Good gravy! The warmer weather has finally arrived to stay and I have been taking advantage of it the best way I know how: Riding my bike everywhere I go. Special lady friend and I have been riding all over New York Town the last couple of weeks. Here is some of where I’ve gone and what I’ve seen:
Nice Neighborhoods- New York in the springtime is pretty awesome. Everybody loves spring. That’s no secret. But after a long, cold winter, when the streets seemed constantly covered in disgusting black snow banks, and trash piles up everywhere because they can’t sweep the streets because of said snow, spring seems to be extra important. It was a real treat to ride through quiet, pretty hoods in Brooklyn where the trees are in bloom and everyone is in a better mood.
Gateway National Recreation Area- Beautiful areas of trees and birds and turtles are not the first thing I think of when pondering Brooklyn, NY. But tucked in on the southern edge you’ll find this little treasure. There are ospreys and diamond head turtles and of course, ducks and geese. We rode here during a 20 mile bike ride around the Jamaica Bay region the other week and it was definitely the highlight of the day. Jumped off the bike to take a short hike while there. I already look forward to going back when summer is in full swing to see the difference from our early spring visit.
Randall’s Island- This place is strange. In a good way though. The special lady friend had to take a test in Harlem the other day, so I rode up to meet her at it’s conclusion. From there, we rode across the RFK bridge onto Randall’s Island. Upon arrival we were amazed at the desolation and beauty of it. There were long grassy fields along the water with flowering trees to climb and take shelter from the sun. Which we did. As we biked around, we learned it wasn’t as deserted as we thought. On the rest of the island there are around 40 sports fields and a giant track and field stadium. There were kids playing sports everywhere you looked. Baseball, football, lacrosse, track and field…and on and on. There were also tons of folks fishing in the East River. I guess they ate those fish. That sounds sketchy to me, but to each their own.
We finally saw enough and biked over to Queens. From here we rode down the coast of the river through a handful of nice looking neighborhoods and river parks, We meandered back down to Brooklyn where we got pumped for the Greensky Bluegrass show after some sandwiches. Finally, we rode back to Bushwick and to her humble abode. All in all, I think I rode almost 30 miles that day.
All in all, it’s just great to be back on the bike after so long. We’ve already got a list of other things we plan on riding to this summer, and I can’t wait to see what other surprises the city has in store for us. And hopefully my legs won’t feel as tired as they do now.
