A Bike Friday in New York on Saturday

75th Ave. Forest Hills

Our Saturday morning adventure started with a ride on the 75th Avenue F train in Forest Hills to the Lexington Ave/53rd Street in Manhattan. After carrying our bikes down the stairs we headed for the service entrance to swipe our Metro cards and then pass through the emergency exit door to the platform.  When the train arrived we rolled on board for an uncrowded ride to Lex/53rd.  Getting on a crowded train might make things a more difficult, so make sure you are not traveling during peak hours.

53 and Lexington, Manhattan

nice tiles at the 53/Lex station

Off the train and onto the platform we headed for a very long stair climb to street level. We rode a few blocks west on 53rd Street, turned right on 8th Avenue headed for Columbus Circle and then on to Central Park.  After a short ride through the park we made an exit on W107th Street and made our way for Riverside Park and the Hudson River Greenway.

nice long stairs at 53/Lex station

On our way to the Greenway we diverted to Amsterdam Avenue for refreshments and then proceeded along 125th Avenue to the West Harlem Piers Park Greenway entrance. A cool and partly cloudy day made for a comfortable ride along the busy Greenway which had no shortage of interesting sights and places to stop at along the way.

Chokolat Patisserie on Broadway

Grants Tomb

Intrepid

Riverside Park

under Henry Hudson Parkway

in front of Pier 40 at Clarkson

We departed the Greenway at Murray Street and then headed for the World Trade Center E train station on Church Street.  With the WTC station at the end of the line the car was empty which gave us  plenty of room for two bikes.  We selected the first car and set up at the very front where there was a spacious area by driver's door.

entering WTC station

on the E train

We stood with our bikes for the 35 minute ride  back to 75th Avenue in Forest Hills.  After a short hike up the stairs we were back at street level and a 5 minute walk to the apartment.

up the stairs at 75th Ave. Forest Hills

Overall I think we had a fantastic ride and a very positive experience transporting our bicycles on the MTA.  The best time to embark on such an outing would be an early morning with an early afternoon return. Starting any later on the weekend or during the work week might result in a conflict with bulky bicycles and tightly packed subway car. As an out of town visitor this trip made for a rather fun filled day and I am sure I will be back to do it again soon.