Kevin Ayala's ePortfolio

One of the main purposes route is to give walkers a more dynamic and in depth relationship to the area that surrounds them and what it has to offer to make a persons walk, or even their day, more enjoyable. Currently, this route is best taken place during the Autumn season, but it is possible for the same route to have a different appeal to others in different times of the year. The following route from the train station from Borough Hall to the pier located near the Manhattan Bridge is meant for the sole purpose of creating an enjoyable walk for some, but perhaps not all that enjoy the cross over between nature and urban society.

The first section of the route that will begin to catch the walkers eye is the very beginning from Cadman Plaza around Columbus park, leading to the entrance of Cadman Plaza Park. The entrance itself is quite appealing at first sight with the orange tinted leaves on the trees that arc from the left and right side of the entrance, spreading out to the rest of the park and to the outside areas as well. Combined with the small urban structures of the benches and light posts, and it brings a welcoming sight to the walker coming through the park. Also the bright green that radiates from the center of the park really gives the area a value of color to the area, making it pop out to the walkers. This is just one of the three major points in the walk where urban society and nature join to create a wonderful sight, as walkers will begin to see this theme climax till they reach their destination.

The second area that becomes appealing to the walker is the half way point of the route, within the connection of Hicks street and Cranberry street. Through this section of the route, walkers will have a pleasant scenery of the colored leaves that line up through the street side by side with the houses. Whats so appealing about this section is how the trees blend right into the colors of the buildings that are right next to them. This combined with then yellow and green leaves that compliment the scenary and give it more color to create a pleasant area of interest for almost anyone’s walk. This is especially true going down Cranberry street, as it seems to be the perfect example for such a scenery between Urban society and nature.

The third and final area of the route that gives walkers a great appeal is none other than the destination itself which is the boardwalk itself located near the Manhattan Bridge. The view itself from the boardwalk speaks for itself, as it gives a fantastic view of both the ocean and the city of Manhattan which is right across from the walkers view point. And if the walker looks to their left from the pier, they have a small but decent view of the Statue of Liberty that can be seen from a distance. This view is best on a sunny evening, since the sunlight that reflects off the buildings, reflect into the water, giving the water more of a beautiful gleam to it, catching the eyes of many viewers. Not only that, but seeing the boats and fairies that pass along the water show how once again nature and urban society can cross paths, giving a meaningful viewpoint of anyone’s walk.

In conclusion, once again, the idea of this route was to not only give walkers a sence of enjoyment, but to show them the co-existence of nature and urban society today. Its somewhat like yin and yang, one cannot exist without the other. Only together will they create a balance between each other, giving meaning to something or someone. For a quick example, what if the view of the boardwalk did not have the buildings that are there now? it would still look nice yes, but it would seem a bit boring to look at after awhile. That’s why we have an urban society today, not only to give people a way of living, but to co exist with nature and what it has to offer versus what we have to offer to it in the co-existence we have today.