After a year of living in New York, I have FINALLY begun biking again!
I have had the bike itch since I moved, seeing as how it's pretty much one of the best-equipped cities for bicyclers in America, but I never had the resources to purchase a bike. Thanks to a generous friend who just happened to own a bike that still had the tags on it, I am now a bike-owner.
Sunday, I picked up said bike in Harlem. I then proceeded to ride it down the East River to the Queensboro Bridge, then came the adventeure: Second Avenue. The bike map is a bit confusing, and the bike paths in midtown Manhattan are not well-marked, so I ended up riding from 59th to 14th via 2nd Avenue. Fortunately, New York drivers are much more biker conscious than those in Baton Rouge, so it wasn't as dangerous as it could have been.
After a stop to thank the previous owner and return his apartment keys to him, I rode down the river some more, under the FDR (where I had a minor spill), and then to the Brooklyn Bridge. I forced the little bit of energy I had left to get me over the bridge, and managed to get home safely. The whole trip from Harlem to Carroll Gardens took about two hours. I'm hoping that as I get into better shape and my legs warm up to biking with hills, I will be much faster.
Our Graffiti Staff Fun Day was in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this morning, so yet again, I ventured out on my new toy to Prospect Park. I really have to say that I LOVE Brooklyn in ways I cannot describe. I am very proud to live here. It's one of those places that really sticks with you if you let it. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Graffiti family, then I browsed the main branch of the Public Library before taking a mini-tour of Prospect Park and its trails. I am now pretty exhausted, as my body is still not quite used to all this biking, but I'm excited about the new places I will get to explore. Exploring is so much easier when done on wheels :)
So here's to a new adventure as a Brooklyn Bicycler! (thanks to Dr. Chris)
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