Broad City Challenge - Tippity top of Manhattan, to bippity bottom of Manhattan

Scrolling on tiktok for an hour before sleeping has become a part of my routine. If I'm in bed by 11 pm, I'll sleep at 12. If I'm in bed by 3 am, I'll sleep at 4 am, even if I have to wake up at 8 am because not being in the know of all things viral doesn't sit right with me (it's bad, I know) So on one such Tuesday night, I was scrolling per usual and I saw someone celebrating their 32nd (or 30th) birthday by doing something called as the "Broad City Challenge." I was intrigued, even though it was the first time I was hearing of it. I saw the 2 minute long video, and they walked from the top of Manhattan to the bottom of Manhattan. Every cell in my body is obsessed with New York, it's a known fact now, so of course I looked into it. I looked up "Broad City Challenge" in the TikTok search bar and I saw a video by Comedy Central. I saw a few more people walking from, what I now call, "the tippity top of Manhattan to the bippity bottom of Manhattan." 🗽

Where did this come from? Well, apparently there is a very famous show set in Manhattan called Broad City, which follows the lives of two friends Abbi and Ilana, who try to make it in New York City. (you can imagine how that would excite me) Abbi and Ilana decide to do someting adventerous on Abbi's 30th birthday, and thus they embark upon a one day hike, walking the ENTIRE length of Manhattan, specifically from the 225th St. One train station to The Battery, from where they wave at Lady liberty and crawl back home. I openend my calendar, saw the entirity of Wednesday was blank. At this time, will anyone agree to do this with me? Nope. At any given time, will anyone agree to do this with me? Absolutely not. So why wait and procrastinate! I decided, Wednesday, 9th October 2024, which is literally in six hours, which is not my 30th birthday, I will push myself to complete the "Broad  City Challenge." (how very spontaneous of me!) 👾

Ideally, I was supposed to start from my home at 8 am, but I'm definitely not someone with an appropriate sleeping schedule. So I woke up at 9 am, had a cup of coffee and some nuts, dressed up in my crusty white shoes, a cute plaid jacked for the "fall vibes" and was ready to leave. Only to realise that the One train station itself is at a 15 minute walk from my place >< Five hours and an additional 30 minutes to and from the station sigh. I had made up my mind so I dragged my feet to the 110th St. One train station and got in an Uptown local. Again, ideally, I should have started walking from the 225th St. Station, which is almost touching the Bronx. But the tiktok version of this challenge begins at 215th St. and Broadway. Since tiktok was the sole reason I was out here at 11:30 am on a Wednesday morning, alone, I got down at 215. Clicked a picture of the "starting point street sign" logged into Strava, started recording the walk, and left the tippity Top. 👟

The neighbourhood where I started was Inwood. All the local shops, grocery stores, restaurants, nail salons, dispensaries, and libraries had "Inwood" on their signs. I'd only ever been this far up once, in my first week when I landed in August 2023, to visit the Met Cloisters. Back then, I barely knew what Avenue I lived on and how to go to my campus without using Google Maps. Now, I knew the order of the Avenues, and names of the neighbourhoods. Inwood was unlike any neighbourhood I had seen in Manhattan so far. It felt like a close knit town, but in the city (idk if that makes sense?) It was the first half hour so I was quite enjoying the walk. I hadn't put on my headphones and I didn't plan on using them for the entire day, just to force my brain to live in the present and observe the surroundings - very difficult for someone who doesn't like to be left alone with her thoughts. But so far, everything was good. 👌

As I reached Fort Tryon park, the first "landmark" if you will on this hike, my mom called me. It was the usual time when I speak to her almost every day. I told her I was just out on a walk and would grab some coffee and go home. I didn't tell her what i was actually up to, I didn't tell anyone actually, because I wasn't sure if I was gonna complete the challenge. I walked the next 20 minutes talking to her, and the 10 minutes after that struggling to find a stable internet connection. One hour in, feet are doing fine. 📱

I entered Washington Heights next and this one was a vibe - people playing songs outside stores, a fellow man doing some form of salsa on the sidewalk, commotion near the George Washington Bridge bus terminal, and just regular hustle bustle of the city. I said to myself, as long as there are people on the entire road, I will be fine. At this point, I was a bit thirsty becuse I hadn't carried a bottle with me because I wanted my hands to be free because I am stupid. I had two options - stop by a bodega and grab a bottle of water or stop by a cafe and grab a cup of coffee. After (not much) contempletation, I decided against water and stopped for an iced latte at a Taco bell in Hamilton Heights and was completely re-energized. Coffee does that to me now :)) 🧋

The next few neighborhoods I passes were pretty mundane with people going about their day to day chores - grocery shopping, lunch breaks, afternoon storlls, etc. I passed by the Columbia Business School in Manhattanville, somewhere I haven't been in fourteen months of being a student at Columbia (shame on me!) I reached Morningside heights and saw my second home in the city, the main campus of Columbia University and as soon as the familiarity kicked in, I felt a sense of relief (no apparent reason.) At this point, I had to resist the urge to take aleft and ust walk straight back to my apartment because I had been walking for two hours straight and had three more to go. I was passing by the places I have passed by a hundred times so it didn't add to my excitement or adrenalin release. I had to resort to other means to help me keep going. ♪

So as I walked towards UWS, I put in my headphones and listened to TTPD the Anthology end to end. Vibing to Taylor Swift while walking the streets of NYC?? Now there's the excitement back. Anyways, UWS. Upper West Side is where I also am right now, in a cafe called "About Coffee," sipping on an iced mocha in 60 degrees Farhenite (16 degree celcius), recalling last Wednesday and trying my best to make this blog interesting. There was'nt much for me to stop and stare here since I was walking only on broadway so I powered through and increased my pace to reach Columbus Circle as soon as I could becuase that was my planned stop for lunch and boy was I getting hungry!! 🍗🍟

Dave's Hot Chicken was where I fueled up. I had been meaning to try this since one of my friends had recomended this to me by saying this place has "the best fried chicken and fries." And safe to say, it was true. I felt so much joy having a spicy chicken slider and diet coke! I also hopped on an ad hoc meeting that I had forgotten about (oops) before I continued on 8th Ave (aka the broadway of Midtown). This is a good pont to mention that the broad city challenge needs to be completed by "staying on Brodaway - the longest road in Manhattan" the entire time. And I play by the rules 🫡 (most times :))

Now we enter Midtown Manhattan - Times Sequare, MSG, Penn Station where yet again, I was tempted to catch a train back home. BUT I still pushed myself. Is it a sign that i am becoming an actual New Yorker becuse walking though this part when I was on a mission, having to navigate toursists and slow walkers, annoyed me a bit?? I'm not saying I am a New Yorker in just 14 months but I am starting to behave like one for sure. Anyway, I moved as quickly as I could becuase the last few neighborhoods were my favorite ones in this city! 🤓

As soon as I saw the Chelsea Hotel, I was ecstatic because one, TTPD, and B, I was starting the last leg f this challenge (literal tears!!) I passed by the Google office, thinking to myself that I hopefully get to work here one day, spotted the wooden elephants installation and that marked the end of numbered streets. I literally had just walked 215 streets and there was a bit more to go but man was I already feeling a bit proud of myself! And an instant reward for me in that moment was entering West Village / Greenwich village aka my favourite neighborhood to walk around aka a place where I want to live at least once in my life (highly unlikely but a girl can dream.) I was dying almost and my feet were giving up on me but dare I say I walked the entire Greenwitch street (Broadway of down town) with a huge smile on my face!?! Yes, that's where everyone from FRIENDS lived, thats where Taylor Swift lived at one point, thats where the prettiest brownstones covered n ivy are so sue me if I over praise it. 🏡

By the time I reached the financial district (FiDi as the locals call it), I was practically limping. I felt a stinging pain in my feet and I felt like I will drop any second now. I could not stop for a break because if I did, I was afraid I wouldnt be able to get back up and walk ever again. So I didn't. I walked and waled and walked with literally no thoughts in my brain. I entered survival mode and just wanted the challenge to end. I questioned my decision 20 times before I finally spotted a street sign that said "The Battery." I seriously thought I will fall down and cry. I ended my challenge at the Liberty Vsita View Point and I was in a state of shock. Numb. I had imagined I would be having a dramatic reaction, crying, happy tears mostly, or feeling a sense of pride. But I just clicked a few pictures of the statue (as best I could manage because the barricaded put up for some construction along the coast were blocking my view), walked to the southern most One train station, and took the subway back home. Not a word spoken the entire day, no social media for the entire day, no life left in my feet at the end of the day. I did the smart thing and transfered to the C train on Columbus Circle, climbed six floors to reach my apartment and just crashed on my bed. What happend the rest of the evening that day, I have no memory. (except that I posted about it on my Instagram but nothing other than that :)) 🙌

Why did I do it though? Why did I take up this challenge? I don't know actully but I have a few guesses - I was bored. I was angry for some reason and wanted to shut my brain for a day. I just wanted to prove to myself that I can. I maybe want to do every possible crazy thing I can do in New York City in what I call (potentially) my last three months here because I will not be able to live with myself if I don't tick of at least 70 percent of the things on my bucket list. I know I always end up sounding overdramatic and a little too obsessed with the city but hey, I manuvered 30,000 pigeons to complete this walk so I could write about it and I think i deserve to be over dramatic! Point being, I guess it was unnecessary. It was a momentary decision but it definitely was legendary so it shouldn't have stayed burried (get the reference? 👀) So if you are looking to do something crazy this weekend, you have one potential option to plan and cancle! Be back soon with another (mis)adventerous blog. Until then, byeeee! 👋

~ vee 🗽