COOL PLACES – ACCESSIBILITY AND COMFORT ON THE ROAD THROUGH THE FOUR SEASONS: PART 3

COOL PLACES PART 2

By Steve Wright and Heidi Johnson-Wright

The United States is brimming with cool places in the desert, on the Pacific Coast, in the most urban surroundings and even in the subtropical swamp.

These places are cool because they’re hip, they’re cool because when you gaze on their natural and manmade charms, you’re sure to shout out “how cool!” and they’re cool in terms of climate – if you pick the right time of year.

Here is a guide to four wheelchair-accessible major destinations, with information on picking the right time of year and tips for staying cool in all four seasons.

New York

Autumn in New York, a time of year so special, they wrote a song about it. With late September/early October daytime temperatures peaking in the low 70s, fall is fine in the Big Apple.

For a fresh look at Gotham, try concentrating your visit in Lower Manhattan and its neighbor to the east, Brooklyn.

A visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will inspire even the most world weary of travelers. There is nothing like the feel of the harbor breezes as you gaze out the ferry boat to Lady Liberty.

The Circle Line boats have ramped access at the Battery Park launch and at both Liberty and Ellis islands. The Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Museum are accessible, including the restrooms.

Back on the mainland at Broadway and Wall Street, Trinity Church is chock full of history inside and out and one of the best free admission attractions in New York

A ramp provides access to the interior of the 1846 Gothic Revival masterpiece. Outside, the church grounds house one of the oldest cemeteries in Manhattan, where first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, and steamboat innovator Robert Fulton are buried.

A few blocks further north on Broadway take you to Trinity affiliate St. Paul’s Chapel, Manhattan’s oldest public building in continuous use. The 1766 structure is home to George Washington’s pew and is accessible via ramp.

Lyden Gardens is not in Brooklyn or downtown, but the hotel’s outstanding roll-in showers and spacious accessible suites make it worth the ride to the Upper East Side.

To feel like a local, walk and roll across the Brooklyn Bridge. Start your ascent up the pedestrian pathway (100 percent barrier-free) and your heart skips a beat. Where else can you can you touch, feel and experience such a famous part of New York? – and do it all for free! One could traverse John Roebling’s steel cable suspension bridge a thousand times and discover something new during every 1,600-foot journey.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade is just up the hill from Fulton Landing. This level, accessible strip of scenic parkland rises above the East River and provides a panoramic view of Manhattan’s skyscrapers. The serenity of the park epitomizes the beauty of the neighborhood's exquisite old apartment buildings, corner markets and mature tree lines.

The promenade is a special place where one can gaze off into New York Harbor at the Staten Island Ferry and at Lady Liberty herself.

Editor's Note: The idea for Cool Places came from a friend of ours who has Multiple Sclerosis. Folks with MS generally do not fare well in the heat and humidity -- thus the need to travel to the subtropics or desert when it's cool out.