Falling back in love with NYC: bicycle edition

Jackie O was an avid Manhattan cyclist!

If you’ve never taken a bike ride around Manhattan and its boroughs, you’re missing out.   It’s a totally different way to experience the City and offers a sense of freedom you don’t get from just walking around.  I became the proud owner of my very own bicycle (thanks to the extreme generosity of my amateur-cyclist uncle here in the City) back at the end of June and since then have pedaled my way around the Big Apple with great enthusiasm.  Not only does it save on taking the subway all the time, but I’ve truly seen some places I didn’t even know existed or wouldn’t have discovered solely by foot.

Biking around NYC can be challenging at times, no question.  You have to be on your guard all the time for taxis, people opening car doors, other cyclists, and of course, pedestrians and tourists.  And riding in areas without bike lanes can be hazardous if you aren’t paying close enough attention to your surroundings.  Even places WITH bike lanes can be frustrating (ahem, Times Square).  But the experience of flying around the City on two wheels is overwhelmingly exhilarating and beautiful.

The Central Park Loop

Take, for instance, Central Park.  Yes, it seems a bit clichéd to take a bike ride around the Central Park Loop (especially considering how many semi-shady-looking guys stand around Columbus Circle offering discounts on bike rentals), but having just done it last week right around sunset, I can tell you it’s really rather romantic.  For the teeniest moment, you feel as though you’re not in the City at all as you careen down tree-filled slopes and pass little ponds.  Granted, I went riding in Central Park with a rather nice gentleman, so perhaps I have some rose-colored glasses on which are making my ride seem lovelier.  We stopped near a pond I’ve never seen before and sat on a bench near the water while the sun sank lower and lower in the sky.  I didn’t even know that spot was there, but I’m pretty sure he did.

I live in the charming little neighborhood of Astoria, and it’s absolutely conducive to bicycling.  There’s an absolutely gorgeous ride to be had along the East River in Astoria Park, which offers breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline, if you’ll allow me to brag about my ‘hood for five seconds.  In the summertime, the bike paths are a little busy since they’re shared with runners and roller-bladers, but it’s the kind of ride you don’t need to hurry through anyway.  Once, I was riding through and stumbled upon a Beatles tribute concert going on and stopped for a few minutes to sing along with the crowds.  It was a fun little surprise.

Astoria Park

I also have ridden over to Roosevelt Island a few times as it’s not that far from where I live and doesn’t get much vehicular traffic, making it pretty bicycle-friendly.  Though you can also drive and take the suspended tram to RI, it’s more fun to pedal around the cobbled streets of this little gem.  It’s mainly home to the psychiatric hospital, but there are several beautiful old churches and even a stone lighthouse on the northern tip!

I don’t mean for this to sound like a tourist guidebook, but having a bike has really helped me fall back in love with New York in a lot of ways.  Not that I was ever totally out of love with this city, but there are times when it can feel cold and hard and unforgiving and all you want to do is get out.  Having a bike has helped me see glimmers of warmth and life.  It’s given me some of that freedom I crave.  It’s brought me closer to people and given me new perspectives.

It’s also just really great exercise.

The Thankful Challenge: Day 1 & 2

Every November, I participate in something called the Thankful Challenge (#ThankfulChallenge on Twitter) where each day, I pick one thing for which I’m thankful and share it with others.  I do this to remind myself to be happy for the things I have and not stress about everything I don’t have.  It gives me perspective, which in harder times like these, is pretty important.  So without further ado…

1

As the month of November begins, and the East Coast continues recovery after Hurricane Sandy, I am ever thankful today for the men and women who have been working overtime to get New York City back up and running.  I am so amazed by how quickly the MTA was able to get even some limited subway service going just days after what was the worst disaster to ever hit the NYC metro system.

Growing up in the Midwest, things like this always happened miles upon miles away, so while it was sad to see devastation on TV and in newspapers, it never truly affected me.  Being here now in the midst of it (though my street only had one fallen tree), I see how much we take for granted little things like the subways or having electricity.  Once common conveniences have become luxuries to those without them.

The sun is peeking through the clouds today, which I can only take as a sign things are on their way to getting better.  New York may have its faults, but the resilience of its people is not one of them.  That resilience is not something that can be fully documented on the news; it’s a feeling.  It’s not that New Yorkers don’t feel sorrow or helplessness, it’s that we choose to feel it for a few brief moments and then set about getting back to our daily lives come hell or high water (literally).

2

I’m thankful for Astoria, Queens.  Not only was it mostly untouched by the destructive forces of Hurricane Sandy, but it’s also a wonderful little neighborhood.  Before I moved to New York last year, I had never even been to Queens (except for LaGuardia Airport).  I had lots of former classmates who lived in Astoria, but beyond that I knew next to nothing.

Now, I’ve really settled into this area, and it feels more and more home-y every day.  The little Chinese lady who owns the Chinese restaurant a block from my apartment knows my usual order.  She calls me “sweetheart” every time I come in and always makes sure to include extra duck sauce.  My bank tellers know me by name and ask how I am.  There are real grocery stores and trees.  TREES!  Plus the most authentic Greek food you’ll find short of boarding a plane to Athens, Greece.

(If I sound like I’m writing a blurb for a travel magazine, I apologize.)

The point is that I’m thankful to live in such a place that is just minutes from New York.  It’s quieter at night, and people are a little bit nicer.  Sure, I could pay a pretty penny for an apartment the size of a shoebox to live in Manhattan, but as a Midwestern girl, I’m just fine having a little peace and quiet in the sort-of ‘burbs.