icyclist 

In March, I'll visit my daughter in Manhattan for a few days (she lives on the Lower East Side). I was there a year ago in January and I loved seeing so many people on bikes. I wanted to return this year and do some riding myself.

Assuming weather is OK, I plan to rent or maybe even purchase a bike (and ship it to my home in Los Angeles), and explore the city while my kid is at work. I'll probably have most of two days.

My street riding skills in L.A. are excellent (I'm old, I still have my reflexes, and I have a lot of experience). On my visit last year to NYC, I wasn't paying all that much attention to what it was like to ride a bike in Manhattan. I've now looked at some videos and it does, by L.A. standards, look scary.

Still, I plan to ride the both streets and paths. I've got a Manhattan bike map, and I have a vague sense of where things are.

- I'd love to ride from one end of the island to the other, and/or circumnavigate it. I want to ride beneath the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, through Central Park and by the U.N. I want to stop occasionally for photos and hotdogs. I don't want to try the subways unless the situation is desperate. I can ride up to fifty miles in a day without a problem. I'm not too up on the bridges of NYC yet, and not entirely sure I want to leave Manhattan, but I certainly could.

- I don't plan to use a lock, since I don't plan to leave my bike. I'm a little concerned about rest stops. I figure I can pull into bike shops and beg the use of the restroom, and I'm going to try to research other places where my bike will be safe for a couple of minutes.

- I'm going to bring my own pedals and shoes, and a helmet. Maybe lycra, which is acceptable everywhere in Los Angeles - but would it be out of place in Manhattan?

Any advice?

Stacy

Hmmm maybe they should add public restrooms to the NYC Bike Map

One of the best things about downtown Manhattan is that we have plenty of bike lanes. You can ride as easy or as hard as you like. A perimeter ride of Manhattan is only about 32 miles and can easily be completed in a few hours. Most of this route is on the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway and there are public restrooms in FDR Park, at the South Street Seaport, at Battery Park, Battery Park City, Chelsea Piers, Riverside Park, Fort Washington Park, Inwood Hill Park and Carl Schurz Park. Most of them are located in single story brick bildings with the NYC Park's Maple Leaf logo.

Central Park has a wonderful 6 mile loop that's one of the most popular places for cyclists and joggers. There are car free hours and although some of the facilities are closed for the season, the restroom next to the 72nd Street Boathouse seems to be open year round.

I would highly recommend picking up a kryptonite lock or something similar. Most places aren't too happy about having bikes inside and you might want to check out the interior of the Chrysler Building, Empire State building, or even the New York Public Library. Oh and don't forget a ride down the bike lane in Times Square or the path across the Brooklyn Bridge.

buzzman

#1- Bring a good lock. And still keep an eye on your bike.

#2- It's NYC wear what you want. You can walk around in your pajamas in NYC and people hardly give a second look.

#3- I recommend doing at least one of the bridges just for the fun of it. I love going over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn stopping at a cafe and a roll through Prospect Park.

#4- The West Side bike path rocks just watch for crossing vehicles esp. limos, taxis, buses and trucks.

#5- The bike lanes, for the most part, (especially on the streets e-w)work pretty well but some people use them as their personal parking lot so you'll have to negotiate them once in a while.

#6- The east side is a bit more of a challenge than the west. Especially around the UN. If you don't mind riding the avenues (n-s), which have a bit higher average speed and some real crazies- watch the cabs.

#7- Central Park is sweet to ride- a nice loop.

#8- In addition to taxis SUV's from Jersey are particularly dangerous beasts for some reason.

#9- that NYC bike map is great. Carry two in case you leave one in that cafe in Brooklyn.

#10- Have fun in the Big Apple!

dendawg

Also check the websites of the local clubs. There might be rides you could join on the weekends and sometimes on weekdays.
www.5bbc.org
www.nycc.org

icyclist 

Thanks - I think I learned an important reality - I'm going to have to leave my bike alone for the time I'm in a restroom. I guess that means I'm buying a good lock or bringing one w/ me.

> If you don't mind riding the avenues (n-s), which have a bit higher average speed and some real crazies- watch the cabs.<

I guess I'll find out.

One thing I noticed from a couple of videos - bike lanes were on the left. Are they also on the right? That's something you wouldn't find in L.A.

Stacy

I think in general bike lanes tend to be on the left on streets where there are busses. If there's no bus, or there never was a bus route on that street, the bike lane will probably be on the right. Occasionally they even run down the middle of the street if DOT feel that's the safest route for bicycles to get through an intersection. They're usually well marked. Some of them are even painted green.

noteon 

Keep an eye on the Northeast forum. Occasionally a few of us do impromptu night rides, often a partial circumnavigation of the island, usually ending with food.

dendawg

Actually some of the park rest rooms (when they are open) are large enough to bring your bike in with you. One of the clubs I think had a list on their websites of rest rooms that you could bring a bike into. One that comes to mind is the one at the Rambles Shed in Central Park.

40 Cent

Welcome, icyclist. NYC isn't really that scary for cyclists. I always feel less safe in the suburbs where drivers aren't so used to bikes. And I second Noteon's notion. Log back into the NE forum when you're in town if you want to join a ride.

The bike store bathroom thing may work. Wrenches gotta pee, right? Buy a tube. You'll use it, eventually, and it's cheaper (and lighter) than a Kryptonite lock.

I'll reiterate some of the same suggestions. One of the East River bridges. The Brooklyn Bridge can be crowded. The Manhattan Bridge, not crowded and still some beautiful views. Riding down Broadway through Times Square is thrilling.

To go up and down Manhattan quickly, 1st Ave (up) and 9th Ave (down) are, in my opinion, the fastest. I even think you make it faster up 1st Ave. than on the car-free greenways. And the UN is on 1st Ave. and 42nd.

You say 50 miles/day is no problem; I would suggest a ride over the George Washington Bridge then. It's a terrific view. And there's wonderful biking on the New Jersey side as well, if you want to explore that far.

And again, for the lock, I'll bet you can get away without it. But I'm frugal, and on days where I put in a lot of miles, I don't like lugging it. With this recession, many little restaurants aren't that crowded, and probably wouldn't mind a little chain grease on the wall from a paying customer.

Welcome. Have fun. Drop a note if you want company on your tour.

TiberiusBTkirk

during the day when bars are usually less crowded,
they'll let you use their restroom and most if not all are bike friendly.
I like the restroom in the World Financial center, you can lock your bike outside with the yachts.

jyossarian

My advice? Ride up to the Cloisters. Most people forget Manhattan extends up through Harlem all the way to Inwood. There's also some technical mtb trails and a pump track nearby at Highbridge Park. Some really good food up there too.

Lucky07

icyclist,
I'm pretty sure you can rent a bike at NYCVelo & pick up a bike map there. You can take 1st ave north to the 80's then take a left & ride a few blocks over to Central Park. The loop of Manhattan is a fun ride (esp up near the Cloisters, as jyo points out), but it's not a continuous bike path. The bike map will help with that.

noteon 

Speaking of the area up my way...when does the Cherry Walk bloom? Isn't that around March?

zacster

Most of the above is good advice. The only thing I'll add is to watch yourself on the main crosstown streets, 14th, 34th, 42nd, 57th. I just can't see riding on these on a weekday, but there are plenty of alternatives. The Brooklyn Bridge is worth checking out, even just a ride up to the towers and back just for the view. Bike lanes are on the left because of the buses.

On a nice day the west side bikeway and Central Park are crowded with cyclists, joggers, bladers, and walkers. Most keep to their own space. The only place I've ever been as crowded with cyclists as these is Chicago's Lake Front bike/walkway.

Stacy

According to the date on this photo I did last year, mid April.

obersts001

I think a few things should be on the "must-do" list: the CP loop, the West Side Greenway from Battery Park to the George Washington Bridge, and the Brooklyn Bridge. The Manhattan Bridge is a much easier commute but it drops you into Chinatown, which is like a deathmarch for cyclists, and there's something special at the Brooklyn Bridge that supercedes the hassle, even with all the walkers on it. And once over the Brooklyn Bridge, you can easily head over to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade (not a cycling area but very nice views). However, the East River bike path is not a good ride, and I would *never* ride in Midtown unless I absolutely had to. If I were constructing a mini-tour, it would be something like this:

-- Get your bike somewhere uptown and do the CP loop. Depending on where you get into the park, you might end up doing not quite a full loop, or even a loop and a half.
-- At the northern end of the park (that is, at the bottom of the big hill), go out on to Powell Boulevard, then bear left at St. Nicholas Avenue and follow bike signs to the GWB.
-- The bike signs to the GWB will eventually take you to Fort Washington Avenue. Take this two-way street with a bike lane to the end, which is Fort Tyron Park. Great views of the Hudson from here!
-- Head back down Fort Washington Ave, but before you get to the GWB, you can go down to the Hudson River near the little red lighthouse. I think this is 181st Street.
-- Head south on the Greenway to Battery Park City. Go all the way to the end to Battery Park (it's mostly pedestrian at the end but bikes are allowed), then turn around and head back the way you came. Massive views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty from the southern tip, and the World Financial Center with the megayachts in the marina is a nice rest stop as well.
-- There are signs along the Greenway that tell you how to go from the West Side to the Brooklyn Bridge. Follow the signs across town - I think it's Chambers Street, but someone else who does this more frequently can confirm that. If it's a weekend, you might want to take a detour to Wall Street, which is a bit more south, and ride among the canyons.
-- Get to City Hall Park, through it, and then you'll be at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Follow the tourists or ask a cop where the walkway entrance is.
-- At the end of the Bridge on the Brooklyn side, follow the bike path that goes left off the bridge, so that effectively you do a U-turn and are heading under the bridge. This will take you to the waterfront on the Brooklyn side.
-- Get an ice cream in a cup, in a bag from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. This is not negotiable!
-- Go back up the little hill and turn right, following the signs to the Promenade. Get off the bike. Sit on a bench and eat the ice cream.
-- Head back through the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood and toward the bridge entrance. I would in an ideal world go to DUMBO as well, but its cobblestone streets are impassable for bikes. If you're really ambitious, you could head over to Park Slope and Prospect Park, which is the "other" great biking park in NYC. (Check out NYC Bike Maps to figure out how to get there, but don't plan on using the most direct routes, which are Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. Both are seriously dangerous.)
-- Head back over the Brooklyn Bridge, and return as you came OR, if you must, ride through Midtown on bike paths by following Lafayette Street north to 9th Street west, then turn left on to 6th Avenue (Ave of the Americas) which would take you back up to Central Park. You'd kinda pass by the ESB at 34th Street, as well as Bryant Park (41st and 6th) and Radio City Music Hall (50th and 6th).

Good luck, and wear a good helmet!

zacster

There is a route now from the west side bikeway to the Brooklyn Bridge that isn't on Chambers, but on the street one block south. I haven't followed it yet as it only went up in the last few months. Just follow the signs.

noteon 

Nice!

icyclist 

Thanks for all the great ideas. I'll have a full plate of rides.

Stacy

Thanks. When the Cherry Trees are in bloom it's pretty hard to resist photographing them.

buzzman

It's posts like this that remind me how much I LOVE NY!

Not only will a NY'er take the time to create a ride description but it will be fabulous ride description. I did a ride like this a couple of years ago and added a loop out to Coney Island for a hot dog and a beer.

It's fun to ride in NYC with a purpose- "the search for the perfect pickled herring", "the search for the perfect slice of pizza", "the search for the best beer with a view" etc.

No other city I can think of has so much to offer.

Enjoy!

KitN

Agreed! You'll have a great time. Just plan ahead, come prepared and have fun!

ADDITION: Although there are a some places that don't mind you bringing your bike inside, you can not rely on it so you must have a solid bike lock. You can not leave your bike unattended, even for a moment. Turn around and I guarantee you that it'll be gone!

If you rent a bike, the bike rental place normally includes a bike lock in the rental fee. Some places charge an small extra fee for the lock (which I don't like) but get the lock all the same.

Free online NYC bike trip routing: www.ridethecity.com
Free online NYC bike maps: www.nycbikemaps.com

noteon 

If you do stuff that takes you through Harlem (eg, the George Washington Bridge, the Cherry Walk, Nyack, the Cloisters), keep in mind that Dinosaur BBQ, one block off the greenway at 132nd, has a bike rack and outdoor tables.

jeebusaurousrex

Another small idea is to ride early morning on a weekend, before 8AM and you'll be able to ride "through" Grand Central on Park Ave *edit - with minimal car traffic to deal with*. It's one of my favorite things to do.

Depending on how you feel, you can enter Central Park on it's south-east corner, do nearly a full loop, exit at 7th Ave on the south side and shoot straight down through Times Sq. Again, if you do this early enough, you won't have to deal with too many tourists.

Cut across to 5th or 6th Ave and you'll pass right by the Empire State Building (I prefer 5th). A few moments later you'll pass by Madison Square Park, then 14th Street to check out the green market. Another few blocks will bring you back to the Lower East Side!

Definitely bring a lock and map out the big bookstores along your route (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc), they are solid places to take a quick bathroom break!

sukram

This is a great thread. Really. There is so much to see in NYC and getting around by bike is a fantastic way to get a taste of it. Locals often step up with some pride and point out the cool things, great to see everyone doing that here.

So much has been covered already anything else I'd add would just get lost in the din.

So, enjoy your visit and ride safe!