Northeast - NYC: What's With All The Guys Walking Around w Bike Rental Signs at Columbus Circle??

First, forgive my frequent posting tonight. It's a direct result of the shallowness of my life.

Anyway, for several months now, when I am either going to or returning from Zabars/Fairway, I've noticed quite a few guys walking around the Columbus Circle area with Bike for Rent signs.
Do these guys work on commission? And how come I often see some of the pedicabs stacked with rental bikes?

As long as I mentioned pedicabs, what's it like to ferry two or three red blooded Americans up the hill on the Central Park bike path?

As long as I mentioned Central Park, I wonder if any other sensitive souls out here have the same amount of disgust and concern for the horse manure that lines the lower end of Central Park. I worry that some of that fecal material (aka crap, aka "you know what") gets aerosolized and breathed in by innocent bike riders like myself. Of course if it were breathed in by some of the elitists riding $2000 bikes, I wouldn't be concerned.

And as long as I mentioned Roosevelt Island, I wondering if anyone has gotten this far and knows that I didn't mention Roosevelt Island???

Maybe you're shopping at the wrong fairway. Try the Harlem Fairway. Then you can use the Greenway with less horse manure.

May I ask what is so special about Fairway from other supermarkets? I actually saw the Harlem Fairway a few weekends ago. Rode from Seaport up to the Harlem Fairway point and then needed to head back down due to time crunch. I really wanted to see the little red lighthouse.

Would that be the little red lighthouse next to the great grey bridge?

I love the Harlem Fairway. Their prices are lower, the selection is better, and the food is fresher than my local Morton Williams. For example, Driscoll Strawberries are currently $4 or $5 at my local supermarket. When I was at Fairway this weekend they were 2 for $5.

I have a rack on my bike and I always carry a cargo net in case I want to stop by and pick up dinner but I also invested in a couple of Basil baskets (http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=21054) for times when I plan to do serious shopping.

I work in the area, and the explosion of bike rental places (they cater to tourists looking to ride in Central Park) has made it almost impossible to find a rack to lock up my bike when commuting. My building has scaffolding up and that works but if they happen to take it down...goodbye bike. I think this is another thing that makes the bikes in buildings law in NYC more important than ever.

It's the summer! Who doesn't want to visit New York and rent a bike they are not familiar with! It's the best way to get to know all the nice people and breathe in the fresh air.

The 74th St Fairway is a rude experience. The folks at the Harlem store are nice, and you won't get bumped into every 1.2 seconds there, either. Try it.

The 74th St Fairway is a rude experience. The folks at the Harlem store are nice, and you won't get bumped into every 1.2 seconds there, either. Try it.

That's very true, but the rudeness and frequency of cart/people contact is what makes it a great place for me to vent all my hostilities. I feel like young Alvy in Annie Hall in his father's bumper car rink.

If you think Fairway is congested, try Zabar's on a weekend when they have little tasting stations set up at key critical points, where there is already no room to walk. It's truly a culture of congestion in both stores. A pity they don't allow bikes in there, although in Fairway the workers pushing carts around with abandon more than make up for that.

Funny!

But I have been in Zabars at the most crowded times, and I find it fairly pleasant. Seriously. The staff are helpful and courteous, and it's infectious, as the customers are the same way.

Funny!

But I have been in Zabars at the most crowded times, and I find it fairly pleasant. Seriously. The staff are helpful and courteous, and it's infectious, as the customers are the same way.

Tom... I'm in Zabars maybe 3 or 4 times a week. Just for the record, I live in Sheepshead Bay and usually make Zabars my last stop in the city. I like their rotisserie chickens and have a soft spot in my teeth for their cinnamon rugalach. I agree that the people working behind the counters are very knowledgable and helpful. It's just the smallness of the space that makes navigating a trying experience. Within the last year, one of the co-owners, who was not part of the Zabar family, died. In the article about him, it was mentioned that he didn't feel right if he could see the sawdust on the floor. He liked it crowded. There's just no room to move around easily, when there are 2 or 3 deep waiting at the deli counter or the appetizing counter. Just to keep this on topic, they never have any bike parts in stock.

Hahahahaha!

I'm not there often since I moved to Noo Joizy. I grew up on the upper west side. My sister still lives there, now three blocks from Zabars!

I like to give out-of-towners tours of Manhattan, and Zabars is always one of my stops. This spring, I had the pleasure of showing 11 French exchange students and two chaperons NYC, and we stopped there. I gave each kid a $5 bill. Unfortunately, most of them just bought drinks.

Funny you should mention their cinnamon ruchelach, because on that trip, that's exactly what I bought. I gave them out immediately to the group.

Oh and the manager said he sees foreign exchange groups come in often where the guide gives each kid $5. Weird, huh? I thought I had thought that up by myself.

Hahahahaha!

I'm not there often since I moved to Noo Joizy. I grew up on the upper west side. My sister still lives there, now three blocks from Zabars!

I like to give out-of-towners tours of Manhattan, and Zabars is always one of my stops. This spring, I had the pleasure of showing 11 French exchange students and two chaperons NYC, and we stopped there. I gave each kid a $5 bill. Unfortunately, most of them just bought drinks.

Funny you should mention their cinnamon ruchelach, because on that trip, that's exactly what I bought. I gave them out immediately to the group.


Tom... I'm wondering what kind of former West Sider you are? You misspelled rugelach, more seriously than I did. Okay, I have a key question for you. Since Zabars has several different kinds of packaged rugelach, which one did you buy? They have a package under their own name, Delancey Bakers (or something like that) and several others. Again, to keep this on topic and safe from the forum police, I always park my bike on 80th Street by the bike racks.

You mean to ask if I'm Jewish? I am, and I'm a spelling perfectionist and therefore highly embarrassed at my misspelling. Please forgive me!

I think it was the Zabars brand of rugelach.

To satisfy the forum police, I'll mention that I rode my bike to Zabars last year.

You mean to ask if I'm Jewish? I am, and I'm a spelling perfectionist and therefore highly embarrassed at my misspelling. Please forgive me!

I think it was the Zabars brand of rugelach.

To satisfy the forum police, I'll mention that I rode my bike to Zabars last year.

Oh my, you saw right through my transparent attempt to find out if you're Jewish. Honestly, with a name like Tom Rheingold (I know I'm spelling it wrong) I would have never thought you were Jewish. Who ever heard of a Jew named Tom??

No actually, I was trying to show off that I am a rugelach maven. If you want a glimpse of rugelach heaven, the next time you're in Zabars, you get them from the bakery counter, where they hawk Zabars signature rye bread. They're baked at Zabars and sold loose from trays. I've travelled by bike all over the city seeking the best rugelach and consider Zabars to be #1, if not higher. Let me add though they are not sickenly sweet, which seems to appeal to some Jewish people. Not that it matters, but they are quite modestly priced at $11/lb, which is almost the cost of a liter bottle of spring water sold at most professional bike shops.

God, you are just so funny.

Rheingold is a gentile name. Reingold is Jewish. As for my first name, well, I'm a half breed, though I identify as Jewish.

My name is Tom Reingold, and I like to ride bike.

The 74th St Fairway is a rude experience. The folks at the Harlem store are nice, and you won't get bumped into every 1.2 seconds there, either. Try it.

Not to mention a lovely little park just west of Fairway, right by the water. A favorite stop of mine when I'm doing the northern Greenway.

Not to mention a lovely little park just west of Fairway, right by the water. A favorite stop of mine when I'm doing the northern Greenway.

It looks really nice now that it's been finished. I've been really impressed with the progress they've made improving the west side waterfront; I remember when I first started riding I often rode 11th Ave south because the waterfront area was pretty bad to ride through not that 11th avenue was that smooth either but considerably better.

Anyway, for several months now, when I am either going to or returning from Zabars/Fairway, I've noticed quite a few guys walking around the Columbus Circle area with Bike for Rent signs.
Do these guys work on commission? And how come I often see some of the pedicabs stacked with rental bikes?


Does the NY Times pick up on everything you type?
Police Crack Down on Illicit Bike Rental Operations (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/police-crack-down-on-illicit-bike-rental-operations/)

Does the NY Times pick up on everything you type?
Police Crack Down on Illicit Bike Rental Operations (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/police-crack-down-on-illicit-bike-rental-operations/)

Hi Stacy... It's frightening isn't it?

However, I find it comforting, that as I coast down the road leading to my rightful place in obscurity, I am finally recognized as the true seer that I've always known myself to be.

Thanks for the link to Mr. Goodman's article. I was afraid that Mr. Goodman was sacked from the Times after scraping the bottom of the barrel when he wrote about me. I'm glad to see Mr. Goodman was given another chance. (I'm purposely writing Mr. Goodman repeatedly in retaliation for his repeatedly referring to me as Mr. Kronenberg in his otherwise sterling article about my sordid life.

In my original post about the rentals, I was just curious how there could be so many people hawking rentals, unless they worked on commissions or were given free riding time?

As long as you recognize my clout in the media, I'll give you a heads up on what we're working on next. It'll be an expose of cyclists with $500+++ bikes, garbed in $300+ cycling gear, with $100+ helmets, but without a $5 bell.

And don't forget my new Yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brooklynbridgebikerider

Hi Stacy... It's frightening isn't it?

However, I find it comforting, that as I coast down the road leading to my rightful place in obscurity, I am finally recognized as the true seer that I've always known myself to be.

Thanks for the link to Mr. Goodman's article. I was afraid that Mr. Goodman was sacked from the Times after scraping the bottom of the barrel when he wrote about me. I'm glad to see Mr. Goodman was given another chance. (I'm purposely writing Mr. Goodman repeatedly in retaliation for his repeatedly referring to me as Mr. Kronenberg in his otherwise sterling article about my sordid life.

In my original post about the rentals, I was just curious how there could be so many people hawking rentals, unless they worked on commissions or were given free riding time?
As long as you recognize my clout in the media, I'll give you a heads up on what we're working on next. It'll be an expose of cyclists with $500+++ bikes, garbed in $300+ cycling gear, with $100+ helmets, but without a $5 bell.

And don't forget my new Yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brooklynbridgebikerider

"On your left" has worked fine for me throughout the years.

:thumb:

"On your left" has worked fine for me throughout the years.

:thumb:

I am finding that way too many people (non biker) will actually turn INTO you by turning left when they hear that. I've been using the old "watch it, watch it, watch it" but that must be done earlier than an "on your left."

I own five bikes, and each one of them has a bell. I use the bells often. It works better than any verbal warning.

I own five bikes, and each one of them has a bell. I use the bells often. It works better than any verbal warning.

I've ridden behind people with bells and when they ring them most of the times pedestrians move to the left or right. I slow down significantly, issue the verbal warning, and am ready to unclip if the person doesn't know where to go. It would be nice if the "slow moving people/vehicles stay to your right" rule was an instinctual response but alas it is not.

It is in some areas. I find it odd that in London, where people drive on the left, they walk on the right. No one could explain this to me satisfactorily.

Would that be the little red lighthouse next to the great grey bridge?

Reference recognized and smiled at.

One of my kids' favorite books, and we live near it.

I distinctly remember my kindergarten teacher reading that to the class.