the city, by car

Even though I no longer break out in a cold sweat every time I have to take the car somewhere, I'm still not crazy about driving around Brooklyn. It's a little too much of a thrill maneuvering crowded, narrow streets full of insane drivers and double-parking delivery trucks. But, with practice and time, I have learned how to do it without thinking too hard. Sometimes, though, I have to hold my breath and ignore all of the nuttiness happening in my peripheral vision in order to survive, physically and mentally, as I try to get from Point A to Point B. And I still refuse to drive into Manhattan or, for that matter, on any other of the highway routes that would take me to the other boroughs and beyond (even though I'm sure that they, too, would get easier with time and practice; I'm just not ready to go there yet).

But my preference to be stubborn on that point doesn't keep me from riding as a passenger to those places. When I'm not the one behind the wheel, I find the thrill exhilarating and the views breathtaking. Here are a few of my favorites that I managed to capture on our drives to and from New Jersey this weekend.

View of Manhattan from the elevated Gowanus Expressway. This is an exponentially more enjoyable view when we're not stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.

Our route took us through the Battery Tunnel, then up the East Side on the F.D.R. and over the George Washington Bridge. But before we start heading north on that stretch, we pass the "pirate ships" (or so the boys call them) at the South Street Seaport.

Then the majestic Brooklyn Bridge (which is still undergoing some repairs).

And the Manhattan Bridge.

On the East Side. In Manhattan space is such a commodity, they construct buildings right over the roads.

This photo doesn't do it justice, and it's not even the best view (I pulled out my camera a couple minutes too late), but the views of Manhattan as you're driving east from the New Jersey suburbs are spectacular. They have a way of surprising you by rising out of the trees as you drive over the hills.