By Frank da Cruz - Run up Riverside Drive to 165th Street, turn right, go up the steep hill one block to Fort Washington Avenue, turn left, and run up to 178th Street. The George Washington Bridge is on your left, you can't miss it. The bridge's upper roadway has pedestrian walkways on both sides (north and south). The south walkway has the Manhattan skyline view; the north one lets you access the Palisades. Finding the walkways can be a bit tricky, and often one or both of them is closed, so take your chances (as far as I know, there is no way to find out in advance). The north walkway is visible from 179th and Fort Washington, but includes an unexpected detour down some interesting steps into the interior of the bridge structure and back up (only after that can you find out whether the walkway is open). For the south walkway, you have to go west on 179th Street to Mother Cabrini Boulevard, turn left, and then you can see a long winding pedestrian/bike ramp at 177th Street — a veritable ribbon in the sky — up to the south footpath. The bridge is 0.9 mile between anchorages but at least a mile counting access ramps, and it i hard to imagine a more exhilarating run. Be prepared for stiff winds though, and don't do this if heights bother you (the railings are plenty high, nobody ever fell over them by accident). When you get to the New Jersey end you can turn around and come back, or you can try your luck on the Palisades. I did this once — it only works if you took the north footpath (the south one leaves you in Fort Lee on the wrong side of an uncrossable superhighway). When you reach land, make your way north and east towards the cliffs that overlook the river (you might have to navigate some dangerous intersections). There is a path that follows the edge of the cliff, through the woods, as far as you want to go, miles and miles. Spectacular views, but tricky footing — pay attention.

Runners who live in the Columbia University area of Manhattan, New York City (Morningside Heights and West Harlem) are fortunate to have Riverside Park, Central Park, and Morningside Park nearby. The parks and the Hudson riverfront are in better condition now than at any time in the last one hundred years, especially since 2000 with the inauguration of the Greenway. The site Upper Manhattan Running describes some obvious and not-so-obvious runs that start in the Columbia area, but it is also useful for anybody who lives on the west side anywhere between midtown and Washington Heights or Inwood.

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