Biking the City

I would really like to rent a bike one day and tour the city. Is Central Park the best idea for that?

Biking the City

I would say that Central Park would be your best bet. You%26#39;ll be able to see a lot more of it too in a shorter amount of time, compared to walking. Have fun!

Biking the City

I guess if you are a seasoned biker, going outside of Central Park and actually biking through the city streets is possible. But you may not want to try that once you see what the traffic is like! One of my favorite things to do is stand on a corner and watch delivery people on bikes not get killed. It%26#39;s pretty amazing...

Rassi- LOL I agree it WOULD be impossible!

We actually bike all over in NYC, and do not get killed on a regular basis. ;o) So it can be done! (Just biked Prospect Park to Brighton Beach yesterday!)

Having said that, I wouldn%26#39;t recommend random street cycling for a first timer. Some areas are not for the faint of heart.

However, I highly recommend the following:

1. Check out Transportation Alternatives and the city%26#39;s free bike maps. They are a pro-biking and pro-pedestrian organization that tries to work with city government to improve biking. Their website lists bike stores where you can rent bikes. You can also pick up a free copy of the NYC bike map at any bike store listed. The bike map indicates on-street bike lanes, off-street bike paths and ';next best streets to use if you really need to get somewhere';.

www.transalt.org

2. Bike the Big Apple - this company offers guided tours of NYC by bike. I%26#39;ve never used them, but some have posted reviews here and say they are very fun!

http://bikethebigapple.com

3. Guided bike tours of Central Park - this is a little more limited, since you can only bike on the park roads, not the walkways and paths. But, again, it gets nice reviews and you see sites of the park, like Strawberry Fields, etc.

4. Send an email inquiry to The Five Boro Bike Club, The Weekday Cyclists or New York Cycle Club. They have day rides nearly every day and go to interesting places. I believe they do not require membership to join day rides, but you have to RSVP.

www.5bbc.org (less competitive)

http://nycc.org/ (more competitive)

http://members.aol.com/trudyth/ (don%26#39;t know much about them. believe it or not, I work during the week.)

5. Bike Central Park on your own - it%26#39;s a 4 or 5 mile loop and the hills at the north end of the park are legendary. I%26#39;d reco a weekday, because the ';competition'; on the weekends from tourists, walkers, kids, etc is fierce.

6. Bike the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway - this is a lovely off-street path that runs the entire length of the west side of Manhattan. It is part of the larger Hudson River Greenway. Technically speaking, you can even bike the entire circumference of Manhattan, and about 75% of it is off-street.

These sites have links to the maps, parks dept. websites, also accident reports, brochures, etc.

roberts-1.com/bikehudson/鈥ndex.htm

nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/鈥?/a>

nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bikeped/bikemain.html

Remember - in NYC, bike helmets are required by law for anyone on a bike 14 years of age and under, not for adults, but I strongly reco you wear one anyway.

And ALWAYS lock up your bike and remove loose items such as water bottles!

Oh, a note about the very southern portion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway - currently there is a lot of construction going on near the west side of the WTC, so I believe the bike path is detoured from around Rector Street to Chambers Street.