Hiking Upstate, Driving Downtown

Long day in which the official driver of the hiking club's trip out to the High Point State Park in New Jersey (me) missed his alarm and awoke half an hour before the group was supposed to be picked up. A hectic taxi ride to midtown Manhattan and even more hectic drive back up to Columbia later, and I picked them up only 15 minutes late. Whew! I enjoyed the driving, and the hiking, through trees all turning red and gold on a beautiful autumn day, was great. This was the first hike on which we didn't see the Manhattan skyline off in the distance. This site of the hike was the highest point in New Jersey, which is about as exciting as the highest point in the Netherlands.

When returning the car in the evening, I had the experience of driving through downtown Manhattan in the middle of the day. The operative word here is pushy: everyone is, and if you aren't, you're lost.