Just curious: What gearing are you rocking on the Samson?
I used to do that climb coming home from work when I lived in Washington Heights. It was manageable on 42/17, but when i upgraded to 46/17, I wussed out and switched routes to go through Central Park instead. Now that I live in Queens, I kinda miss bombing down that hill at 8am and taking the greenway all the way to 23rd.