3/16/03 I bike to the 71st street pier twice, watch Erin do flips after losing Pringles, see Elana and a guy with no shirt, and George!, etc.:







This is my bike. I got one for myself when I was a Junior at NYU, almost a year ago. And I fell in love with the ability to get the city out of my head for an hour as I biked up the west side of the island on the new bike path that runs from Battery Park to the George Washington Bridge... about 200 blocks. Almost 10 miles.


The first time I thought about getting a bike was while riding my electric scooter, Sophomore year. The battery life was very limiting, and I had difficulty with what to do with the damned thing when I arrived at my destination. I couldn't park it on the street because it would have been stolen in a moment, and nobody would let me bring it inside because it was still "a bicycle, and we don't allow those in here."


Then, while looking for contact information of an old camp friend, Emily Brochin, on line, I came across a couple articles about her. They told the story of how she spent one of her recent summers as the photographer of a band called Bicycle. The band leader loved biking, and they would literally tour the country, with all their gear, and Emily, on bikes. So Emily biked from DC to Boston or Maine in the course of one summer, making stops along the way to photograph the band. I was inspired. I didn't think people who weren't "Bikers" could do that.


And then, another thing happened. I was driving to my camp two years ago in May to memorialize Ernst, as he had just passed away. He's the guy who founded my camp. Probably the most brilliant man I will ever know. He was 99. And on my way driving up the FDR on a beautiful day in May, I noticed something strange about the downtown lanes. They were filled with bikes, not cars. By the thousands, ringing their bells and yelling, and just having a wonderful time. And I made a point of finding out what that was all about.


Apparently, what I had seen was Bike New York 2001. It's the largest bike tour in the country, with over 30,000 participants... all on bikes... of every shape and model. Bikes for 2, for 3, for 4, for 8. Bikes you lay down in. Bikes you sit up in. Bikes you lean forward on. Bikes with rear view mirrors, bells, lights, baskets, computers, motors, and everything else.


And with all of these factors combined, I was resolved, in 2002, to get a bike, sign up for Bike New York, and participate in that strange event. And I did. I got a bike in April, and just started biking every day. Bike New York allowed me, and 29,999 other people to have free reign of 42 miles of roads, highways, and bridges, in all 5 boroughs. We went through central park, up to 135th st, and then into the Bronx, over the Triborough Bridge, back to Manhattan, down the FDR (as I had seen last year), across the 59th Street bridge to Queens, up to Astoria, down the BQE to Brooklyn, and then on to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (the longest in the hemisphere) to Staten Island. It must screw up traffic royally, but it sure is fun!


And I'll be doing it again this year if anyone is interested in doing it with me. It costs 30-40 dollars, and you just... go.


Anyway, I had that bicycle stolen from me, while parked on a bike rack in front of a taxi stand, in a lit area, at the Port Washington Train Station that August.


After walking home to Manorhaven (45mins) and contemplating loss, I told my family, who came together for me, all pitching in on my birthday (also in August), allowing me to get a new one. The 2003 model of the same bike. I love my family! Thankyou!


And it's just been wonderful. I biked in August, September and October until it got too cold. And since November I have been suffering, itching to get back to my daily routine of biking along the west side of Manhattan, through Battery Park City, up Hudson River park, to 59th st, where it becomes the under-construction Riverside Park South... to about 71st street, where there is a public space built onto a pier that sticks straight out into the Hudson!


And today... it was finally warm enough again to get back on my bike and go!



I was to meet Erin on the 71st st. Pier at about noon. The night before, after coming back from her place, I bought some cold cuts, made some sandwiches, and picked up a juice. This morning I attached all this to the frame of my bike using gaffers tape, which was quite effective. I am contemplating getting a basket or something that will allow me to carry some things on my bike. But this worked fine.



Erin loved it out there. Here she is looking into the water.


And here she is eating the Pringles that she brought. These Pringles soon became a disaster:



We were sitting there, discussing how clean the water is nowadays... to the point that the Hudson River Park actually has kayaking in the HUDSON! And some people swim in it now. And lots of people fish in it. You wouldn't do that in the 60's and 70's!


And a wind picks up, and takes the top of the Pringles can... you know... the top you pop... that once you pop you can't stop... that top. And it ends up on its side, and it rolls way from us, under the railing, into the water. And Erin was so upset! She starts yelling "No! No!" And I'm like... "you're just going to have to eat all of them now." And she says, "No, silly, I'm not upset about the Pringles, I'm upset that we just polluted the Hudson!" So we had a good laugh, as my aluminum foil rolled away, into the Hudson, prompting more disappointment and laughing.


We went to the railing to look at the other garbage that occasionally floated by, and I got this photo:




I even got a movie of that, because the water in motion makes it even cooler:

Click here for Movie of our reflection in the water.


Then Erin pointed out a father and son who were standing next to us. The father was pointing out the George Washington Bridge to the son. It's visible in the distance, up the Hudson. And Erin told me that she had heard a bit of their conversation as they were both arriving. And that the Father, before, was telling the son about the world trade center as something that used to exist. You know, like "The World Trade Center were these two buildings that aren't there anymore." The whole reason this is something to mention is that Erin and I agree that we've both thought it weird that kids who are young today will always know the WTC as something that WAS, not something that went away. And this was that concept playing out in reality, right in front of Erin. Here's a picture of them:




The general atmosphere was very nice. It wasn't too crowded, but definitely, people were out to take advantage of that "first day of good weather of the season." The fact that it fell on a Sunday helped to make people available to enjoy it. It was the happiest day I've seen the general populous of this city have in a while. Well needed. Well deserved.






And so Erin and I were ready to go. And she reaches to pick up her can of Pringles, and misses, knocking it onto the ground, spilling its contents onto the deck:




After taking this photo.... I helped her clean them up. These Pringles were just not meant to be eaten.


And we walked... well, Erin walked, and I biked at 3mph alongside her, to her place of work... a children's party/class gymnastics place. Erin is a party host/coach. It's on 87'th and B'way.



This is somewhere along West End Ave. Upper West Side between Riverside and Broadway. A lovely area. I spent my first 2.5 years of life in this neighborhood. Then my brother was born and we moved to LONG ISLAND. No resentment there. :)



Before the birthday party arrived, Erin showed me the inside:



I HATED these places as a kid. I hated all planned activities with people I didn't know telling me what to do at some place I was unfamiliar with. I was always the kid crying in the corner. Erin is the girl that had to deal with me.





Erin's name is on the whiteboard on the wall:




Erin even wears a shirt with her name printed on it like a nametag, and makes nametags for all of the kids at the party:




But Erin isn't just there to entertain. Not all just looks! She's quite talented herself. And she showed me one of her gymnastics abilities. She took gymnastics as a small child, much like the kids she now teaches... for many years. And it shows:


Click Here for movie of Erin doing flip with twist thing.


And then the kids started to show up for the party:








This is how I left her... surrounded by 5 and 6 year olds... coloring with them. It's a high-drama high-energy job, and I was out of breath just sitting there for the half hour leading up to the party as the kids came in, and one of the parents went to get an icy pop for a little girl who is allergic to birthday cake, and the parents insisted on using their own bowl as they are kosher, and one girl wouldn't let go of another because she was scared, and another didn't want to change into her gym shorts.... OH MY GOD! And Erin was a vortex of calm at the center of all of this. It was amazing. I hear she is a pretty good actress too.


So then I met up with Elana Fishbein at a bus stop near Erin's work. Elana was in the city at the Guggenheim to see what she says is a particularly strange exhibit.


I biked next to her as we walked back down to "my pier." She's not been there before either.


We walked on Riverside, along Riverside park proper from 87th to 72nd. Along the way we saw some outcroppings of rock, with kids playing on them. Parents... is this a good idea!?



And we sat on the pier for a little bit, as Elana talked on her cell phone, planning the rest of her evening.

Who's that guy smiling at me with no shirt on?





We decided to go back to my place. But I had my bike, and Elana did not. So I told her to wait 15 minutes, and then take the subway. And I biked back.


PHOTO TOUR OF THE HUDSON RIVER PARK FROM 71st STREET PIER TO BATTERY PARK CITY

Here is a shot from the end of the pier looking back to the island of Manhattan:





And here's one at the Manhattan end looking out:



I took a lot of pictures along the way, so here they are, from the pier to downtown, roughly in order:



This billboard sits just to the side of the pier. It details the plans for the construction of Riverside Park South. In the final phase, it even calls for burying the West Side Highway in a tunnel, to get the park out from under the viaduct. I'll believe it when I see it.



At the pier.



Other bikes on the pier.



This is under the West Side Highway... at Riverside Park South, which is currently under construction along the waterfront. It will make for a very interesting park, with the water and sky juxtaposed with the abandoned industrial equipment rotting along the shoreline, all underneath the busy West Side Highway:

That's the 71st street pier on the right, and a rotting machine that used to lift railcars off of boats, and put them on tracks, as the entire park (and the 16 trump buildings behind it) is being built on an old rail yard.


Here's the temporary bikeway through Riverside Park South as they are still building the park.



Here's my speedometer. It says I'm doing 12ish mph. Yes, I am able to take photos as I bike. I can also juggle while riding a unicycle.



From 59th St. to Cambers Street, at BPC, it is the new Hudson River Park. This park is HUGE!!! And very thin, entirely between the West Side Highway or West St. and the Hudson. But it is of Central Park Scale in terms of modern park construction.



The path itself is wonderful for biking. Smooth. Mostly flat. And heavily marked to handle the traffic. Only in NYC would you get bike and rollerblade TRAFFIC of this proportion!





The bike path passes many noticables, including the intimidating hull of the Intrepid. Has anyone from New York been to that museum? Because, from the looks of things, everyone from everywhere else has.



More people on the path.



Here's Pier 54, which is just a big paved pier. Not nearly as nice as the one at 71st street. I assume they'll be putting more stuff on this pier over time.


I find this very interesting. Boston has the Big Dig, in which they just built a new "cable stayed" bridge over the Charles River. And in New York, our first "cable stayed" bridge, is a pedestrian overpass over West St. to help tourists get to the Intrepid and the Circle Line cruises.

"Cable stayed" is that new kind of suspension bridge that has cables fanning out from a central tower instead of cables coming vertically off a bigger cable that hangs between two towers (like the Brooklyn bridge). It's apparently more efficient because you don't need huge ballasts at the far ends of the bridge to counteract the forces pulling the two towers of the bridge towards each other. Brian? Physics? Back me up on this one?



Here is a new comfort station that is part of the park under construction. This is the part of the bike path that is near the West Village and Chelsea.



Playground on a pier? Coming soon to a park near you.



This looks like its going to be a water fountain... on the waterfront. I love it.



At 34th Street you pass directly next to a heliport. VIP's getting shuttled by copter to their estates in NJ, Westchester, Long Island's gold coast, and CT. Limos are often the preferred transportation to and from the heliport. I ring my bell at them to get out of my way. :)



This is where the path curves around Chelsea Piers at 23rd St. It's a welcome curve, as much of the path is very straight with slight adjustments along the way. Chelsea piers includes a large sports complex where you can go bowling, play basketball, do rock climbing, rent roller blades, and much more, all for a ridiculous price.



This pier, just north of BPC, was turned into a recreational area, including Mini Golf! You can often hear people shouting at their balls from the bike path.





This is down at Chambers St. You can make a right and use the Esplanade, continuing to follow the water line around Battery Park City, or continue straight on, along West Street on the formal continuation of the Bike Path. The Esplanade is the scenic route, and the Path is the quick route. I use it when I'm tired and want to go home. But on the way out, I always use the Esplanade. See the Battery Park City page for more pictures of that.



Some people still like to skateboard. In fact, at one location along Hudson River Park, near Chambers Street, they actually built a skateboard/rollerblade ramp park... you know, all those ramps that they like to use to do tricks on. Those rascals.



So there you have it. Some of the highlights of the new and still incomplete Hudson River Park. The only way to really experience it is to bike it yourself. Day or night. It's lit, and well patrolled and populated at almost all hours. Especially when the weather is good.


Here is the pedestrian walkway over West St. at my street, Rector St. Almost home!


Back home, Elana and I bided our time until she had to go meet her Parents and Grandparents, who, like good Jews, live on the Lower East Side. Very Lower East Side. Like Essex and Grand Lower East Side. God bless.


And I planned the rest of my evening. George, a friend from Film School, was to come over. Erin as well. And Erin's friend from California, who was coming to town, was going to come direct to my place to meet up with Erin.




Meet George. He's awesome. He looks like a Mongolian crusader here. But he usually gets Japanese. Well, you're all wrong. He's Korean. K O R E A N! Aren't we at war with half of them or something? George... are you a good witch, or a bad witch?


This is Erin's friend. She was very nice. We all had a lovely conversation and forgot to play cards... which Erin doesn't much like to do anyway.


Erin's friend (can't remember the name. Someone remind me?) wrote the directions to my place on her hand. I wanted to picture of that, so I could just give people that picture when they wanted to find their way down here. That way, they wouldn't have to puck up their own hand. But the picture came out too blurry, and her HAND writing is atrocious!



George brought over some goodies for us to have, including chips and dip, M&M's, Sprite, and Babybell cheeses.... Speaking of those cheeses, George apparently bought the one that currently comes with one extra one free. But, they took the extra step of actually packaging the free cheese differently than the others. "THAT'S the free cheese!" And nobody wanted to eat that one.



Here's Erin. I think George took this shot while I was in the bathroom, because I really don't remember taking this one. And George owns a camera just like mine... so it's possible...



This is what the underside of my loft bed looks like. Erin's friend was asking about it. It's all the DVD's I've ever burned incorrectly, including the 35 that I gave to Hewitt school on which I had misspelled the name of the HEADMASTER in the opening credits... and had to redo all of them!




And this is where George and I went to get Philly Cheese Steaks for dinner while the girls stayed at my place and caught up on gossip on all their CA friends that we don't know anything about. This place is on Trinity/Church and Liberty. EXCELLENT Philly cheese steaks with mushrooms, peppers, and cheese.


And after we ate and gabbed some more, everyone left.


I decided, at about 11:15pm, with the gorgeous warm air, to make a second trip to my favorite pier. That's 2 trips in one day, totaling 26 miles.


Here are the photos from that trip that need no explanation. I love this city.















And now... the special photo of the day. If you've made it this far, you deserve it.


Invariably, when I bike along the Hudson from the Battery to 71st street, I see something odd. My favorite is when I saw an African land turtle being walked. It wasn't making much progress. But that's o.k. because the owner said it will live for about 120 years!


Anyway, here was today's sighting:



Next time I see this guy, I'm going to do a 180, tail him wherever he goes, and get a picture of him either trying to get off the thing... or wiping out.

I mean.. Jesus! What does this guy do at intersections? How does he get on? What happens if he get cut off, or hits a rock? And this coming from someone who can ride a unicycle... at least I'm NEAR THE GROUND!