On my recent trips to East Asian cities Iāve started to include a bike ride; I thought Iād continue this trend in New York, although Iāve always found the local traffic and driving style pretty alarming. I also realised that Iāve devoted too much time to Manhattan, at the expense of Brooklyn, on previous trips.
The Bike And Roll location just off the Bowery is easy to find and Mark was an excellent, enthusiastic and very well organised guide, preparing the bikes, helmets and water for us in good time and with no fuss. Mark was also full of useful information, stories and opinions. Heās clearly someone who knows his city and its history very well.
The ride took us through the Lower East Side, over the Manhattan Bridge, into Brooklyn and back over the Brooklyn Bridge and through Battery Park. We called in at two Brooklyn neighbourhoods, the preposterously-named, recently gentrified and very attractive DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and the older, āupscaleā Brooklyn Heights, for some excellent photo opportunities across the river to Manhattan. As Iāve learned on this trip, though, Brooklyn is a very worthy destination in and of itself; itās not just somewhere to look across the river from.
The tour would be worthwhile just for the two bridges, although thereās so much more to it. Iāve walked across the Brooklyn Bridge many times but donāt recall crossing via the Manhattan Bridge before. Obviously, the views from both are spectacular. They each have enough of an incline before the first tower to make you feel like youāre doing some real exercise, and youāll have a degree of fun dodging the many pedestrians, scooter riders etc who are incapable of following the rules.
Thereās no point where the traffic feels dangerous. Surprisingly, I found most vehicle drivers to be considerate (I didnāt get beeped once) and many parts of the route have dedicated bike lanes.
Strongly recommended if you wish to take a break from walking or the acquired-taste Metro system...three hours of fresh air and less familiar views, a fair degree of exercise and some great local knowledge.