February 2008 – Good Pursuits

Manhattan Bridges — It all started a couple years ago when I was walking the Brooklyn Bridge and looked north: there stood the Manhattan Bridge and beyond it the Williamsburg Bridge and beyond it ….

It was an idea that had been percolating in the back of my mind. Ken Burns got it all going with a documentary of the Brooklyn Bridge that I once saw in-flight. I was really impressed and subsequently walked the Brooklyn Bridge whenever I found myself in downtown Manhattan. After a while I started thinking, “If one bridge was good then wouldn’t more bridges be even better?”

That was the core idea: have a fantastic time walking across every bridge that was open to pedestrian traffic. It turns out there are 17 that fit the bill and I crossed them all. In addition there were two rail-only bridges, two bridges that ban pedestrian traffic, and one ancient aqueduct/footpath which is now closed. Pictures of all of these are available below.

[Show as slideshow]

Manhattan is an island city that is a constant source of fascination for me.

I wonder what I’ll to next in the Big Apple?

First Radio Broadcast — Years ago, when I first heard the expression “Theater of the Mind” I knew that Orson Wells had it right! With radio, your mind is free to imagine the reality of what you’re hearing.

Most of my adult life I’ve been entertained through radio and more recently through podcasts. When I’m driving on road trips I almost always have a program playing from my iPod which is loaded with hundreds of programs. It’s an endless source of entertainment and it’s wonderful!

I’ve toyed with the idea of creating my own show and signed up for a course called Radio Production at our local Public Access Channel. They have two radio studios and my class commandeers one each Saturday morning. In only our second session today we were set free on “the board” to produce a five minute show. Five minutes doesn’t sound like much does it? Well, when you’re running the studio and it’s all about your performance, it feels big!

I’m working now on a radio show proposal which I will submit in a few weeks. My guess is I’ll propose a show called “Good Pursuits” and talk about the tools and techniques, planning and execution of themed travel. It’s something I do a lot, it’s something I enjoy and it’s something I’d like to share.

(Later Note: The archive of Good Pursuits Radio can be found here.)