Northeast - Vacation in Manhattan - Cycling?

Hi, all!

Mrs. Road Fan and I are planning a short vacation in Manhattan this summer, and I'd like to know about cycling points of interest, and good/bad places to ride. Staying in the Upper West side, so we're near Central Park and the Hudson River.

Road Fan

So you'll be located between two of the City's best cycling routes, Central Park and the Westside Waterfront Greenway. You can pick up a copy of the NYC Cycling Map at most of the local bike shops or download it here. (http://transalt.org/info/maps.html). You'll definitely want to see the sights, like a ride over the Brooklyn Bridge or follow the Greenway downtown for a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry.

Stacy has great advice. Make sure to get the NYC Bike Map. It shows where all the bike lanes are, and that can really help in helping you get the hang of cycling in the the city. It's a great way to get around, and only takes about an hour or two to get the hang of. I would also suggest crossing over the Manhattan Bridge. It's not as pretty as the Brooklyn Bridge, but it allows you to view the Brooklyn Bridge from across the water. Try going into Brooklyn on the Brooklyn Bridge, and return to Manhattan on the Manhattan Bridge.

Also, since you are on the UWS, take the Hudson River Greenway to Grant's Tomb; it's a fun site to visit. You can also see St. John the Devine, bike through Harlem, and take some time biking around Central Park.

Enjoy the visit!

Ride to Coney Island, get some hot dogs, cheese fries and beer at Nathans and eat on the beach. If you have too much beer just take the subway back :)

When are you coming?

The official cycling map has all the best routes in the city. The World's Fair site in Queens might be of interest. You might look at chowhound.com or Zagat for food ideas then connect the dots with the bike map.

Free Kayaking: http://www.downtownboathouse.org/

It really depends on what you want to do. Most everything is accessible by bicycle, if you have the time.

As to safety stick to routes on the map. If traffic is bad on one street, you might find a street a few blocks away almost empty.

From Manhattan You could cross the Brooklyn Bridge, return with the Manhattan bridge then eat in China town. The Staten Island ferry is free and a nice ride at night.

If you go up town you can cross the George Washington Bridge. The Cloisters museum is around there too.

Hi, all!

Mrs. Road Fan and I are planning a short vacation in Manhattan this summer, and I'd like to know about cycling points of interest, and good/bad places to ride. Staying in the Upper West side, so we're near Central Park and the Hudson River.

Road Fan
Great advice from Stacey Air and George ~ just try to get your cycling in as early as possible in the day; the greenway can be popular! Also, Coney Island is a great place to visit as well; home of the original Nathans and the Brooklyn Cyclones!

A ride across the George Washington Bridge and up and River Road along the Palisades is worth the trip, and will allow you to get in some hills with nice wooded scenery. If you want some miles you can continue up 9W to Piermont, a nice little river town.

Yeah, definitely get the map. From Manhattan to Coney Island / Brighton Beach is 15 miles or so. Head out towards Rockaway and you will see parts of NYC that few tourists ever see.

There are lots of paths along the waterfront that have little car traffic and great views of the city, just keep in mind most of them are MUP's and have lots of pedestrians, joggers, rollerbladers etc.

One other thing to consider is riding with a local club, like the 5 Boro Bicycle Club (very social, but rides are notoriously slow) or the New York Cycle Club (more hammerheads).

The GWB is neat, but personally I'd skip on the 9W / Piermont ride. It's nice and all, but you can see trees anywhere right? :D

I'd definitely ride Central Park (& check out the points of interest: http://www.centralparknyc.org/), Then ride the west side Greenway & ride over the Brooklyn Bridge to Prospect Park. You'll take in views of the Hudson, Jersey, Liberty & Ellis Island, The East River and Brooklyn.

Yeah, definitely get the map.

Download the map:

http://www.transalt.org/info/maps.html