Episode 2: A View of the Island
Time for a bigger update than usual! Today, we're taking a tour of Hunters Island (simply called "the Island" by locals), which is home to Nyhaven's main business districts. We'll take a look at two of them, as well as several other points of interest.
As we start our tour near the north end of the island, here's the Center Street Corridor, home to some of Nyhaven's older skyscrapers, as well as some of its newest. Center Street originally ran straight across Hunters Island, but it was gradually shortened to its current terminus at Church Street when the two largest buildings on Royal Square - Nyhaven Central Station and the opera house - were built in the 19th century. However, it's still an important thoroughfare in the city due to its bridge over the Columbia River, which many commuters from Nyhaven's western suburbs use to get to work.
This cross-section of the island shows more of downtown Nyhaven (which Center Street is part of), including Royal Square. Market Street is also visible, heading south (right in this image) from the square, with skyscrapers flanking it. More skyscrapers are clustered north of Central Station, around Nybro Street, so named because of the bridge that carries it across Elochoman Slough (the street's name is Danish for "new bridge" - and it was new when it was built in the 1640s). Along the downtown waterfront, meanwhile, stands the International Center, a large hotel and conference center, along with the Wahkiakum County Civic Center.
Our tour now brings us to Midtown, which has a number of cultural sites in addition to its many office towers. The Nyhaven Central Library is one of those sites. Situated at the intersection of Market Street and Eighth Street, this imposing building is the city's largest research library, housing millions of volumes on its shelves. Its large lawn is as popular a reading spot as its enormous reading hall, and is a welcome green space in the middle of the city.
Just a block away, and close to the north end of Ebenezer Square, is Okatown, another of Nyhaven's many ethnic neighborhoods. Home to thousands of immigrants from Okatabawashi and their descendants, it hosts a popular street market on Second Avenue. Its pagoda, which is both a temple and a museum of Okataian history, is close to the famous Palais Theatre, at the edge of the Midtown Theater District.
Further south on Market Street is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Nyhaven. Built in the Neo-Gothic style in the 1890s, it is the center of the city's Catholic community.
Nyhaven's convention center is located in uptown, next to Nyhaven South Station. The current, two-wing convention center opened very recently, having replaced an older building on the same site. Many of the events that take place here are media-related, due to the many television broadcasters and movie studios whose headquarters are just west of the convention center.
Our tour now takes us onto the mainland, to downtown Cathlamet. Originally a Native American fishing village, Cathlamet is one of Nyhaven's oldest suburbs, though it doesn't feel very suburban due to its density and proximity to the island. The oldest part of town is centered on Gammeltorv, the square pictured here, which becomes very busy in the Christmas season. Its marina is a popular place for Nyhaven's wealthy to moor their yachts, although many of the city's less affluent residents also keep boats here.
It has come to my attention that not all of my readers are aware that I reply to their comments in a comment of my own. If you've commented on a past entry in Nyhaven and want to see what I wrote in response, feel free to look back at those earlier entries.
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