Fifty Plus (50+) - Go ahead, bite the big Apple

I am and I can't wait.

Mrs S & I are heading back to spend a week with the folks.
Always such a good time, I just love to visit NYC.

Mrs S. seems pretty hell bent on renting a couple of bikes for a day. Yes, Mrs S wants to ride :eek: :D
We have couple of choices, ride in the Park. Anyone know what days it's closed to traffic?
The other is a roll up the East River MUP (the folks live at 56th and 1st)

But, where can you rents bikes near Central Park, especially when one is for a 5' woman?

She wants to do it, I'd like to help her get it done.

This one is quite pricey at $65/day. Out here in the sticks, rentals are usually $18-$25/day.
http://www.centralparkbiketour.com/bike_rentals.php

This one is $45-$65 per day, with lower hourly charges:
http://www.thecentralparkboathouse.com/sections/boats.htm

This one is several blocks (20+) away from Central Park, but is $35/day.
http://www.trustedtours.com/store/New-York-City-Bike-Rentals-C492.aspx

Here are several other bike rental shops you can check out:
http://www.citidex.com/96.htm

I have visited NYC twice in my life and thoroughly enjoyed both visits. Would like to go back again.

Yes, sir... I did find that Central Park Bike Tours right off. It's logistically perfect.
We'll see how it goes.

See y'all later

Here is a list of shops that rent bikes from the Transportation Alternatives NYC Century web site.
http://www.nyccentury.org/bike_rental

Central Park is only really car free on weekends, and then the bike, blade, jogger and pedestrian traffic can be pretty hectic. On weekdays there is traffic from 8am to 10am. The south portion has traffic pretty much all day from 59th to 72nd on the east side all day. The east side of the park is also open to traffic from 3pm to 7pm, The east side bike path disappears in spots, The west side one is a much easier to follow and I think more scenic, but can also get very crowded, especially south of 45th st. Here is a link to the official NYC bike map. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikemaps.shtml

When do you plan on being in town. One of my favorite rides is across the GW Bridge, and along the Palisades. About 32 miles RT from 72nd and Riverside. Lots of hills. If you feel like going a little further up the river you could add in Piermont (43 miles ) or Nyack (50+ miles). I'm usually available for a ride on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Also check some of the local clubs. The NYCC ( http://www.nycc.org/index.html ) offers many rides, some even mid week as does the 5BBC ( http://5bbc.org/ )
(http://5bbc.org/)

http://www.bikenroll.com/newyork/ has several locations and you can reserve online.