# New York City All Day Ride...



## 2ndGen (Oct 10, 2008)

*The Short Version... *
I'm planning on making a 36 mile run down to The City.
Any advice? 
Thanks. 

:thumbsup: 


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*The Specifics...*

*Route potentials:* 
*Cycling Route:* 
Stick to bike paths and make it a race against time (striving to maintain a 15 mph avg). 



*Scenic Route:* 
Hit all the sights while down there at a liesurely pace and photo document the ride (Empire State Building, MOMA, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Times Square, Broadway, Central Park, etc...). 



*General:* 
It looks like a 36+ mile run on the cycling route, but the scenic route should add on a couple of miles. 

Going to ride down from New Rochelle, down Pelham Road/Shore Road, cross the Bronx on Pelham Parkway over to Upper Manhattan on Dyckman, then over to the West Side, down along The Hudson all the way to The South Street Sea Port.

This is where the route can change. Either I go up The East Side along a pair of bike routes or I cut through Manhattan right up the middle (Broadway) and zig-zag across the city hitting the landmarks.

I'll probably do the latter. It would be a shame to spend one of the last nice days of the summer flying by all the great things that NYC has to offer. 

Either way, I'll end up at 125th Street and catch the Metro North back to New Rochelle. 

I'm going to post the pics here when I'm done (I'm sure with a few stories as well of the characters I met along the way).



*Packing List:* 
Camelbak with the essentials (tubes, patches, tool, pump, 1st aid kit, I.D., snack, etc...)
and plenty of Sports Drink/H20 (which I'll replenish along the way) and a NYC Cycling Map 
(with all the LBS's listed). 



*Grub?* 
Big O.J. for breakfast with a Bacon, Egg & Cheese on a roll. 
I'll have to hit a Papaya Gray's for their slammin' Hot Dogs for lunch. 
And a hearty meal at the end of the run in Spanish Harlem. 



*The Bike: *
My '09 Trek 1.5 will be tuned, lubed and I'll make sure the tire pressure is spot on. 
I'll most likely ride with my MTB Bonty Race Saddle as opposed to my stock Bonty Basic Saddle 
(which gets really uncomfortable at the 1 1/2 hour mark) and I'm going to swap out my Wellgo GR8 
road pedals and install a set of Shimano XT M770 MTB SPD Pedals. 



*Conditions: *
Mid-High 80's, moderate humidity, 
Mostly level terrain.


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## 2ndGen (Oct 10, 2008)

By the way, this is an open invite to anybody who wants to ride along either all the way from Westchester or even "in" The City along the way. 

Just PM me for contact info.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

A couple of things: What day/time are you going?

If you are going on a nice, sunny weekend morning, forget the race against time. The Hudson River Bikepath gets very crowded with tourists, joggers, strollers, bladers, etc. If there's a cruise ship docking or a crowd of tourists at the USS Intrepid, you may even be walking your bike for a few blocks. Same goes for the South Street Seaport on the east side.

However, a weekend is better for seeing the tourist sites like the ESB. Midtown traffic is much lighter on weekends. If you are going on a weekday, I doubt you can bring your bike on Metro North during the afternoon commute.

On the east side north of South Street Seaport, the East River Greenway north of Houston St. is a mess. With all the rain, it's full of giant puddles. It's better to get off at Houston St., go west and head up Ave. C or Ave. B. Then around 14th St., head east to the East River and get back on the Greenway. Note: There is no "bike path" or "bike lane" here between 34th St. and the 60s. You will be riding up 1st Ave. with the traffic.

You can't ride from downtown to uptown using Broadway. Broadway runs downtown only south of 59th St.

Bring a bell or horn to signal the pedestrians to get out of your way.

If you plan on eating anywhere other than a ride-up hot dog cart, bring a huge lock or two. You can't let an unlocked bike out of your sight in NYC. Even for a place like Gray's Papaya, you will need to lock your bike before you go inside.

Good luck.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

Also: The Hudson River MUT is a mess south of Chambers St. I usually turn west on Murray or Warren and ride to the Hudson River. Then I take the path downtown, behind the New York Mercantile Exchange, past the marina, then up the ramp on the left to South End Ave. Then I take South End downtown to W. Thames St., turn left and rejoin the Hudson River MUT.

This way, you will miss riding past the WTC site, but you can't really see much anyway. And you will avoid possibly having to walk your bike around all the construction.


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## 2ndGen (Oct 10, 2008)

team_sheepshead said:


> A couple of things: What day/time are you going?



Hi TS, 

Thanks for responding. 

I was planning on leaving Westchester early (7:00 AM) on a Sunday. 




> If you are going on a nice, sunny weekend morning, forget the race against time. The Hudson River Bikepath gets very crowded with tourists, joggers, strollers, bladers, etc. If there's a cruise ship docking or a crowd of tourists at the USS Intrepid, you may even be walking your bike for a few blocks. Same goes for the South Street Seaport on the east side.


I've pretty much decided to do the scenic thing; Take my time. 
I'll hustle it through The Bronx as I cross it, 
then coast down the West Side along The Hudson. 






> However, a weekend is better for seeing the tourist sites like the ESB. Midtown traffic is much lighter on weekends. If you are going on a weekday, I doubt you can bring your bike on Metro North during the afternoon commute.


I thought about that. 
I figured the weekend would be way less hectic. 









> On the east side north of South Street Seaport, the East River Greenway north of Houston St. is a mess. With all the rain, it's full of giant puddles. It's better to get off at Houston St., go west and head up Ave. C or Ave. B. Then around 14th St., head east to the East River and get back on the Greenway. Note: There is no "bike path" or "bike lane" here between 34th St. and the 60s. You will be riding up 1st Ave. with the traffic.


Thanks! Great to know.

Considering the sites I want to hit, 
I'll slice the Island up the middle until I get to Central Park, then ride up along The Park. 





> You can't ride from downtown to uptown using Broadway. Broadway runs downtown only south of 59th St.


That's exactly my plan. 







> If you plan on eating anywhere other than a ride-up hot dog cart, bring a huge lock or two. You can't let an unlocked bike out of your sight in NYC. Even for a place like Gray's Papaya, you will need to lock your bike before you go inside.


Not a fan of the water dog carts and Gray's (in Upper Manhattan) has a walk-up window. 
But, will have my lock with me just in case I happen to come across a place I might want to sit in a while. 





> Good luck.


Thanks!

I really appreciate the info.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

A couple more things: The Bronx Puerto Rico parade might be this weekend. Probably want to avoid that.

North of 23rd St., I like to take Madison Ave. uptown. It is usually a little less crazy than other uptown avenues.

This might be a NY Summer Streets weekend, when they close Park Ave. to cars. Check that out.


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## 2ndGen (Oct 10, 2008)

team_sheepshead said:


> A couple more things: The Bronx Puerto Rico parade might be this weekend. Probably want to avoid that.
> 
> North of 23rd St., I like to take Madison Ave. uptown. It is usually a little less crazy than other uptown avenues.
> 
> This might be a NY Summer Streets weekend, when they close Park Ave. to cars. Check that out.


This weekend?

Well, being that I'm Puerto Rican, I just might change my plans to Sunday!










Actually, I wanted to end up in Spanish Harlem to have a great Puerto Rican meal there before I caught the Metro North back to Westchester. 

But...I probably might not make it this weekend anyway.

It'll have to be sometime within the next couple of weeks though.

Just have to pick a good weather day (not too humid, preferrably in the 70's).


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## 2ndGen (Oct 10, 2008)

Missed riding the late summer (moved out state for a spell). 
But I'm back and am still up for this ride...in the cold if I have to.
Going to ride it on a nice sunny clear 45+ degree day. 

Still an open invite when I find the perfect day. 

I'm going to make it the scenic route and save the race against time for the Spring 
or for one of those Indian Summer days we sometimes get in the Winter. 

I'm targeting Christmas Week when the city should be in a great mood and hopefully, no work traffic.


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