Caminito #1: Bloomfield to Newark/Harrison along the Lenape Trail

 A lovely May Thursday. I'd be mad not to use it! So I get the backpack on and take off! Finally doing the Lenape Trail!

Clark's Pond, Bloomfield.

Yanticaw Park/Booth Park, Nutley.

Belleville Park, Belleville

Path washed away by recent storms, just above Branch Brook Park Drive, Newark

Footbridge over Branch Brook Park Drive, Newark.

Of course it's safe!

Branch Brook Park, Newark.

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark.

Branch Brook Lake, Newark.

Essex County Hall of Records, Newark. Hmm . . . what are those big letters on the street?

St. James African Methodist Church, Newark.

Streets of Newark.

Campus Town, Newark.

War Memorial, Military Park, Newark.

Newark Downtown over the Passaic River.

Southward view along restored riverfront walk, Newark.

They didn't knock the Ballantine House down!

Old Presbyterian church now converted to an "Innovation Cathedral" by Audible. Next door Rutgers Business school and dorm building.

The first third of my Lenape Trail caminito finished. What a wonderful walk! Newark really surprised me at the end, and I must return there for more exploring!

Kayaking from Kearny to Downtown Newark

Started out at the boat launch in Riverbank Park, Kearny. Paddled to the Amtrak Bridge in downtown Newark and back.

Frank A Vincent Boat Launch (1970!)

Local Wildlife displeased with the new arrival

 

Industry on the Belleville side

Industry on the Belleville Side

Abandoned Railway Bridge, Passaic River, Newark

Newark

Swing Bridge, Newark

Drawbridge, Newark

Heading back North Again, Passaic River, Newark

I sure was

Nearly back!

Massive Counterweight on drawbridge

Kayaking on the Passaic (Lyndhurst - North Arlington - Kearny)

Took the kayak out on the Passaic today (inspired by my cousin Arthur and his fiancée Niamh).

Nice paddle downstream, but had to struggle a bit coming back up, as the tide was going out (I actually struck a rock where the second river enters the Passaic!).

Pylons crossing the Passaic

Route 9 Drawbridge Belleville-Kearny

Matthew Arnold would love this Steeple

Cheesy Grin on the Passaic

Returning to the Pier at Riverside Park

Splais!

At the Rt 9 Drawbridge

Newark in Sight

Weird charges from Boingo

I need to use Boingo (a wifi service provider) in Newark airport for about five minutes on Thursday and the same again in three weeks.

 On the advice of a frequent flyer friend I decided set up an account in advance, to avoid having to fiddle around with credit cards and other annoyances at the airport. The online registration process seemed easy. You simply went to their website and chose one of three service options and paid for the option you chose in the next page.
Here's the options page:

Needless to say I chose "Boingo Unlimited". The "as you go" option has the look of something that could get expensive very quickly ($10 and $20 per connection??). The "global" option was more than I needed for two 5-minute connections in Newark.

On I proceeded and chose to pay with PayPal. This move was an excellent idea, as Paypal sent me a receipt by email immediately. Somehow, mysteriously, inexplicably, I was now paying for the Global option. $59 a month!!!

 Needless to say, I immediately opened a dispute with Paypal and got on the telephone to Boingo, whose employee bowed and grimaced and apologized. I would be transferred to the "Unlimited" option and the balance of the $59 would be returned to my Paypal account.

But this leaves me with a really bad taste in my mouth. I know I didn't choose the $59 plan. I greatly fear that this is happening to hundreds, maybe thousands, of people around the world. Many of these people will pay with a credit card and won't see the huge charges until their next statement. Many others will be paying on corporate cards and the charges will go unremarked for months.

One last thing troubles me. Why does wifi in the terminals cost so much? Why can't the Port Authority provide free or at-cost wifi? Boston can do it (and does). I'd even be happy to use an advertising-supported service. But existing costs for commercial airport wifi are outrageous, and maybe even (as I found!) duplicitous.