Originally Posted by
Boondocksaints
Pretty cool place in Manhattan is to go across the bridge onto Randall's Island. There's a bike path there. From there, you can even get on another bridge into Astoria.
Then you should ride the NYC Century, a Transportation Alternative ride in Sept.
You can start at Central Park or Prospect Park, do various distances out to 100 and see parts of NYC you would never find on you own. The TransAlt route developers know the city remarkably well.