Parkway Training Day

Distance Traveled: 70.28 miles

This morning I managed to make my way all the way from the Manhattan Bridge to Coney Island on certified bike paths. That's pretty impressive when you consider that it's 10 miles straight through the heart of Brooklyn. Most of that distance, from Prospect Park all the way south to Coney Island, is in a class 1, separated greenway running along the Ocean Parkway. That's 10 miles. It was a very interesting ride. I'll start from the beginning. As I made the ascent to on the Manhattan Bridge, I noticed a fresh looking line of green paint below on Pike St (depicted right). It turns out that a bike lane had literally just been installed a week before (according to my tour guide Ejai from the day before). I can also attest to the freshness of this lane because I was recently down on Pike St. waiting for bus (which never came), and I don't recall there being any bike lane. Often times, bridge approaches will be painted green to indicate that you are riding the correct path. Downtown Brooklyn always confuses me. To make matters worse, the bike map doesn't like to tell you where streets like... I don't know, "Jay St" suddenly become one way in the wrong direction. I won't confirm or deny this happening, but the important thing is that I eventually wound up in Grand Army Plaza. This is the location of the memorial arch (depicted left), and the Brooklyn Public Library (depicted right), which is a great research institution by the way. From there, I headed into Prospect Park along its car-free roadway. On my way in I could not help but pass through a small farmers market. Not unlike Central Park, Prospect Park was designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead and has a road looping through it with variable hours for automobiles.

The Park is very beautiful. I would like to spend more time exploring it. All in good time... I left from the southeast end of the park at the beginning of the Ocean Parkway. Usually roads like the parkway are off limits to bicycles because of their high traffic volume and safety. Unfortunately it seems that I neglected to take any pictures of the parkway.

It was a Saturday in Brooklyn, so it goes without saying that I saw a lot of Jews out and about in full dress. What struck me were the differences in head-wear in different locations. I did a little bit of research about it and found out that the different hats indicate different types of Judaism.

I reached Coney Island and rode along the Boardwalk. Coney Island has a truly fascinating history. I already had a world class tour of the island during an independent study of Brooklyn two springs ago, so I won't lie about the real reason for going to Coney island, and that would be... Lunch! I have had a craving for Nathan's lately, and you can't do any better than the original. This was the first Nathan's, and is, today, host to the annual international hot dog eating competition. It was completely worth it. I went for the classic Nathan's specialty which was an original hot dog, fires and a drink (depicted left). From there, I headed to the Rockaway Peninsula on the other side of Jamaica Bay.

I should interject here and note that I saw so many beaches to day that it felt like I was at the Jersey shore. The lower half of the island reminded me of Roosevelt Island, only not quite as strange. In similar fashion there is one main road that runs down the length of the southern half of the island. I noted a lot of private property sins all over the place. One thing I found particularly interesting was a 9/11 memorial (depicted right). Two I beams stand in the shape of a cross at the end of a long wooden promenade leading out onto the beach. It's a beautiful view of Coney Island. The primary deck is lined with glass panels devoted to each of the residents lost on that day.

After that I headed northeast again until I came to Riss Park, part of Gateway National Recreation Area. There was a beautiful beach, packed with people along with a playground, some Fields, and a bunch of walking paths. I continued up the island, and noticed a distinct difference from the lower half. This area more resembled a Jersey shore town like Asbury, or Ocean Grove, than the lower half. There weren't a lot of "No trespassing" signs, and the houses seemed slightly more spread out.

I traveled over the Marine Parkway Bridge (depicted right) to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The bottom half of this island is commercialized. The greater majority and Northern half of the island is all reserved for the wildlife. I didn't stop, but there there is a lot of vegetation, and one central road. What I though most interesting was that there were two parallel paths to take through the refuge. One was a class 2 bike lane, meaning that it is a painted bike lane in a main road with signage. The other was a class 1 bicycle path, which means that it is completely separate from automobile traffic. One can either ride with Traffic or go over to thew other end of the street and ride directly next to the wildlife refuge. This may suggest that the separated bike paths, which i should also note are utilized by pedestrians, are there to facilitate more of an experience rather than simple transportation. What I mean is that without the pressure of automobiles and other cyclists which may occupy the street, the greenways are often scenic and out of the way. In my last post I discussed the duality of cycling as both transportation and tourism. Perhaps the utilization of such ends is determined by the location, type and expansiveness of the infrastructure.

I then took the Joseph Addobbo Bridge into Queens. This put me directly on the Shore Parkway (depicted right), another class 1 separated bike path. What struck me about this experience was the amount of space devoted to automobiles. Here I am in the heart of one of the world's largest, busiest, most affluent cities, and all I can see is the ocean and a huge expressway full of vehicles. Even in the somewhat limited confines of a city, it seems essential that we set aside ample room for nothing other than vehicular operation. I can only imagine how many homes, businesses and parks could fit into the same space as that gigantic roadway.
I took the far from scenic parkway all the way down to Bedford Ave. (depicted left). Then I headed back to Manhattan. Why Bedford? Bedford runs all the way from Coney Island to The Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan, and just so happens to have a bike lane in the street. This was a sociologist's dream, because it is basically a cross section of Brooklyn. Between Avenue X and Brooklyn College, the predominant ethnic group in the street was Jewish. After the college, the visible African American presence increased. In addition to the ethnic change, there was a difference in how space was being utilized. As I rode by, I saw at least 3 consecutive blocks shut down for block parties. The surroundings became more commercial as apposed to the predominance of residencies to the south. As Manhattan came into view, the ethnic diversity increased; I saw more of a mixture of people. Towards the Northern end of Bedford Ave, I followed the bicycle specific signs indicating the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge.

I don't think I've taken the time to talk about this particular suspension bridge. Oh boy! The Williamsburg Bridge was the second bridge to be constructed across the East River, and the first to break the Brooklyn Bridge's record as the longest in the world. After a 20 year standing, the Williamsburg bridge beat the glorious Brooklyn Bridge in 1903. This bridge is a true joy to ride on. The pedestrian walk/bikeway is huge. On either end it ascends straight up the middle of the bridge, and then splits into two different paths at the towers. Then you ride within the bridge's superstructure across the central span, as the subway roars by. This is probably my second favorite bridge in the city, because of the ride. It also has a pretty cool view of midtown (depicted below).