Not solely is fall an excellent time for what was known as “mountain biking,” however it’s additionally an excellent time for commuting by bicycle, which I don’t assume I’ve executed since Might when some brigand raided my Sackville:
Should you’re gonna drain my sack a minimum of purchase me dinner first.
In any case, the explanation I haven’t commuted by bicycle since then isn’t as a result of I used to be traumatized by this wanton violation; quite, it’s as a result of after Might it begins getting scorching–and I simply can’t with the recent. (Not in terms of a 30-plus mile round-trip Bronx-to-Brooklyn bike commute, anyway.) I understand this makes me a “woosie“…
…however at this level in my life I’d quite simply sit on an air-conditioned prepare and browse and save the driving for once I don’t should be wherever.
However fall brings the crispness, which in flip makes me wish to commute by bicycle once more–a minimum of as soon as in awhile, once I can spare the additional time. (The prepare’s simply sooner over that distance, particularly while you’re as gradual as I’m.) So yesterday that’s what I did:
Now that the Henry Hudson Bridge bike path is full and the Hudson River Greenway is detour-free I can experience from residence all the way in which to decrease Manhattan nearly fully on bike paths. The truth is I barely should put a foot down, except for this pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks in higher Manhattan:
However from there it’s just about a straight shot alongside the mighty Hudson:
The place individuals now appear to be constructing trip houses:
He didn’t like me taking photos:
It appeared quite unreasonable to me that somebody who’s appropriated a big portion of a public park for his personal private residing house must also count on complete privateness within the cut price, however now that I look extra carefully I see it was star of the silver display screen Jason Momoa and he should have thought I used to be a paparazzo:
Clearly he’s getting ready for his function within the upcoming “Down and Out In Beverly Hills” remake, entitled “Assed Out on the Higher West Facet.”
Ignoring his rantings and making an attempt desperately not to consider what he is perhaps barbecuing, I continued on, hugging the shoreline:
The commute was a lot as I remembered it, although approaching the Manhattan Cruise Terminal I used to be amazed to find a completely new part of motorbike path:
For just a few yards there it felt like being in a very completely different metropolis, how unique.
However sure, in any other case it was all the same old stuff, together with all of the riders getting on and off the Manhattan Bridge in opposition to the sunshine and driving proper throughout the trail of automotive visitors:
The Manhattan Bridge additionally had loads of bike visitors, although one way or the other I managed to seize it right here at a second the place none of it was seen:
And gas-powered motor scooters within the bike lane continues to be a factor, too:
Although now they’re a minimum of going by the difficulty of utilizing clearly faux license plate:
I used to be appalled to see an old-timey Italian slur so quickly after Italian Heritage Day.
Talking of Italian, right here’s an actual head-turner:
That’s Peak Aluminum proper there.
As for me, I used to be driving one thing magnetic:
By the way in which, the ultra-wide vary crank configuration was completely good for this experience, which is sort of fully flat besides for 2 quick however extraordinarily steep climbs in direction of the very finish.
I feel I’ll maintain it.