It’s Game Time for the New York City Metro Area
(by Andrea Doyle, Successful Meetings, February 25, 2013)
Bike share raises the bar
Chris Wogas of Bike and Roll is wheeling out new programs to retain market share. (Photo by Buck Ennis)
by Lisa Fickensher, Crain’s New York Business (June 24, 2012)
The city’s vast bike-share program, launching in July, will join an expanding sea of bike shops and rental businesses taking advantage of the Bloomberg administration’s desire to make New York the best biking city in the country.
Even apartment buildings and hotels are buying bikes to offer as amenities for guests and residents. But while the cycling community expects the bike-share program to be a boon for business by encouraging more people to ride, it is also girding for competition.
“There certainly is going to be some overlap between us and bike share,” said Chris Wogas, president of Bike and Roll New York, the largest rental outfit in the city, which derives most of its business from visitors. “We’ll get people to do the shorter rides, and they will get some tourists.”
Tips to Store Bikes in a City Apartment
How NOT to store your bikes in your apartment!
(By Marjorie Cohen, AM New York, January 16, 2013)
You’ve got a bike, maybe more than one, and can’t figure out where to put it in your city-sized apartment. You are not alone.
Although the city Department of Transportation’s 2012 figures on bike ridership aren’t out yet, Jill Guidera, campaign and organizing coordinator for Transportation Alternatives, predicts a “tremendous increase over last year. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, there was a 200% increase in riders and we think that a lot of those folks have decided to stick with it.”
There’s plenty of indoor bike parking for Transportation Alternatives employees, but when Guidera gets home, she parks her bike outside her building.
“My fourth floor walk-up apartment is the size of a pencil box, so this makes the most sense,” she explained. “I rely on the know-your-neighbors security plan.”
Summer Streets 2012 — Saturday No. 1
Yes, I was one of those New Yorkers who was never around on Saturdays in August. Then I started working at Bike and Roll and Summer Streets came into my life.
For those of you who don’t know, Summer Streets takes place every year during the first three Saturdays in August. From 7am to 1pm on each of these days, the city shuts down Park Ave. and Lafayette St. creating a seven-mile car-free haven for pedestrians, bikes, roller skaters, and scooter-ers. Plus, the southern two lanes of 72nd St. are roped off to create a bike lane into and out of Central Park. For anyone north of the event and near the park, it’s the perfect car-free conduit to Summer Streets.
Summer Streets traffic – not a car in sight
Let me reiterate the virtues of doing anything in New York EARLY! The cops have blocked off the streets by 6:30am and the world is your oyster! There are some spandex jackrabbits in the park, but peeling off onto 72nd St. means you’ve left it all behind.
Penalty for Rule-Breaking Cyclists: A Remedial Class on How to Ride
| All we can add is: Be careful out there and ride safely!
New York Times July 24, 2012 By J. DAVID GOODMANThe eight wrongdoers sat inside a windowless basement classroom, serving a court-ordered penance for their transgressions. For the next 90 minutes, they would learn about the proper rules of the road, how to use hand signals and when to change lanes safely — even if most did not believe they had done anything wrong. “He said I wasn’t in the bike lane,” said Kenny McKissick, a 32-year-old messenger. “But I was on the line.” This spring, the Midtown Community Court began sentencing cyclists who had been issued tickets for certain offenses in and around Midtown Manhattan to a class to learn about bicycles and traffic. Think remedial driver’s education — for bike riders. |
A Summer Day on Governors Island
We were looking for something special to do. My kids are leaving for camp on Sunday, so we want to do something special and memorable on Saturday. Since several weeks of separation are looming, my children are being very nice to me and agree to get up early to go to Governors Island.
I am one of those New Yorkers who doesn’t like crowds. There are lots of us on this island of more than eight million and we use tricks to feel like there are far fewer people than those who actually share our space.
The first trick is to go wherever you are going early! Visit any location that tourists and locals like to visit and you’ll notice that they are empty until noon or so on weekends. The kids and I are up, dressed, breakfasted, and out the door by 8am Saturday morning. We catch the subway down to South Ferry and were at the GI ferry terminal by 8:40am.
Bike and Roll – Central Park, New York – www.Kloudya.com
http://www.kloudya.com/2012/07/15/bike-and-roll-central-park-new-york/
Are you looking for something exciting, fun, and new to do this summer? Do you enjoy being outdoors and staying fit? Then get ready to experience one of the most popular attractions in New York! Bike and Roll offers a wide-variety of bicycle rentals and tours around Manhattan, Central Park, 9/11 Memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, Hudson River, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago, Miami, and much more. These tours won’t only give you a great workout, but they will also teach you historic facts that you’ll remember forever.
Hudson River Park: Manhattan waterside destination
BETH J. HARPAZ | July 12, 2012 11:07 AM EST | 
NEW YORK — In the last decade, the decrepit piers and industrial zones along five miles of the Hudson River on Manhattan’s West Side have been utterly transformed. Hudson River Park is now a destination that gets 17 million visits annually, with a bike path, green spaces, playgrounds and recreation ranging from mini-golf and skateboarding to kayaking and even stand-up paddleboarding.
Melissa Lopez rented a bike a few weeks ago from Bike and Roll at Pier 84, near 44th Street and 12th Avenue, and was amazed at what she saw as she rode downtown through the park.
“It was gorgeous, like a little nature haven, beautiful flowers, trees, and only when you looked over to your left (at the buildings), did you realize you were in between a concrete jungle and this beautiful river,” said Lopez, 29, who came in from her home in suburban Westchester for the day. “Everyone was doing something active – sunbathing, rollerblading, bike riding. There was one pier with a volleyball court with sand. I kept telling my boyfriend, `Are we really in New York City?’”
You have to see it to believe it (Governors Island)
Picture this. A beautiful park, complete with lush grass and foliage as well as a historic buildings, completely surrounded by water, with a view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan skyline. If didn’t hate using clichés so much this would be where I started to call it one of New York’s “best kept secrets,” a real “diamo
nd in the rough.”
In all reality though, I was shocked while biking around Governors Island. It is a tiny little island only 800 feet of the coast of Manhattan. Yet, somehow, there is almost no noise, no cars, and no people. Rather than weaving in and out of people and cars, overwhelmed by horns and chatter, I got to ride completely uninhibited by others.
Ever since the day I interviewed at Bike and Roll, I have been hearing about this amazing island. Even still, I must say, the promotional material certainly does not do it justice. You will have to experience the beautiful serenity of Governors Island first hand to truly understand that this rant isn’t even an exaggeration!
The New York Skyline
They New York skyline is, without a doubt, one of the most famed views of the city. Every street vendor has at least three framed versions of it in their collection. In “How I Met Your Mother,” the protagonist, an architect named Ted, dreams of adding a building to it. And in “500 Days of Summer,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt loves to sketch the skyline almost as much as he loves Zooey Deschanel. Up until yesterday, these images made up my mental picture of the New York City skyline.
So, what happened yesterday to completely alter my perception of the skyline, you may ask. Well, I viewed Manhattan from the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the Promenade, all within a three-hour time span.
The best view of the tour was from the Promenade. As I stood at the fence with old mansions, surrounded by blossoming bushes and plants behind me, I could see the entire skyline, two different bridges (Brooklyn and Manhattan), the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Nature, impressive architecture and historic sights were all incorporated into this one picturesque moment. After this experience, I finally understand why Joseph Gord
on-Levitt found such peace sitting, surrounded by the park’s nature and admiring the skyline.
Another breathtaking view of the skyline came when we stopped at the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. Without a car in sight I was able to stand above the river with a warm breeze cooling my sweaty body. While standing there, could see exactly why artists and movie directors are sure to incorporate the skyline into their projects. It truly is an experience that pictures can’t do justice.
One final success I have to attribute to this tour was the tour guides ability to assuage some of my fears of biking through the streets of New York. Not only did he fearlessly navigate through the traffic, but his knowledge of lower Manhattan was so impressive it made me realize how necessary biking through the cities various neighborhoods really is. Damien knew the ins and outs of Wall St., Federal Hall, China town, Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO. I would never have been able to cover so much terrain by foot. Even if could though, I get so caught up in the masses of people hustling through the streets my view of the sights is always somewhat obscured.