# Best place to live in/around NYC for cyclists?



## Derailer (Apr 28, 2005)

Hey all, 

I'm moving to NY for work soon, and I really want to spend as much time on the bike as possible out there. I'll have a fairly hectic job schedule, and so I'd like to live somewhere that makes cycling as convenient as possible. 

Things I'd be interested in living near: 
1) a good spin gym
2) the starting point of local group rides
3) a safe/easy ride to central park
4) an easy route to the start of the infamous NYACK rides or any other rides like it
5) my friends are going to be living in the LES, so if there's an easy way to access all the other stuff while staying near them, that'd be ideal. 

Thanks, and I look forward to some interesting riding in New York.


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## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

1) Good spin gyms all over
3) If a ride starts in NYC, it will probably start in Central Park
3) Safe is relative. No NYC ride is safe relative to a ride in say Kansas. Unless you live on Central Park West (mega bucks), you're going to have to ride the city streets
4) The only way to get to Nyack is via the George Washington Bridge on the Upper Upper West Side. (188th Street if memory serves)
5) You can't be convenient to both your friends on the Lower East Side and Central Park which is on the Upper West Side


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## canthidefromme (Jun 29, 2006)

Central Park isn't on the upper west side perse... it's well, in the center (of Manhattan)


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## jpdigital (Dec 1, 2006)

If you do Brooklyn, Park Slope/Prospect Heights/Greenwood Heights might be worth looking into. Lots of bike paths & very easy access to Prospect Park--not quite as big as Central Park, but still a good loop, nontheless. Granted, you'll have to use the Brooklyn Bridge or Manhattan Bridge to get into Manhattan (neither of those is too hard to access), once over the brige LES is close & 9W isn't _too_ hard to get to.
And yes, as was stated earlier, "_safe_" riding is a very relative if cycling NYC for the first time. Keep your head on a swivel & have a good sense of situational awareness. I moved from doing 40-mile rides w/ two stoplights to the Brooklyn, ironically, in some ways I feel safer here as cyclists are part of the driving culture, but you must do your part as well.

Enjoy riding in NYC...


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## Shaggybx (Feb 2, 2008)

I live in the Bronx.During the week before work,I'll ride near City Island or New Rochelle.On the weekends I go up to Westchster and into Connecticut.Tons of awesome roads not too far away.


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## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

canthidefromme said:


> Central Park isn't on the upper west side perse... it's well, in the center (of Manhattan)


Let's see. 5th Avenue divides east-west in Manhattan north of 14th street. The eastern boundary of CP is 5th Ave. The upper west side is between 59th and 115th streets. CP runs from 59th street to 109th. Sounds pretty upper west side to me.


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## Dan0930 (May 28, 2004)

Living in the city is going to be dictated mostly by your budget. Worry about riding second anyway its the city its 7 miles long you're pretty close to everything. 

Riding in the park is nice but it gets old. I'd rather headup the west side and cross the gw.


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## sxebmx (Feb 12, 2009)

Dumbod said:


> Let's see. 5th Avenue divides east-west in Manhattan north of 14th street. The eastern boundary of CP is 5th Ave. The upper west side is between 59th and 115th streets. CP runs from 59th street to 109th. Sounds pretty upper west side to me.


Harlem/upper east side/mid town all border central park as well... sounds pretty central to me, so living in any of those ares would be just as convenient.


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## Derailer (Apr 28, 2005)

Dan0930 said:


> Living in the city is going to be dictated mostly by your budget. Worry about riding second anyway its the city its 7 miles long you're pretty close to everything.
> 
> Riding in the park is nice but it gets old. I'd rather headup the west side and cross the gw.


Is there access to some pretty varied riding across the GW bridge? 

Thanks for all the info so far.


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## Dan0930 (May 28, 2004)

Cross the GW and you have all of NJ and Rockland counties. Much better riding than in the city.


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## jmfriedman7 (Jan 18, 2006)

I enjoyed living on the Upper West Side. The small cross streets that lead to Central Park are not all that busy at 6 am. Most good riding in the Park is done at early in the morning when it is not too crowded with people and before they let the cars in. Subways downtown, while often complained about, are really convenient. 

The ride to the George Washington Bridge along Riverside Drive is green & tree-shaded much of the way and there is access to the bike /pedestrian path along the Hudson if you are so inclined. (The path along the Hudson is often crowded with pedestrians, dogs etc.) Go on one group ride to NJ / Rockland and you'll figure out the turns you need to use to get from Riverside Dr. to the GWB.

Ultimately though, ease in getting to work might be a key consideration. Other than by bike, getting crosstown on the surface streets takes longer than you might imagine. The key crosstown subways are in Midtown.


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

If you're really worried about location for riding, you're better off living in NJ than Manhatten or LI. The GWB is great and all, but its an extra half hour round trip by the time you cross it.


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## Uprwstsdr (Jul 17, 2002)

Definitely consider Westchester. Average commute into NYC as about 45 mins (by train) and there is tons of excellent cycling. Check out www.westchestercyclingclub.com

This past Saturday there are 8 scheduled rides ranging from 25 - 100 miles:

A	72 miles	8:30am	
"Dennytown the Hard Way & The Gypsy Trail": Dennytown the hard way plus a loop around the Gypsy Trail. Rest stop comes late at mile 53, so bring your performance enhancing gels.

B+	101 miles	8:00am	
"Gipsy Trail Century": We will try to see if the weather gods smile more favorably on us this weekend. The same ride as was cut short last weekend. Cuesheet on mywcc.com

B	80 miles	7:30am	
"Triathlon Training Ride": This is a "strong B" ride, looking to average 16mph. Minimal stopping and regrouping. Bring bars, gel, 2 water bottles. MAYBE one brief stop around 50 miles.(more if we need water) We'll head around Teatown, across the Dam, then north thru Yorktown, Mahopac, Kent, Carmel, Croton Falls, Purdys, Somers and should be back in Millwood by 1:00.

B	60 miles	9:00am	
"Millbrook Ramble": This is the first of my trilogy rides in Dutchess County. Fairly hilly ride to lunch in Millbrook and back. One 3 mile climb going and returning. We willl travel over some familiar roads, (if you have ridden with me before). But, I just scouted a new return route and it is guaranteed to be different with some really terrific scenery! Only real traffic is on Rte 82, but it will not be too bad on a Saturday. An added bonus, most of the roads are in really fine condition. We have terrific choices of their Farmer's Market, Deli, Babette's Cafe or Beth's bakery for lunch! The target pace is 15mph. If you are a strong C+ rider in the hills, you can certainly do this ride. We will regroup as necessary, no one will be dropped, except possibly for the leader.

B	25 miles	9:00am	
"Just a ride": Posting late, just in case anyone wants to show up. A couple of us are going for a local morning ride.

C+	41 miles	9:00am	
"Bedford to Ridgefield and back (clockwise)": This is a scenic ride that starts on State roads and then goes on mostly back roads after a rest stop in Ridgefield. If you want to look at the Cue Sheet and cannot open it, look at #32, which is essentially the same ride with a different start location 

C	39 miles	9:30am	
"South to Rye & Crestwood": A southern Westchester sampler with a few water views of the Sound, several stops and traffic lights, generally easy terrain (a longer climb on Mamaroneck Rd) elevation 1702, expect 13 mph average. Rain cancels. 

D+	25 miles	9:00am	
"Not The Golden Apple": Follow the bouncing golden apple from Yorktown to Golden's Bridge. No pithy description here like rain cancels (duh,) nor mirth such as everyone will have hearty laughs. Just a nice easy Saturday morning ride.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

In NYC, money and overall workstyle and lifestyle will determine where you live much more than cycling. If you know you are going to be working long hours in your office, DO NOT live outside of Manhattan. Live close to work.

Yes, the riding is better in Westchester County (north of NYC), but it is inconvenient to live there if you work in Manhattan. I lived there, so I know. My train ride was only 35 minutes, but factoring in getting to and from the train it was 55 minutes...and that's if the trains didn't break down. But if you telecommute, consider it. That way you can do some nice rides at lunch.

So if you are going to live in Manhattan and you want *convenient* riding, live somewhere near Central Park, which means anywhere between 59th and 110th Streets. You'll be at most 2 miles from the park. You will find the small surface streets between 59th and 110th easy and safe riding to the park. Central Park is a cyclist's haven early in the mornings and between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when cars are banned.

If you want to easily ride out of the city, live on the Upper West Side. That's the closest access to the George Washington Bridge.

Forget about Brooklyn. It will take you at least an hour of junk riding to get to the George Washington Bridge. Prospect Park's loop road is only ~3 miles, so to get a good workout you'll be riding lap after lap after lap.

Unfortunately, the LES is not convenient for cycling. The East River "MUT" sucks. To get to Central Park, it's 20+ minutes of junk riding and to the Geo. Washington Bridge it's 45 minutes of junk riding.

I've ridden in and around Manhattan for seven years. PM me if you want more info.


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## LokiWright (Jul 4, 2009)

Derailer said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I'm moving to NY for work soon, and I really want to spend as much time on the bike as possible out there. I'll have a fairly hectic job schedule, and so I'd like to live somewhere that makes cycling as convenient as possible.
> 
> ...


.
.
Hi,
.
I grew up a block from the LIRR's Plandome RR Station, the
second to last stop on the LIRR's Port Washington branch
line... starting at Penn Station, ending at Port Washington.
.
This station and the one just before it, Manhasset, give
access to some beautiful and extensive residential riding,
if that's what you like to do. Not far from either station
is Northern Blvd. (Rt 25A), which runs all the way out to Montauk
and gives access to just about every other lovely LI
community on the island's north shore. There are enough
rides along the north shore to keep you and family busy
through retirement.
.
And the nice thing is, even if you live in NYCity, you can
take your bike out to Manhasset, Plandome or Port Washington
on the train. I think you need to apply for a permit to do
so but it can be had easily and, if memory serves, at no cost.
.
Port Washington, BTW, has some nice seafood restaurants
along the Manhasset Bay shoreline and lots of great sailing
too. All are a very short ride from the Port station.
.
If you've got family, any of these three towns\villages
and the villiages around them are great places to raise
kids. Good schools and safe cycling.
.


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## robot870 (Jul 18, 2009)

I agree the north shore of Long Island is unreal. I live in Oyster Bay and within 1 mile from my house is heaven.


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## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

kbiker3111 said:


> The GWB is great and all, but its an extra half hour round trip by the time you cross it.


You do know you're allowed to _ride_ your bike across the bridge, dontcha?


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