Battery Harris

I rode my bike down to Rockaway today, to the beach and Fort Tilden. During World War II the fort was part of New York City’s coastal defenses.
From atop Battery Harris, a defunct gun emplacement, you can look north to see the Manhattan skyline, and south to see the Atlantic Ocean and Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The dunes are full of birds and rabbits. At noon, when the sun heats up the flora, the air is heavy with the scent of scrub pine and juniper.
If you’re not a native, it’s hard to believe that this is part of New York City.