I love NY- what can I say?

I'm living too close to the place I'm working to justify biking to work so I'm walking to work but yesterday I had my first real day off since I got here and rode for 2.5 hours all around the city. Started at 20th Street cut over to the FDR path and wound all the way around and up to the Cloisters. Stopped in Harlem for a soda and a water and cut back over to the path on the West side for the trip back downtown. Had a great ride with "nymarathonman" (who hopped on my wheel-best way to either make a friend or foe- fortunately, he was friendly) for about a 1/2 hour at a fast pace and despite the high speed drivers, narrow streets and incredible road hazards- from twisted protruding bits of metal to huge potholes- I think it's a bike rider's paradise. Why would anyone drive a car here?