echappist

I have looked up a few cue sheets online (including the east coast greenway), and i was wondering if anyone has any experience with biking in Westchester and coastal CT west of NH. I would prefer to stay near the coast if possible, and I would particularly like to know about the following:

-What's the best way to go from UWS to Pelham Bay? I had one suggest cutting across at 181st and another suggesting going all the way up to Marble Hill. Also, is Mosholu Parkway itself bike friendly?
-Info regarding any part of US 1 between the Bronx and Milford, CT. I recall a post from a few years ago saying that the portions in CT are quite rideable, is this still true?
-What alternatives are there to RT1. I would prefer to go at least a few miles before stopping for traffic.
-Overall, how friendly are the drivers along this route?

Many thanks in advance,

Jim

Stacy

I just got back from City Island. I used to take the West Side Greenway to Dyckman, and then over the 207th Street Bridge to Fordham Road. Eventually that turns into Pelham Parkway and goes directly into Pelham Bay Park... but I really hate that Fordham Road traffic.

Today I took the Broadway Bridge in Marble Hill and Kingsbridge, and caught the Greenway in Van Cortlandt Park. That connects with the Mosholu Greenway, which runs alongside the Mosholu Parkway. No I certainly wouldn't call the Mosholu Parkway Bike Friendly but I did see one rider zipping along in traffic. By the time I finally reached Pelham Bay, and eventually City Island, that hook through Van Courtlandt had added 5 miles and some hills to my trip. I also learned there's poison ivy in Van Cortlandt Park

You can also take the 138th Street Bridge, to Third Avenue, and then Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay. That's the end of the 6 train line and the foot of the Pelham Park Greenway. It's not particularly scenic but slightly more direct.

Oh and carrying a NYC Cycling map in your pocket is a real plus.

Papa Tom

See the post about the "Solo Long Island Ride" elsewhere in this thread. I've just spent a couple of days trying to talk someone out of doing the north shore of Long Island and INTO riding the CT shore instead.

I've ridden from Greenwich,CT all the way to Rhode Island using combinations of Rt. 1 and other roads. Rt. 1 alternates between busy turnpike and country road. Other roads pass closer to the water and provide some really nice views.

bktourer1

From Moshulu Parkway, connect to the Bronx River bicycle path and head East onto the bike/ped path towards City Island/Orchard Beach. Once near the beach connect to Shore Road which goes to New Rochelle and connect to RT1 northward. Stop at Rye Playland for lunch / swim. Rt 1 changes from quiet to busy depending on the time of day. Drivers are drivers, no telling what they might do, the same for cyclists that don't stop for stop signs/lights

botto 

NY to NH?

quite possibly the worst route to ride in the US, east of the the mississippi, if not the country as a whole.

echappist

Thanks for all the responses.

I'm going to head out as early as possible, 7:30 am at the latest (most likely beginning at 6:30am) on a saturday or sunday to do this ride. Worst comes to worst, i throw my bike on metronorth & continue north so that I can get some Pepe's pizza.

Papa Tom

>>>Worst comes to worst, i throw my bike on metronorth & continue north so that I can get some Pepe's pizza.<<<<<

Is it really THAT good?

echappist

only the white clam pizza is. otherwise it's a waste of time to stand 90 minutes only to get treated with second-rate (maybe third-rate) decor with ok service.

professorbob

Take Metronorth to New Haven and ride east from there. From Branford on, it's beautiful. And you can always go to Modern if Pepe's is too full.

Papa Tom

>>>>Take Metronorth to New Haven and ride east from there. From Branford on, it's beautiful. And you can always go to Modern if Pepe's is too full.<<<<

But be sure to use Long Wharf Drive when leaving New Haven to connect with Rt. 1 again. It's right by the waterside and it takes you away from the housing projects and gritty part of the city. After crossing New Haven Harbor, I'd get on Rt. 142, then 146 to stay near the water. As Professorbob said, there are lots of nice towns after Branford. I'd also be sure to turn right at Rt. 154 in Old Saybrook and take a loop by the water. From the other end of 154, you'll connect again with Rt. 1.

I don't know how far you want to go, so I'll stop here. Personally, I'd continue all the way to Mystic, and maybe even Stonington Village. Westerly Rhode Island and its Misquamicut Beach are also nice, as is Narragansett, Rhode Island, and, of course, Newport.

If you'd rather start in Manhattan, there's a lot of nice riding in the southwestern portion of Connecticut, too. For me, it's a little "rough" between Bridgeport and New Haven. Perhaps you can ride Rt. 1 and side roads as far as Bridgeport, then hop on Metro North to New Haven and continue from there?

echappist

I've done rides out to Guilford, Madison, and Killingworth. Great rides and great scenery. I'm actually okay with riding in the sketchy parts of towns, having lived near sketchy parts of NH and ran through the sketchy neighborhoods numerous times. Too bad i never made it out to Saybrook or Mystic. Oh well, maybe another time.

echappist

Got back from the trip, and couldn't have been more pleased other than the fact that it was really cold in the morning and that i had 10mph wind blowing in my face the whole time. Started out at 7am, and even the thoroughfares (Concourse, Fordham Rd and Pelham Pkwy) in the Bronx were pretty tame. The rolling hills were killers and the stop and go meant i could never reach top speed. Somehow this is a lot harder than going up 9W. Didn't take any pics of the shore, but i did snap a few pics in NH before i headed back.

Papa Tom

Did you end up doing NYC to New Haven, as originally planned? If so, please let StalkerZero know that it wasn't all that bad. I think he thinks I tried to get him killed!

alanapipe

Hey there,
For anyone wondering about this route, I did it a few weeks ago and wrote a blog post about the experience here:
New York City to New Haven on a Bike | geared uphill

Stay cycling y'all.