The George Washington Bridge has always been
a favorite starting point for my NYC cycling adventures, and I always enjoy the
Hudson River view, even if it was a bit overcast.
The air was cool but quite muggy, and I
found myself in for a very sweaty day – glad I had two water bottles ready to
go! This wasn’t going to be an epic ride, just over 40 miles or so, if I had
time to ride down to Central Park for a lap, but I brought along a snack
anyway.
Last time I was in NYC, the upper trail that
led to the pedestrian/cyclists crossing on the Henry Hudson Bridge was closed. Fortunately,
the wickedly steep connection was open this time around, and my legs and lungs
were quickly burning as I crossed Spuyten Duyvil Creek. The Dutch name means “spouting
devil”, in reference to the tricky tidal currents in this area where the creek
meets the Hudson River.
 |
| The swing bridge at Spuyten Duyvil used to carry freight trains heading down to NYC's High Line. |
NYC is very cycling-friendly these days,
with more bike lanes being painted or becoming road-separated every time I visit.
However, I found the condition of the Moshulu Parkway Trail to be among the
worst I’ve ever encountered, with tree roots, holes and broken pavement galore.
I don’t like it when people ride on sidewalks and would usually never do so,
but the adjacent concrete was deserted at midday, so I decided to go that route
much of the way.
The trails improved greatly, I suppose
somewhat understandably, as I neared the Botanical Gardens, but here is where I
was misdirected. The route I had plotted on my cue sheet using Google Maps had
me taking a trail along the Bronx-Pelham Parkway, and I mistakenly turned north
along a road called Bronx Park – close,
but...
The trail condition deteriorated, and the
bordering neighborhoods became unexpectedly shabby after a couple miles – I was
expecting a lot more greenery towards Pelham Bay Park. When I started seeing
signs for White Plains, I knew I had taken the wrong fork in the road. My little
eight-mile detour would cancel my Central Park loop, but no big deal.
Turns out the trail along the north side of Pelham
Parkway wasn’t all that fantastic either, with mud pits and tree roots
dominating the surface. When I eventually spied the beautiful greenway on the
south side of the parkway, I hopped my bike over the curb and crossed the four
lanes of traffic when there was a lull.
This portion of Moshulu-Pelham Greenway
rivaled any of the great bike lanes I rode in Europe, other than a couple
awkward crossings over on/off ramps for I-95. Granted, this was Pelham Park, so
it wasn’t crazy-busy, but it was still very strange and rather dangerous, with
the speed the cars were travelling!
 |
| This Google Maps image shows the strange highway/trail configuration. |
As I crossed the bridge onto City Island, I
caught a beautiful view out over Eastchester Bay. If you look closely, you can
see the Manhattan skyline in the distance on the right, and among the yacht
masts, you can spot the vertical supports of the Whitestone Bridge.
On the island I immediately caught the
distinct smell of seafood and turned left to take the photo below. It wasn't especially picturesque; I just liked the huge hand-painted sign next to
its neon neighbor!
I would describe the City Island community as
if someone dropped Royersford at the shore – a small-town suburban feel with
all the seafood joints and marinas included. The trees and plantings were more
of an inland, deciduous variety, not the scrubby pine and bayberry that
dominate the shore areas. I have heard that many families live on City Island,
generation after generation in the same homes, and I can understand why, if someone grew
up loving the big city but also appreciated a bit of isolation.
On my return ride, I decided to veer south
and follow the wonderful Hutchinson River Greenway down towards the Cross Bronx
Expressway. I rode down 177th Street to meet up with my intended route on a
nice bike lane along Tremont Avenue, which had a couple of steep, twisty
climbs. I had good legs that day and had a lot of fun racing the traffic
between lights.
Making a left on University Avenue, I headed
over to cross the Harlem River on the High Bridge, which has quickly become a
favorite spot of mine, and then rode the trail that weaves up through Highbridge Park. I then took another painted bike lane on 170th Street across Washington Heights back to the
GWB.
 |
Another reason I enjoy visiting NYC is because
of all the historical railroad structures still in use, such as Grand Central
Station and the High Line park. The restored Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken
still hosts NJT train service and NY Waterway ferries, and the Jersey Central
Terminal in Jersey City, which last saw trains in 1967, now serves as a departure
point for Liberty State Park cruises.
On my way to Brooklyn from the George
Washington Bridge, I drove down I-278, alongside the Hell Gate Bridge, which
was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1917 and is now part of Amtrak’s
Northeast Corridor. At the time of its construction, it was the longest steel
truss bridge in the world and was certainly the inspiration for designers of
the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle, UK, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Certainly the 1,107-foot central span over
the East River is impressive but so are the miles of concrete pier approaches
on each end. To the east, trains soar high over Astoria Park and the
neighborhoods of Queens, while on the west side they curve sharply north above the
playgrounds and ballfields on Randalls and Wards Islands.
I absolutely
hate paying huge tolls and will spend more time on a local route if it means
saving a handful of bucks. When planning my route home from Brooklyn, I dreaded
the $17 toll to cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Since I would be heading
back well after rush hour, I initially considered the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel back
into Manhattan, which is only $8.50, and because the Holland Tunnel is free
into New Jersey, that was a significant discount.
Sue then
mentioned that the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges are both free, and after
noticing that the Manhattan Bridge links directly with Canal Street, which
leads directly to the Holland Tunnel entrance, I was set. $8.50 instead of $17
sounded great, but FREE was excellent!
After
dropping off the Saronni and having a nice visit with Taylor and his family, I
drove just a couple blocks to deliver the Peugeot to a craigslist customer. The
drive home was wonderfully uneventful, and I enjoyed the view of the Brooklyn
Bridge and city skyline all lit up as I crossed the Manhattan Bridge. The city
was nicely cleared out by the time I reached downtown, and I zipped down Canal
Street to reach the Holland Tunnel ramps.
I was glad to find that, for once, there
wasn’t a tremendous back-up coming out of the tunnel. The approach and exit on
the New Jersey side have 4 straight blocks of traffic lights. How can backups not be expected? These intersections interrupt
the flow of what is essentially a six-lane highway - I can’t imagine there is a
situation like this anywhere else in the world!
From there it was a quick shot to the
Pulaski Skyway, one of my favorite routes away from NYC, with views of the
railroad lift bridges over the Hackensack River, as well as the CSX intermodal
yard in Kearny, NJ. Soon it was a simple connection to I-78, and I was pretty
much home free.
Well, not free, but a lot less light-in-the-wallet
than I might have been without some careful route planning!
No comments :
Post a Comment