OTish: New York

[elyob]

Am thinking of jetting off to New York in a few days as flight prices are
damn low and I start a new job in 3 weeks. I've never been to New York and
will be going by myself and probably staying in hostels.

So, from a cyclists perspective :

a/ hire a bike on day 1 and get a feel of the city?
b/ where to stay in first place (what part of city)
c/ anything else really. I've never been, and going to New York by myself
will be a little daunting. Can't stand my own company
d/ I guess I'll listen to Jack Thurston's New York podcast again ..

Thanks

 

[Mark McNeill]

Response to elyob:
> So, from a cyclists perspective :
>
> a/ hire a bike on day 1 and get a feel of the city?

New York is a big place, and I've only really experience of Manhattan;
and if you can cycle in Manhattan you're braver than I am. I'm sure
there'll be people on this ng who have done it, but [speaking as a hick]
I was pretty overwhelmed by the very different road culture from what
I'm used to, and the sheer pace of it. I can see it might be fun, in an
anarchic traffic-jamming sort of way (and if you're the cycle-courier
type you might positively love it); but I stuck to busses and subway,
which were enough for me. (You might find that I've overstated it, but
that's how I remember it - don't let me put you off in advance.) You
can of course buy an all-day [and renewable] public transport card, the
Metrocard. (I just found an old one in my wallet: on the back is the
useful advice: "Keep back from the edge. (Or anything that looks like
the edge.)"


> b/ where to stay in first place (what part of city)

I stayed at a hotel in Times Square, which has the advantage of being
pretty central; there should be a coach from the airport. I think it
was the Quality Hotel -

http://tinyurl.com/oqpuz

which isn't exactly Quality, but was fine for me.


> c/ anything else really. I've never been, and going to New York by myself
> will be a little daunting. Can't stand my own company

It should be a hell of a lot of fun. I found most New Yorkers to be
really friendly, especially when they find out you're a Brit; though I
found it best on occasion to keep my political opinions to myself!


Odd highlights I remember: *really* good cheap fast food of just about
every ethnicity at e.g. Grand Central Station, the obligatory trip up
the Empire State Building, and the best-value tourist attraction, the
free Staten Island ferry: the view of Manhattan from the bay is
fantastic. Needless to say, I was doing New York on the cheap: if you
want to splash out, do the helicopter tour.

If you're a books person, take an empty rucksack to the Strand Book
Store -

http://www.strandbooks.com/home/


I suspect I haven't even scratched the surface!

--
Mark, UK
"CYCLIST WEDS - - News? Faith then I can't see it. Why, pray, should
cyclists not wed? Is there something in the exercise of the craft, some
secret vow, some occult commitment that makes the founding of a family,
the cultivation of the sweet domestic arts, the cherishing of womankind
(aplurally) incompatible with cyclism? Are we to infer, forsooth, that
there was never any Mrs Sturmey Archer?"

 

[Tony Raven]

elyob wrote on 06/09/2006 12:01 +0100:
> Am thinking of jetting off to New York in a few days as flight prices are
> damn low and I start a new job in 3 weeks. I've never been to New York and
> will be going by myself and probably staying in hostels.
>
> So, from a cyclists perspective :
>
> a/ hire a bike on day 1 and get a feel of the city?

I would be wary of seeing the city by cycle. The public transport
(subway, buses) are very good and although people do cycle there, the
traffic is so chaotic and the road surfaces so bad that I would not do
so out of preference. Lots of people cycle in Central Park at the
weekends and you can hire bikes there and there are some nice rides away
from the roads.

> b/ where to stay in first place (what part of city)

Anywhere between around 42nd St and Central Park is good, preferably not
out on either edge, or Greenwich Village.

> c/ anything else really. I've never been, and going to New York by myself
> will be a little daunting. Can't stand my own company

Make sure you know where you want to go. We have friends who went and
came back very disappointed. When we worked it out they had been one
block away each time from where they needed to be. When they went back
they had a great time. e.g. the famous shopping part of Fifth Avenue is
just a few blocks of a very long avenue.

A must see for me is always The Guggenheim - a fabulous, ideal for
purpose Frank Lloyd Wright museum of modern art.

Greenwich Village late at night is also worth a visit.

> d/ I guess I'll listen to Jack Thurston's New York podcast again ..
>
> Thanks
>
>


--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

 

[[email protected]]

elyob wrote:
> Am thinking of jetting off to New York in a few days as flight prices are
> damn low and I start a new job in 3 weeks. I've never been to New York and
> will be going by myself and probably staying in hostels.
>
> So, from a cyclists perspective :
>
> a/ hire a bike on day 1 and get a feel of the city?
> b/ where to stay in first place (what part of city)
> c/ anything else really. I've never been, and going to New York by myself
> will be a little daunting. Can't stand my own company
> d/ I guess I'll listen to Jack Thurston's New York podcast again ..
>
Central park is closed to motor traffic from 7pm every night. Watch out
for racoons if cycling fast after dark. The rest of Manhattan has
terrible road surfaces and terrifying traffic. I'd recommend the subway
(you can by a week travel card for not very much)

I'd include a visit to the NY met (but that assumes you like opera ;-)
(Unfortunately, when I was there a few weeks ago I managed to hit the
time when there is absolutely nothing on :-( For all my previous
staysI've managed a visit although I did sleep though half of Don
Giovanni - don't go the day after you arrive in NY)

I was staying in a hotel very close to Central Park (and work) but even
with all the discounts it was >300$/night (IIRC the "official room
rate" was >900$)

Tim.

 

[Andreas Schulze-Bäing]

On Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:01:22 +0100, elyob wrote:

> Am thinking of jetting off to New York in a few days as flight prices are
> damn low and I start a new job in 3 weeks. I've never been to New York and
> will be going by myself and probably staying in hostels.
>
> So, from a cyclists perspective :
>
> a/ hire a bike on day 1 and get a feel of the city?

I went to visit NY some years ago with a groups of fellow students for an
urban planning project in Brooklyn. The American professor promised us to
organize a cycle tour - as we did one with him when he visited us before.
Alltogether we were a group of about 40 people and we really struggled to
rent enough bikes. One of the bicylce shop owners even rented his daughters
bicycle to us. This is maybe a sign that renting bicycles is not big
business in the Big Apple.
I'm not sure if I would cycle on my own there. But cycling with a group of
40 people southwards through Manhattan, across Brooklyn Bridge, then
upwards through Brooklyn and Queens and finally back to Manhattan via
Queensboro Bridge was really amazing. As there is a one-way system on most
streets, it was quite easy to go with the flow of the traffic. One of our
guides on the tour was an urban planner from the city council and what you
might describe as a bicycle enthusiast. He was quite keen on showing us all
the improvements for cycling they made.
Apart from that - at least Manhattan is a really walkable place. And for
the longer distances the public transport system is probably the better
option than cycling. Renting a bike for a bit of cycling in central park,
or to explore Brooklyn and Queens a bit might be an option though.

Andreas

 

[Marianne Promberger]

elyob ([email protected]) wrote:
: Am thinking of jetting off to New York in a few days as flight prices are
: damn low and I start a new job in 3 weeks. I've never been to New York and
: will be going by myself and probably staying in hostels.

: So, from a cyclists perspective :

: a/ hire a bike on day 1 and get a feel of the city?

Sorry no idea about hiring bikes.

: b/ where to stay in first place (what part of city)

This is hard to say and will depend on budget and what you want to do. I
have no experience cycling in New York; note that using the subway, it is
usually easier (faster) to go up/down than across. I twice stayed in
the Chelsea star hotel and found it conveniently located -- small
hotel with a mix of individual and dorm style rooms. It may (?) be
considerably cheaper to stay in Queens or Brooklyn, and subway
connections aren't at all bad.

: c/ anything else really. I've never been, and going to New York by myself
: will be a little daunting. Can't stand my own company

New York is quite reasonably safe in my (subjective) experience.

I second what everyone else has said about bad potholes and traffic
making cycling in NYC daunting, but I've never tried it. I think there
is a new separate cycling and walking route running along the West side
of Manhattan -- I saw parts of it last time I was there, but don't know
how continuous it is. The bit I saw looked nice to cycle on, with a
stunning view, but at least in parts shared with inline skaters and
possibly with pedestrians.

m.

 

[garryb59]

On Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:01:22 +0100, "elyob" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Am thinking of jetting off to New York in a few days as flight prices are
>damn low and I start a new job in 3 weeks. I've never been to New York and
>will be going by myself and probably staying in hostels.

Ah, [envy]....New York....I love NY, first time I went to the US was
NY and the memory is a great one....that's a memory of company too.

>So, from a cyclists perspective :
>
>a/ hire a bike on day 1 and get a feel of the city?
>b/ where to stay in first place (what part of city)

You should be able to find something pretty easy, depending on your
budget and New York doesn't have to be that expensive. Mind you, a
female friend of mine checked into a what looked like an ok cheapo
hotel, but thought something a bit odd with so many women sitting
around the place...and all coming in off the street with blokes
Then she heard these sounds at night! As she said, it was the nearest
she'd got to renting a room in a knocking shop

>c/ anything else really. I've never been, and going to New York by myself
>will be a little daunting. Can't stand my own company

My favourite place in NY is Grand Central Terminal....you must go.
Just wander round, have a cup of coffee or a beer, I just love the
feel of that place...42 St.

>d/ I guess I'll listen to Jack Thurston's New York podcast again ..


Like others have said, cycling in NY can be a bit precarious, but it's
all possible. Central park is an obvious easy ride. I rode all round
the place, but you do need eyes in the back of your head...and the
sides. Personally I'd suggest walking Manhatten is almost as good.
It's so compact and so easy to know where you are. If you fancy a bike
ride then maybe the boroughs might be a better bet. You can get the
free ferry to Staten Island and wander over there if you fancy.

Well, if you go, have a good trip.

Garry