JAUNTING ALONG THE HUDSON
We have taken advantage of being only a block from the water to explore nearby Pier 45. One evening at dusk, a group of young people were dancing to Brazilian tunes there while other folks sat on the lawn braving the cold breeze. The other morning we walked the promenade from Pier 45 up to Pier 88 (where the big cruise ships dock), about 40 blocks each way. This promenade and its extension going south comprise part of Hudson River Park. Nicely landscaped with many grassy areas, lots of benches, café tables and chairs, and periodic restrooms along the way, it’s well designed for pedestrians, runners and bicyclists. A small stretch of our route was still in the process of being built out, but even so, there were clearly marked lanes for walkers and bikers.
BOOK UPDATE
Priestly Politics
On the recommendation of a good friend, I decided to try one of C. J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake mysteries. The first one, Dissolution, is set in 1537 in London and Sussex. At the direction of Thomas Cromwell, lawyer Shardlake travels to the Scarnsea monastery to investigate the murder of a royal commissioner who was there on an inspection tour. In the spirit of Protestant reform and as the head of the new Church of England, King Henry is actively working to close and dissolve all the Catholic monasteries.
Hunchback Shardlake is an intriguing character—smart and thoughtful, though not without his own biases; his protégé, Mark Poer, is young, naïve, and attractive; and more suspicious deaths occur. I found the book slow at first, but then got engaged and enjoyed the suspense and learning about this piece of English church history. There are four other books in the series thus far.
Advice for Boomers
Old Age: A Beginner’s Guide by Michael Kinsley. I always liked watching Kinsley spar about politics and issues of the day as co-host of TV’s Crossfire. He was quick, witty, and cutting. As most people know, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his early 40’s, more than 20 years ago, and that eventually changed how he approached his professional work. He is now 65 and his new book contains a lot of information about the disease (much of which I knew, but not all) and is intended as advice for the Baby Boomer generation. I found it less than satisfying, somewhat repetitive and not very helpful—perhaps that’s because I’ve already crossed the Medicare divide.
Header photo: Plantings at Chelsea Piers
All photos by JWFarrington, some rights reserved
