Queens, for real this time

Distance Traveled: 40.00 miles

What an interesting day! Today was the much anticipated Tour de Queens. Because it started early in the morning all the way out in Corona Park, Queens, I decided it would be prudent to take the subway. I headed uptown to Grand Central (depicted right) to take the 7 out towards Flushing. I wasn't the only one with this idea. There were two other people in my car with bikes (depicted left). I could also see other people getting on the train with bicycles in other cars. I got off at 111st and headed straight into Corona Park. The first thing I saw was the hall of Science. What caught my eye were the giant Atlas and Titan model rockets jutting upwards out of their grounds. I'm a bit of a space enthusiast, so I couldn't help but notice a mock-up of John Glenn's Friendship 7 Mercury capsule, and the Gemini capsule atop the Titan rocket. I'll definitely have to head back there at some point. I continued towards the Queens Museum where the ride began. This museum was where the United Nations met for the first time to discuss issues on a global scale. Directly across from the front is what must be the most recognizable icon in Queens, the Unisphere (depicted left. Constructed by the United States Steel Corporation for the World's Fair in 1964, the Unisphere stands 12 stories tall. Its three cocentric rings represent the orbits of Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, American Astronaut John Glenn, and the Telstar Communications Satellite (the first active comm satellite). As the its commemorative plaque reads, the unisphere is dedicated to "man's aspirations toward Peace through mutual understanding and symbolizing his achievements in an expanding universe." this ride is organized through Transportation Alternatives, a cycling advocacy group. This ride is much more low key than the five borough. I think only about 2000 people came on this one. Before we left, there were a couple of speakers promoting advocacy. One of them said something which really stuck out in my mind. "New York City is not transformed by a couple of bike lanes. It's you." The point I am trying to make is that sustainability is about changing behavior in our daily lives. Saving the environment and becoming healthier are just byproducts of these behavioral shifts. As I found out from bike New York, the biggest problems with the cycling infrastructure is ignorance. People don't necessarily know hot to use it safely and properly. Furthermore, unless people are confident and empowered by cycling all of the infrastructure that the city has installed is useless. That being said, advocacy and education are essential to a sustainable future.

The race got off to a slow start with a constant stop and go flow to it. Once we started moving though I quickly made my way to the front of the line, which ultimately proved a little frustrating, because the woman at the front was moving kind of slow and we all had to stay behind her. There was a police escort with us blocking off streets as often as they could. Often times, this meant that the entire group had to stop while the NYPD caught up and moved ahead (depicted left). The ride took us through the eastern portion of Queens (depicted right in orange). There was one mandatory stop at York College. TA provided oranges, and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches with apples. They also gave out free energy bars.

From there we headed to Queens Blvd. otherwise known as the avenue of death. One of the things that the TA people mentioned before the ride was how dangerous this particular road is, and how they are working on getting a bike lane for it. Personally, it didn't seem any more or less dangerous than some of the roads I've been on.

One of the cool things about this ride was the intimacy of it. We actually get to ride through neighborhoods and see people. The 5 borough is kind of impersonal in that we were often riding on major roadways which are separated from regular streets, thus avoiding pedestrians all together. Here, people all along the sidewalks cheered and asked questions. the angriest thing I heard all day was "At least their wearing helmets." Another woman said, "I wanna bike!." We even got a "Jesus loves you" (depicted right).


The coolest and most important thing about these rides is the energy they generate for cycling. They create interest and awareness of cycling for existing and potential riders. It's really empowering on both ends. Even the police escort sends a message that the city fully supports the practice. 20 miles later, we arrived back at Corona. I decided to ride back into Manhattan now that I had a better sense of where I was, and since there was a whole other side of Queens to explore. On my way back I saw an example of Green streets NYC (depicted left). This is a joint project between NYDOT and the Department of Parks and Recreation. They take plane traffic mediums and fill them with trees and shrubs to create more green space in the city. Queens is a very nice place which I would like to explore in more detail. It seems like the kind of place that you can really live in. It's also the largest and most diverse borough which is obviously visible as you ride through. My day ended with the ascent up the Queensboro Bridge and back into Manhattan (depicted right).