Morning walks

Just after NYC shut down in April of 2020, I realized I had to get out of the house and since this was the first time that I had ever been able to work remotely, I found it was the perfect opportunity to get up early and go for a run before anyone else was out roaming around. Turns out few people were out even during in the afternoon in those early days, but I knew once work started that it would be hard to get out for thirty minutes to an hour. Even though it was slightly scary running on city streets where there was no one else, I also found it an incredibly peaceful way to start the day. So three to four days each week, I would start out my day with a quiet, early run.

This picture is from Ninth Avenue, in Hell’s Kitchen just up a block from where we lived. Usually, on any given morning this street would be teaming with people heading to work, shopkeepers sweeping in front of their store, or people just out to grab a coffee and bagel. This day there was not one person to be seen.

During the early part of the pandemic, I didn’t usually run in Central Park because many people chose there as their place to be outside. This particular day I got lucky and there was no one in this spot where I was running.

Often I would run over to Fifth Avenue because I knew there would be a few people out but the sidewalks would be fairly clear. Here’s an early morning shot of Saks Fifth Avenue.

Recently, although there is no pandemic and I am not slammed at work, I have been trying to get out early for a couple mile walk. This approach ensures that I get some exercise in even if the day gets away from me. The scenery is very different from those early morning NYC sojourns, but the peace and quiet is similar.

Morning walks are a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with your own thoughts, sort out the coming day and find a small bit of peace in this crazy world.