By Seth Fera-Schanes

I had a mini walking trip planned this weekend with a friend who was in town on a business trip.  It was to include Alexander Hamilton’s House, Edgar Allan Poe’s Cottage and Woodlawn Cemetery.  We made it to the first location (which was great) but then got off the wrong subway stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood which quickly derailed our plans.  So what were we to do?  The answer is to adapt and in NYC that is easy to do.

We found ourselves on 205th street in the Bronx.  A quick look at our phones showed we were a 20 minute walk from the Bronx Botanical Garden so we headed in that direction.  Not only is the garden a great outdoor activity but walking there allowed us to explore a new neighborhood. It was the beginning of November and all the trees in the garden had spectacular fall colors.  Adding to the experience was Fordham University (located next to the garden) had a football game going on so we could hear the roar of the crowd as we walked around. After exiting the park we took a walk through the Fordham campus and found ourselves on Arthur Avenue which is Little Italy in the Bronx.  There are authentic Italian markets, restaurants and bakeries.  We got dinner and then hopped on the MetroNorth train and 15 minutes later were back in Manhattan. If you get lost in New York, don’t get discouraged.  Leave yourself open to finding a new adventure and you might be pleasantly surprised.