# Getting to the NYC Five Borough Tour



## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

Signed up for the NYC 5 Boro tour this year and wondering if anyone from past experience has suggestions as to the best way to get there from South Jersey. Originally thinking about driving to Staten Island and taking the ferry over, but not sure about the parking situation. Also, thinking about taking New Jersey Transit to Penn Station. Any other ideas based on prior experience? Thanks!


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## AlanE (Jan 22, 2002)

ptf said:


> ... thinking about driving to Staten Island and taking the ferry over, but not sure about the parking situation. !


I only did the 5 Boro ride once, but this is what I did. I had no plans to hang around after the ride, so by parking on Staten Island, I was able to make a quick escape. Check the schedule - Staten Island Ferry Schedules
You will want to give yourself plenty of time to find a place to park near ferry terminal and make it to the 7:00 ferry.


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## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

AlanE said:


> I only did the 5 Boro ride once, but this is what I did. I had no plans to hang around after the ride, so by parking on Staten Island, I was able to make a quick escape. Check the schedule - Staten Island Ferry Schedules
> You will want to give yourself plenty of time to find a place to park near ferry terminal and make it to the 7:00 ferry.


Thanks - what about the parking and traffic at the Ferry - any issues there? Is parking plentiful?


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## AlanE (Jan 22, 2002)

ptf said:


> Thanks - what about the parking and traffic at the Ferry - any issues there? Is parking plentiful?


I found a free public parking lot a few blocks from the ferry, on Bay Street, which is the road that follows the river between the Verazanno Bridge and the ferry. My only regret was that I parked on the water (east) side of the road, and at the end of the ride Bay Street becomes part of the route so it was closed to vehicular traffic. There was a steady stream of cyclists making their way to the ferry and I had to wait a while before I could pull out. Moral of the story - park on the other side of Bay Street or north of the ferry terminal and plan your escape accordingly. I believe that there are also municipal lots near the ferry which might only cost a few bucks. so that's an option too. 

Just follow the crowd - at that hour of the morning it seemed like half the cars on the road had a bike on the roof heading to the ride. Have fun.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

I think parking in staten island is the way to go. I did it once and parked downtown. Had to wait forever to get back via ferry. Would have been quicker if we were allowed to turn around and go back.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

ptf said:


> Signed up for the NYC 5 Boro tour this year and wondering if anyone from past experience has suggestions as to the best way to get there from South Jersey. Originally thinking about driving to Staten Island and taking the ferry over, but not sure about the parking situation. Also, thinking about taking New Jersey Transit to Penn Station. Any other ideas based on prior experience? Thanks!


drive in and park really really early


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## trener1 (Jan 22, 2004)

You can also try and park in Downtown Brooklyn somewhere near the Brooklyn Bridge, and just ride over the Bridge, its very close to both the start of the ride and the ferry terminal.


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## craig_d (Dec 21, 2012)

A couple friends and myself are doing the ride this year for the first time. We're spending Saturday night on Staten Island (coming in from Delaware so don't want to leave at 4am to make the start on time) so we can park there and take the 7am ferry over in the morning with our bikes to the start, then can get out at the end of the ride.

Any words of wisdom or advice for this ride? Any things to expect from those that have done it before?


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

Check your emails.... updated security at the 5BBT. Since it is a RBR thread, I'm sure you'll be in compliance with



> *Rule #32// Humps are for camels: no hydration packs.*
> Hydration packs are never to be seen on a road rider’s body. No argument will be entered into on this. For MTB, they are cool.


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## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

craig_d said:


> A couple friends and myself are doing the ride this year for the first time. We're spending Saturday night on Staten Island (coming in from Delaware so don't want to leave at 4am to make the start on time) so we can park there and take the 7am ferry over in the morning with our bikes to the start, then can get out at the end of the ride.


Just curious - how much are you spending for a Hotel in Staten Island?


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## Bee-an-key (May 5, 2007)

craig_d said:


> A couple friends and myself are doing the ride this year for the first time. We're spending Saturday night on Staten Island (coming in from Delaware so don't want to leave at 4am to make the start on time) so we can park there and take the 7am ferry over in the morning with our bikes to the start, then can get out at the end of the ride.
> 
> Any words of wisdom or advice for this ride? Any things to expect from those that have done it before?


Be careful. The ride is filled with tens of thousands of people who do not ride well with others and move very slow at times. Watch for the bikes with flag poles, coolers, boom boxes attached. Road conditions can be very intense; pot holes, long gaps, metal plates etc. I rode at the front one year and they have a pace car at 15 mph which only slowed everything down to control the road closure. Chasing to get to the front was a challenge, riding there was boring.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

Get there early. And agree with others. Be careful. There are lots of downright bad cyclists. Most have this as a real challenge. Meaning they mat decide to stop and hop off the bike at any point.


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## craig_d (Dec 21, 2012)

ptf said:


> Just curious - how much are you spending for a Hotel in Staten Island?



I think it was only about $160 for the night, very close to the festival site too.


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## craig_d (Dec 21, 2012)

Thanks to all for the advice - we imagined that just the vast number of riders was going to present a challenge in and of itself. I've been to NYC a handfull of times, but have never been to Central Park - now I get to ride through ALL of it


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

craig_d said:


> Thanks to all for the advice - we imagined that just the vast number of riders was going to present a challenge in and of itself. I've been to NYC a handfull of times, but have never been to Central Park - now I get to ride through ALL of it


You won't be riding much in Central Park. Mostly walking and ....

NO, you're not allowed in the Bike Lane in Central Park


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## Dave1442397 (May 5, 2011)

FYI, there are extra ferries that morning. I plan on driving up from South Jersey and parking at the Staten Island Ferry. I'm in the first group, so I'll probably be on the 6am ferry.



Expanded morning service is provided for the TD Five Boro Bike Tour. Boats leave Staten Island throughout the morning to get you to the Tour start on time; the ride to Manhattan takes 30 minutes. The ferry is free. Riders are advised to take the following ferries for their staggered starts: Riders in Start 1 (blue start), 5:30am, 6:00am, 6:30am. Riders in Start 2 (red start), 7:00am, 7:15am, 7:30am. Riders in Start 3 (silver start), 8:00am, 8:15am. Please note, if you miss your assigned start time, you will not be given priority in line at the ferry and may have to ride in the following start group. Take the earliest ferry you can so you and your group can have a good Tour experience.

Parking at the Staten Island Ferry

Limited parking is available in the parking lots surrounding the Staten Island Ferry in Staten Island. To see specific information about the lots, click here. Plan to arrive early to get a spot.


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## AlanE (Jan 22, 2002)

One last tidbit of advice - when you board the ferry, head straight up the stairs to the upper deck for a fantastic view of the NYC skyline on the way in. Looks like the weather is going to be great. Enjoy the ride.


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## craig_d (Dec 21, 2012)

So this may be a REALLY dumb question - when boarding the ferry with your bike - is there "parking" of some sort for the bikes or do you carry them around the boat with you?


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

you carry your bike with you


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

ptf said:


> Thanks - what about the parking and traffic at the Ferry - any issues there? Is parking plentiful?


So... how did you make out getting to the 5bbT?

Got in at 6:30 am and parked in SoHo...


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## Dave1442397 (May 5, 2011)

Parking at the Staten Island Ferry terminal was the easiest way to get there for me. 

I left my house (close to Philadelphia) at 4am, got to Staten Island at 5:15, got the 6am ferry. I had to meet up with friends at a downtown hotel to get my rider stickers, etc.

Going home was easy, too. I left the parking lot around 12:30pm, worked my way around the detours back to the highway and got home at 1:45. 

There were plenty of parking spots available at 5:30 in the morning, and it was only $7 for the day.


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## craig_d (Dec 21, 2012)

We were in the last start, left our hotel on Staten Island at 7am (we stayed out later than we wanted to Saturday night and wanted an extra hour of sleep). Instead of driving to the Ferry and dealing with the traffic and congestion before / after the ride, we parked at the Sunset Beach area for free, took a greenway to Ft. Wadsworth, then the roads to the ferry - only about 4-5 miles got the blood flowing a little bit.

The line at the Ferry was RIDICULOUS!!!! I have no idea how many cyclists were there, but it went from the Ferry terminal (Lower level) all the way back to the main road. But even so, I think we were only in line for about 1/2 hour before we boarded a ferry. We staye don the bottom, where they used to park the cars, which was windy and cold as hell, but led to some entertainment and new friends as we huddled together like penguins for warmth.

We got off the ferry, met up with the rest of our start time members at Bowling Green and then a quick jaunt up to the starting line. I think we only had to wait for 10-15 minutes at Bowling Green.

All in all was a painless experience, and the ride was GREAT. Can't wait for next year!!


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## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

tednugent said:


> So... how did you make out getting to the 5bbT?
> 
> Got in at 6:30 am and parked in SoHo...


Everything went off without a hitch. Arrived at Staten Island Ferry around 5:45 - plenty of parking in lot by baseball stadium. By the time we got our act together, we just missed the 6:00 ferry - thats ok, got in line for the 6:30 ferry. Didn't have to wait to long - so we boarded the ferry - thinking that the middle section would be warmer than standing on the outside - I was wrong - the wind was whipping down the center as we all huddled for warmth. Once we got there, no problem making our way to the starting pack. Once we got through the starting pack, it was a good ride. We steadily made our way to the front - and learned quick enough to stay to the left and to stay away from anyone with a margarita glass glued to their helmet. Saw many wrecks, but it wasn't as bottlenecked as I thought - very well organized and waits were hardly an issue. We had a great time, and would consider doing it again. On our exit, couldn't be easier. Where we were parked, it allowed us to leave, heading in the opposite direction of the festival. Got back to central NJ by mid afternoon. No problems whatsoever. Thanks for all your input!


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## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

craig_d said:


> So this may be a REALLY dumb question - when boarding the ferry with your bike - is there "parking" of some sort for the bikes or do you carry them around the boat with you?


You travel on the lower deck of the ferry where the cars would go if the ferry was still able to carry cars. You really get that sense of how the immigrants felt coming to America, ala Ellis Island!


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## Sause (Feb 1, 2013)

I stayed in Newark and took the path to the WTC.


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