Tuesday, April 24, 2012
What's in a Name
There are 21major bridges connecting Manhattan with the rest of the world. Some are for cars, some are for people and some are for trains. My train comes in to the city over the 138th Street bridge. This one at the east end of 125th Street is the Triboro, or more specifically the Harlem River lift bridge. (The Triboro has 3 bridges, but it counts as 1 bridge).
Should I call it the RFK bridge? Nope. The thing I learned when I first moved to Manhattan was that you refer to places by the name that they are when you first move there.
I learned this lesson when I was trying to find a store on Avenue of the Americas, so I asked a woman who had lived in Manhattan for awhile - and she gave me directions for 6th Avenue. Of course, the taxi driver couldn't find 6th Avenue - because he hadn't been in Manhattan as long - so he was kind enough to drive me back and forth across Manhattan (several times) trying to find it. Nice guy, eh? I never did find the store.
6th Avenue is a great one for names. It is 6th Avenue, Avenue of the Americas, Lenox Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard - all depending on where you are and when the person you are speaking to learned the street, I mean avenue name.
No matter what name you use, the bridges are my daily reminder that Manhattan is an island.
Unfortunately it does not come with sandy beaches, cabanas and tropical drinks served up under the palm trees. Ah well...
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