Back in our home borough, we tackle the three iconic thoroughfares that define the flow of traffic between BK and Manhattan: the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. In between, we'll take leisurely tours of Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, and a host of lower Manhattan haunts.
Our Downtown walk takes us on a wild path through lower Manhattan in a quest to reach our allotted 26.2 miles daily. Going no higher than 26th Street, we rub up against every neighborhood and site to see imaginable, including the skyscrapers and antiquity of the Financial District; the food and culture of Little Italy/Chinatown; passing views of the three lower bridges; walks through both Villages and so much more.