LGRAB Back from NYC

Posted by Dottie at 06:55 travel Add comments
Aug 182010

Trisha and I are back from NYC! I have lots of thoughts about the infrastructure and bikes there, as well as general comparisons with Chicago, but that will have to wait until I have more time to write. In the meantime, here are some pictures of our adventure.

I’ve been posting a lot more pictures of our trip at Dream Camera. More excitement is coming up, as I will be meeting up with a very special guest who is visiting Chicago this week.

Tagged with: , ,
  • http://my2010ishere.blogspot.com Amanda Z from NYC

    I hope you enjoyed the city I love to ride in!!

    You two girls are the cutest!!

    :)

  • neighbourtease

    I hope you enjoyed it, too! I don’t think NYC is as “hardcore” or difficult to ride in as people seem to think. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it everyday.

    I am v interested to hear what you guys think.

    • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

      As an undergrad, I went to college just over an hour away from NYC and I remember the same discrepancy regarding driving. There was this popular notion that, oh my God, driving in NYC is completely impossible, the worst in the world. But my friends and I would go there and find it not much different than in other cities.

      • dukiebiddle

        I’ve always had a hell of a time driving in Manhattan, with the worst part trying to get into the city from New Jersey. Crossing the border into Canada is easier. Driving crosstown is just the worst there, but the avenues are a breeze – way faster than most cities.

        • neighbourtease

          People often invest NYC with superpowers both good and evil, I guess because it’s the major global city in the US. I mean global city in the way the term is used by sociologists specializing in urban environments, not in the, say, Empire State of Mind way. :)

          WRT traffic patterns and roads, I do not feel it’s a bitch to drive here, especially not when compared to the experiences I’ve had driving in less dense US cities that were built around highways and have no pedestrian element or grid to calm traffic. I am happy to live in a place without a “car culture.” And of course when you start driving in, like, Mexico City or Rome or Bombay the idea that NYC is a tough place to drive is just absurd. It is, however, an ungodly nightmare to park here.

          Obviously I think cycling is the best way to get around NYC!

          • dukiebiddle

            Be that as it may crossing the Hudson is still a friggen b*tch. ;)

  • http://www.welshcyclist.blogspot.com welshcyclist

    Looks, as I expected, a fantastic city to spend some time in, immense, just seeing your pictures makes me realise what a country boy I am, a right yokel! But you two looked right at home, turning heads everywhere no doubt.

  • http://suburbanbikemama.blogspot.com/ Vee

    Oh I know who your guest will be- how fabulous is that!

    Ok- I needs to get to NY asap. I have dreams of biking around. Too few weekends for all of the fun I want to do!

  • http://thechaicyclist.blogspot.com spiderleggreen

    I look forward to your impressions on riding in NYC because I was talking to a friend who lives there, about it and didn’t get a real sense of how it compares to my town.

  • http://www.simplybike.wordpress.com Simply Bike

    Beautiful photos, I especially love that one looking up at the skyscraper. I can’t wait to read more about bike culture in NYC :)

    S

  • http://fashionableacademics.blogspot.com/ Fashionable Academics

    Gorgeous photos! I can’t to hear your take on NYC bike culture and infrastructure.

  • http://carolynsflightoffancy.blogspot.com/ Carolyn I.

    I really enjoyed visiting NYC last Summer! Brings back memories…

  • Stephen

    I always found parking to be an issue in Manhattan, but bicycling is the best solution to that.

    What about securing your bicycles? I’ve heard NYC is an excellent place to have a bike ripped off–what was your experience there, Dottie? How did you lock your bikes (I assume you rode around), and to what and where?

    • neighbourtease

      Bike theft in NYC is common and from what I have observed there are two basic kinds. 1. the opportunistic thief who clips a bike with crappy locks for resale on CL or for his or her own personal use 2. the crew of thieves with advanced power tools like angle grinders etc who do a brisk trade in reselling bikes to restaurants who use them for delivery and who list high end components for road and fixed gear bikes on CL.

      Against the first kind of thief you need a strong u-lock with a cable, to park your bike sensibly (don’t lock just a wheel, like super obvious stuff) and not to leave the bike for ages. Against the second there is essentially no defense and if someone wants to saw through your frame for components then, frankly, I think one has to be philosophical about it. If replacing a bike is financially onerous and you’re going to lock up on the street, especially overnight, a cheap bike is a good idea.

      It is kind of crazy to observe a 16 year old delivering pizza on a 2K track frame, which thing I am seeing more and more often.

  • http://www.inspiredcyclist.wordpress.com Maureen

    Beautiful photos. I hope the two of you had a great time. I look forward to reading more about your trip!

© 2010-2012 Let's Go Ride a Bike Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha