June 1, 2013
Manhattan, and home again
Touring NYC by bike
We finished the tour with a three day visit in New York City. We've been here a few times before but never with our bicycles. We were anxious to test out the city's alleged new bike friendliness - we looked forward to seeing some different parts of the city but had some trepidation about how safe and comfortable the cycling would seem. Coming from Portland, one of the best cities for cycling in the country, we've gotten a bit spoiled.
We were amazed. Cycling Manhattan was a wonderful experience for us, one much better than we'd imagined. We went out twice - on the first day we made a loop of northern Manhattan by cycling up the Hudson River Greenway to its northern end around Fort Tryon Park; doubling back and southeast to follow the Harlem River to Randall's Island; biking the circumference of that island; and returning back to Manhattan for a loop of Central Park followed by a ride through Times Square and back to our hotel. On the second day we went back to the Hudson and headed south to loop the southern end of Manhattan and then cross over to Brooklyn on the Manhattan bridge and back again over the Brooklyn Bridge.
It was all good. This is the first time I could imagine living in this city - it sounds trite and silly, but for us the feeling changed completely when we got out of the commercial core and explored areas where people were leading normal lives. We loved the juxtaposition of little league and soccer games taking place beneath the dramatic backdrop of the city's spectacular skyline. We were also startled at how many strikingly beautiful spots we came across. We could see a number of other rides we would have taken if we'd had more time. I'm sure we'll find a way to return with our bikes in the future.
The trip ended with a Monday afternoon flight back to PDX. Our timing couldn't have been better - the heat wave broke in the night, and Monday morning brought thunderstorms and a downpour. Time to go home.
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Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 854 miles (1,374 km)
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