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).

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).