Yes, it does suck, agreed: narrow, poor pavement, lots of zombies, I never ride it but it is there if someone wants to stay away from the traffic. Although there has been some construction going on there for a while but I haven't checked it out. They were supposed to "attach" roadway to the shore around UN and run a bike lane along that to connect the southern and norther parts of the East River greenway.

He can increase his exposure to city traffic gradually. But I agree that eventually riding on the street is the way to go. 1st and 2nd Aves are getting buffered bike lanes so maybe things will better.