Ode to Brooklyn

My wife thinks that Brooklyn is the center of the universe. Whenever we return to Brooklyn from destinations near or far, she always says the same thing: so good to be back at the center of the universe. When we return over the Brooklyn Bridge, for instance, she waits until the car actually touches Brooklyn soil before making this comment.

Brooklyn is famous all over the world. Lately, I notice that it is included on the list of popular names for newborn girls. I also read somewhere that something like one in seven of all Americans can trace their ancestry back to Brooklyn at some point in their family history.

The list of things and famous people connected with Brooklyn is indeed very long. This itemization would include, besides the Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island, Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Brooklyn Navy Yard (where the Civil War ironclad Monitor and the WWII battleship Missouri were built), and such native personalities as varied as Al Capone, composer Aaron Copland, chess master Bobby Fischer, and singer Barbra Streisand. Who knows what great artist may emerge from the large concentration of young artists living today in Williamsburg.
A pretty impressive record for a borough that was the independent city of Brooklyn until it surrendered its "independence" and became part of the greater City of New York in 1898! If Brooklyn were independent today, it would rank as the fourth largest city in the US with a population of 2.5 million people. Some Brooklynites wouldn't mind at all returning to its unconsolidated status.

There are two historical events that stick out in my mind whenever I think about Brooklyn. The first occurred during the Revolutionary War. Did you know that the first major battle in the war for independence was the battle of Brooklyn, fought in August 1776 just one month after the July 4 declaration of independence? It was fought near my home in and around what is now Prospect Park. General George Washington observed the battle from a hill in downtown Brooklyn on which a Trader Joe's now operates. The American troops were badly beaten but were fortunately able to retreat by boat to Manhattan. A total defeat here would have destroyed the Continental Army and ended the war at its inception. Thereafter, Washington never again engaged the British in a full scale pitched battle. The battle of Brooklyn was not some isolated skirmish. A total of tens of thousands of men were involved in this critical engagement, which is commemorated in Brooklyn every year.

The second event demonstrates the pivotal role played by Brooklyn in world history. The Ice Age, as everyone knows, covered large portions of North America. It turns out that the glaciers ended their downward path in Brooklyn, about a mile from where I live. This was the furthest point south that the glaciers were able to travel. Only Brooklyn was able to halt their momentum ! One can stand on a hill next to Greenwood Cemetery and observe the outwash plain from that point stretching about 5 miles to Brighton Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. I often raced down that hill by car in the morning to get my kids to elementary school before the late bell rang, totally ignoring the historic significance of my route.

Delaware and Raritan Canal

There is a fabulous canal built in the 1830's within easy travelling distance of NYC.

Everyone of course is familiar with the famous Erie Canal in upstate New York, which connects the Great Lakes to New York City. I have always wanted to see it, since it is still in existence and has its original locks in place. But, generally unknown, there is another canal right across the river in New Jersey which was similarly busy.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal and its feeder stretches a distance of over 60 miles from New Brunswick down to Trenton and then up to towns like Lambertville across from Philadelphia. The reason I am bothering to tell you all this is that for the bike ride lovers of the world, like me, there is a first-rate jogging and bike trail to enjoy along the towpath next to the canal. Canoes can also be rented for paddling on the canal itself.

My wife and I had a terrific fall weekend riding over 30 miles with our bikes on this trail. The amazing thing is that if this well-maintained trail were located in NYC, it would be mobbed and heralded for the beautiful experience it provided, but in New Jersey it was nearly deserted. Every once in a while, one would pass a few joggers or strollers, especially around Princeton University. But, for the most part, it was quiet and wonderful. All kinds of wildlife, especially ducks and other acquatic fowl, were visible along the way.

I recommend a weekend trip if you love the outdoors and don't want to travel far. You can get there by car from the City in an hour. You could even bring your bikes with you on NJ Transit from Manhattan as we did during off peak hours. We stayed in a hotel outside Princeton, which is at about the halfway point. There is lots to see and places to eat at in Princeton.

There is one other thing to bring to your attention about the canal itself. It was dug by hand by thousands of Irish immigrants with shovels in order to bring coal cheaply by barge pulled by mules from the coal mines in Pennsylvania to the furnaces of New York City. The workers were paid $1 per day, and many of them died and were buried along the route. It took 3 or 4 years to complete. The original locks and spillways are still in place, and there are explanatory signs and pictures along the route providing detailed information about this major engineering project.

Today all is still and almost starting to return to nature. Sic transit gloria mundi. ( Thus passes the glory of the world.) Along the same lines, just outside of Princeton University, as you head towards Trenton, there is a totally unexpected marker next to the trail. It is an engraved stone monument to General George Washington, commander of American forces during the Revolutionary War, showing a place where he passed with his troops on his way to battle. Somewhat hidden and probably unknown to most, it is strangely moving and very gratifying to encounter this modest memorial along a formerly busy route from a bygone era.