(by Andrea Doyle, Successful Meetings, February 25, 2013)

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.”

Like Portland, Ore.-based Alta Bicycle Share, which won a city contract to operate the bike-share program, Bike and Roll has contracts to do business in city parks. It has nine locations, including Central Park, Riverside Park and Governors Island—but nowhere near the 600 docking stations that the bike-share program is installing throughout Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

Though Mr. Wogas is looking forward to the city program’s start, calling it “the tide that lifts all boats,” 6-year-old Bike and Roll, which operates in four other U.S. cities, is taking steps to protect its market share. The company is developing new programs to expand its reach, including marketing to locals. Additionally, it will increase its fleet of 2,000 bikes by 25% next year.

Other bike businesses are preparing for a dip in rental revenues. Steve Kahn, co-owner of Danny’s Cycles, which opened two stores in Manhattan within the past 18 months, said he expects to see a small decline in rentals after the bike-share program starts, but he’s hoping the proliferation of cycling and the growing number of dedicated bike lanes—there are about 500 miles of them now, and the city is rapidly adding more—will inspire New Yorkers to purchase bikes and related gear, such as helmets. That has been the case in other cities with bike-share programs, according to Transportation Alternatives, a local advocacy group.

Quick trips for local riders

The bike-share program—funded with $41 million from Citigroup and $6.5 million from MasterCard International—will bring a total of 10,000 blue “Citi Bikes” to town over the next year. An annual membership, aimed at locals in need of quick transportation, costs $95 and offers unlimited trips of 45 minutes or less. For trips longer than 45 minutes, extra fees are assessed for every 30 minutes, while weekly and daily passes for $25 and $9.95, respectively, offer unlimited trips of 30 minutes or less before extra fees are added.

“Citi Bikes are intended for short, commute-style trips, while bike rentals are used for more leisurely and long-distance rides,” explained a spokesman for the city’s Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the program.

Still, tourists will no doubt be attracted to the blue bikes, particularly since there will be so many of them in convenient locations. In Washington, D.C., where Alta runs a similar bike-share program, about 10% of the riders purchase 24-hour or three-day memberships. It also has partnerships with hotels that purchase day passes for guests.

“We have been pleasantly surprised by how many tourists have used the bikes since the program began in 2010,” said Josh Moskowitz, project manager of the Capital Bikeshare program for the District Department of Transportation.

The program’s appeal to tourists has caused some consternation. Bike and Roll Washington, D.C., is focusing on educating the public about the differences between the programs—for example, it charges $34 for a full-day rental, compared with a whopping $94 daily rental for the Alta bike-share program.

“As you can imagine, a tourist may not know that we exist if there is a bike-share rental option in front of their hotel,” said Catharine Pear, marketing director for Bike and Roll Washington, D.C.

Covering all the bases

The New York City Department of Transportation said it has not yet announced its marketing plans for visitors, including whether it will have partnerships with hotels.

To cover all its bases, Bike and Roll New York is ramping up a new membership program aimed at city residents. For $10 a month and a $30 activation fee, members can take out a bike for a full day as frequently as they want.

“Our membership program could complement Citi Bikes,” said Mr. Wogas. “We might get the commuter who wants to use our bikes on the weekends, because we have kids’ bikes.”

Meanwhile, residential property owners are seizing on the pedal-pushing trend, as are hotels. Stonehenge Partners, which owns and manages 24 upscale rental buildings in Manhattan, is launching a bike-share effort of its own in July at 41 Park Ave.—eight complimentary bicycles for its residents—and plans to roll it out in most of its buildings. In late June, the Andaz Wall Street hotel added four bikes to its list of complimentary guest amenities.

“Cycling [in the city] used to be a fringe thing that the crazy guy you knew at work did,” said Mr. Kahn of Danny’s Cycles, “but it’s mainstream now.”

Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120624/SUB/306249985#ixzz2KpwSrEqR

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.”

For indoor options, she recommends looking for tips on Velojoy.com, a resource site for city cyclers. For example, the it suggests wall and ceiling mounts.

Christine DiPietro, who lives in the financial district with her boyfriend, keeps four bikes in their 600-square-foot apartment.

They keep three vertically mounted on the wall using a European mounting system called Cyclocs, available at Cycloc.com, and “the nicest looking [bike] is parked on top of a wardrobe,” DiPietro said.

“Our bike set-up is a guaranteed conversation-starter,” she added.

Ceiling mounts that use a pulley system to lift and lower bikes are also a popular system for bike owners.

But 6-foot-3-inch comedian Judy Gold has one in her West Side apartment and said she finds it to be more of an inconvenience.

“I bang my head on it all the time,” she said. “There are 400 holes in my ceiling because the super couldn’t find the right beam, and usually I take a cab because I don’t have the time to take [a bike] down.”

Karl Champley, host of the DIY Network show “Wasted Spaces” and author of “Same Place, More Space,” thinks that the Gladiator Claw wall mount (visit Gladiatorgarageworks.com) is the way to go: “It’s the best I’ve found for keeping bikes up and out of the way.”

And if you’re unlikely to use your bike during the winter, Chris Wogas, president of Bike and Roll, a bike rental and touring company, has a plan.

During the summer, he keeps his own bike in the bathtub behind the shower curtain, but the in winter he parks it in his company’s warehouse on the far west side of Manhattan.

Bike and Roll is now offering the same option to all New Yorkers at a price: $25 per month or for storage plus tune-up, four months for $140-$199 (depends on how high end your bike is).

Call 212-260-0400 for more information about Bike and Roll storage.

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.

I stop at our first (or last depending on whether you’re traveling north or south) location at 51st St.  There are lots of bikes waiting for participants looking for their FREE one-hour rental.  No one is looking yet.  Bike and Roll provides helmets with the bikes so that everyone can ride safely.  I snag the cameraman for NBC who is filming the various activities available and let him know where we are and what we’re doing.  He says he’ll get to us when he can.

On to the next Bike and Roll rental location at the Midtown Rest Stop at 25th St.  By now it’s a little after

Was the water bottle part of the artist’s vision?

7am, but the streets are still pretty empty.  One or two people step up for their FREE bike rental.  The bikes go out fast after 8am or so.  The NY1 truck is there.  I ask the cameraman to take some b-roll of people renting our bikes and he does.  Everyone likes the idea of a free bike ride.  In order to take a Bike and Roll bike, you need to sign a waiver and leave a credit card (in case the bike sprouts legs and walks away).

Stop by the Union Square Farmer’s Market for provisions.

The Union Square Farmer’s Market is in full swing and right on the Summer Streets route.  The Saturday market has the largest selections — fresh veggies, cheeses, breads, jams, you name it.  Perfect picnic provisions, if you find a place along the way where you want to stop for lunch or a snack.

SoHo comes next.  The views of downtown are gorgeous and there’s some very interesting street art.  The line is forming for the free bike rentals.  It’s expected.  Everyone remembers the joy of riding a bike and when it’s free its irresistible.  There are a couple of mild hills along the route, but overall it’s flat and easy.  There are small stretches where the route narrows and the bikes can clog up a bit.  Definitely give little kids some space — they have a tendency to swerve unexpectedly (although I did see some solid tiny cyclists who were definitely no more than four).

I finally make it to Foley Square, the beginning (or end) of Summer Streets.  There are so many activities to do and watch!  A zipline (available with timed tickets), a craft center for kids, a performance stage (I saw and heard Chinese drummers who then paraded around the square), strength training, an opportunity to join the Million Trees organization.  It seemed as if you could name it, it was there.  And there was a line for our bikes.

It’s time to head north again to see how things are progressing.  We stop at the Market City Picnic Area at the Midtown stop and taste some amazing, fresh watermelon gazpacho courtesy of Whole Foods.  A free Chobani yogurt is also revivifying (Saturdays in August do have a tendency to be hot).

It looks like our people are doing well despite lots more people wanting bikes than can have bikes.  Everyone seems to be happy except the people who are feeling the heat.  Unfortunately, the one-hour rule gets flaunted here and there despite an admonition that those who bring the bikes back late will be charged $1 per minute.

Winding through the MetLife building above Grand Central

What’s my favorite spot on the seven-mile route?  Riding through the part of Park Avenue that winds through the MetLife building above Grand Central Terminal.  Look, Ma, no cars!  I’ve never ridden it when there’s actual traffic, but I do ride it four times on Saturday.  Park Avenue on the other side is fairly empty and the ride back up to 72nd St. is just fun and thrilling.

The line at our 51st location is long, far more than we’ll be able to accommodate before the event ends.  We count how many people we’ll be able to put on bikes and tell the rest that they won’t.  No one wants to leave.  The irresistibility of bikes.  The same thing happens at our three other locations.  We are telling people that we won’t be able to put them on a bike and yet they stay.  We also advise them that the best way to guarantee a bike on the next Saturday is to come as early as possible.  Nine a.m. is just too late to avoid a line.

So here’s a piece of advice if 7am is not your style, if you really want to take advantage of all Summer Streets has to offer rent a bike from us at Columbus Circle, Tavern on the Green, or even Battery Park.  All offer reasonably close access to Summer Streets.  Unlike the free bike rentals, if you rent a bike from these other locations, you can drop it off at any other location for just $5 per bike and you can have it for ALL of Summer Streets and beyond (think an afternoon trip to Governors Island).  You’ll have flexibility, time, all the joys of Summer Streets, and (most important for me) NO LINES.

New York Times July 24, 2012

By J. DAVID GOODMAN

The 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.

“You couldn’t possibly ticket all of the stuff you see irresponsible cyclists do,” said Judge Felicia Mennin, who worked with the nonprofit organization Bike New York to develop the new sentencing option.

But, she acknowledged, some riders may be honestly confused about what is allowed. “There are a lot of laws and not always clarity about abiding by the law,” she said.

The class, held below a sports store on the Upper West Side, is the first dedicated to cyclists but is a close cousin to other education programs at the court, which seeks to address quality of life offenses like prostitution and graffiti with alternatives to jail or fines.

It comes amid broad agreement among bike advocates and the Transportation Department that compelling riders to obey traffic signals, go with traffic and stay off the sidewalk is critical to improving the image of cycling and ensuring the long-term health of New York City’s expanding bicycle network. That mission will become even more important once the city’s bike-share program rolls out in the next month or so.

So far, 30 cyclists have been sent to the class, the court said. The two most common offenses have been riding on the sidewalk and not using the bicycle lane.

Mr. McKissick was hardly alone in complaining of unfair treatment at a class last week. Several cyclists admitted riding on the sidewalk for a few feet and complained that the sentence — often a day of community service in addition to the class — was excessive.

“It was literally three seconds,” Steve Galiczynski said of his short sidewalk ride to his parking spot on the Upper West Side, witnessed by a police officer. He said he had already spent a day cleaning up trash in Times Square. “This whole thing is nuts. It’s like I’m in a Russian novel — a crazy Russian novel.”

The class included slide presentations on bicycle law, hand signals and moving safely through traffic, as well as a discussion of cyclists’ rights and how abiding by the law could help them curry good favor from the broader public. Some of the men sat with folded arms; there was palpable resentment after each described the reason for his ticket. It emerged that none were there for what they considered serious offenses, like running a red light or going the wrong way.

“Normally,” said Rich Conroy, the instructor from Bike New York, “red light running is a traffic violation and they send that to the D.M.V. courts.” Wrong-way riding is treated similarly. Mr. Conroy said he would like to see those types of violations end up in his class, but that would mean changing the way the police write up tickets for cyclists.

Since starting the new class, Mr. Conroy has also made shorter presentations to police officers in Midtown to help clarify the finer points of the law. “I focus on the bike lane law because a quarter of the students I’ve seen have gotten tickets for riding outside of the lane,” he said. While cyclists are required to use bike lanes when available, there are exceptions: when preparing to make a turn or the lane is obstructed or unsafe. “There’s nothing in the law that says you have to bike suicidally,” he said.

If there is one thing that unites New Yorkers who see bikes as a menace with others who view them as a mainstream form of urban transportation, it is a mutual distain for the lawbreaking cyclist.

It has always been thus in the city, at least since the days a century ago when pedestrians, buggy drivers and leisure cyclists alike railed against the dangers of speedy riders, known at the time as scorchers.

Mr. Conroy said he hoped that by spreading knowledge about the law to both cyclists and to the police, he could alleviate what appeared to be confusion over what is permissible and help focus enforcement on dangerous riding.

But for now, it remains a work in progress.

Spencer Aste, 47, an actor who lives on the Upper West Side and rode his bike to the class last week, said he had been cited after being forced off the road by traffic and clattering to the pavement in a crosswalk.

“I’m on my face, bleeding,” he said. “When I got up, the cop was writing me a ticket.” ]]> http://bikenewyorkcity.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=306 0 http://bikenewyorkcity.com/wordpress/?p=293 http://bikenewyorkcity.com/wordpress/?p=293#comments Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:26:58 +0000 cathymoo http://bikenewyorkcity.com/wordpress/?p=293 Read more »

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.

Some perks are big, some perks are small.  Because I work at Bike and Roll, the company that offers bike rentals on Governors Island, my kids and I get to take the 9am ferry over to the island.  The first public ferry is at 10am.

Early morning view from the GI ferry

I introduce my kids to the Bike and Roll staff waiting to get over to the island.  We have hundreds and hundreds of bikes there, plus quads and trikes, and getting everything ready takes a lot of hands.

The ferry covers the 800 yards between Manhattan and Governors Island in a flash.  There’s something about being on a boat that always gives me a feeling and escape, peace, and contentment.

Believing that everyone needs to earn her keep, my kids and I help set up the GI location and in return we grab three cruisers and hit the bike path. There is a bike path that skirts the edge of the island and then there are additional “streets” that criss-cross the island.

The view of the Statue of Liberty from GI

We have the chance to enjoy the swings, the hammocks, and the adirondack chairs.  My kids are having such a good time that I have to remind them to enjoy the view.

The cruisers Bike and Roll rents are very comfortable to ride.  There are only three gears and they use pedal brakes.  The handlebars are wide, making the bikes easy to control.  You almost feel as though you are reclining back a bit as you pedal.  The value of all this?  No one complains about biking all over the island.

The island is undergoing some major construction this year.  Buildings are being demolished, ground is being reshaped, roads are being pulled up.  The GI staff seals off the construction sites, but somehow we took a wrong turn and find ourselves next to some heavy machinery.  We turn around and wave to a woman about to close a gate and get back to the other side just in time.

On the ferry over we meet a gentleman who is on the island as a result of

The “gaffer” makes a beautiful pitcher in a 30-minute demonstration

part of the Corning Museum of Glass.  They’ve driven a gigantic convertible 18-wheeler to the island that opens like a Transformer into a glass-blowing lab.  We make our way over to their first demonstration of the day at 11am and watch the glassblower transform liquid glass as hot as lava into a beautiful, delicate pitcher.  It’s fascinating to hear about the history of glass and the process of creating these lovely pieces.  My kids are entranced.  We decide that we’ll have to make a trip up to Corning to see the full museum.

We’ve made a reservation to take a guided tour of the newly-renovated Castle Williams.  These tickets are available an hour in advance of the tours, which begin every half hour.  Castle Williams was part of the fortification of New York Harbor and provided incredible protection to the city of New York.  The protection was so good (given Fort Wood on Liberty Island, Ellis Island’s fortification, and Castle Clinton in Battery Park), that no cannon from the fort ever fired a shot during the War of 1812.  The British gave up the idea of an assault on New York and went to DC to torch the White House instead.

The roof of Castle Williams offers magnificent views

The tour winds up from the bottom of the fort to the top and describes its history from fort to prison to community center to historic site.  The stories of the Halloween parties at the Castle’s haunted houses are really entertaining.

The fort was named after Jonathan Williams who re-designed the architecture of forts using arches and a circular form and built Castle Williams of sandstone.  When cannons fired at it, the shot left only small dents in the sandstone where harder, firmer rock would have crumbled and collapsed.

After our tour of the fort, we bike back to the island’s food court (an open area between buildings offering several different food options and picnic tables — there are food trucks at Picnic Point, too) where we buy a Perfect Picnic from our friend Wendy Weston.  Another highpoint!  The best bread, meats, cheeses, olives, jam, and, oh, those salted caramels — just perfect.  Whenever it’s possible to have a Perfect Picnic, that’s my kids’ preferred choice.  Mine, too.

The old and new overlap on Governors Island

The island is dotted with sculptures by Mark di Suvero.  Sometimes they stand by themselves and sometimes they overlap with older structures.  They are huge works of art — part of an exhibition presented by Storm King Art Center.  While they do present a powerful invitation to kids to climb them, these vast constructions are hands-off works.

Another lap around the island and its time to head for the ferry.  There are still last-minute camp errands to be run back on that other island — Manhattan.

When we go to return our bikes, we are happy to find that Bike and Roll’s new frequent visitor program has been launched.  Every Bike and Roll customer receives a card that gets stamped each time they visit.  Each visit back to the island means progressively larger and larger savings on bike rentals.  On your second visit you save 25%, on your next visit 50%, on the next 75%, and on the next your bike rental is free.  Just in case you needed another reason to return to New York’s island paradise.

 

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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.

I had the opportunity to attend the Central Park bike tour, which began on West Side 67th street near the Sheep Meadow. This tour started at 3:30 pm and ended at 5:30 pm, giving us two full hours of pedaling, talking, enjoying, and learning. Our tour guide was Mr. Chuck Krieger (left), whose knowledge of the park and agility on the bike kept us intrigued and entertained.

This 6-mile marvelous bike tour gave us the opportunity to learn everything about the area. Did you know that Central Park was entirely manmade? That’s right, every single tree and blade of grass was planted by human hand. Thanks to landscape designers Calvert Vaux and Frederick Olmsted, we are able to enjoy nature in the middle of New York City.

As we biked around the park, Mr. Krieger pointed out The Dakota, Cleopatra’s Needle, Bethesda Fountain, the public pool, Alexander Hamilton’s statue,  and much more. We also visited a variety of stunning spots including the pond from the Stuart Little movie, Jackie Kennedy Reservoir Oasis (breathtaking view), the Harlem Hill, and Central Park’s public pool.

As the bike tour came to an end, we visited the Swedish Marionette Theater and Shakespeare’s Garden; a gorgeous spot full of colorful flowers and plants. To get a better view, we climbed to the peak of Belvedere Castle, which overlooks the Great Lawn (holds up to 1,000,000 people!)

Our journey concluded at the Strawberry Fields, where the story and legend of John Lennon will always be remembered.

Bike and Roll has friendly and knowledgeable employees that will make you feel comfortable and welcomed. Our bikes and helmets were measured to our exact size and height, making our bike tour that much more pleasant.

Although there are more stories that I should tell you about, I rather leave the rest for your imagination. I recommend that you come and experience a day full of fun, fitness, learning, and entertainment. Call Bike and Roll and make your reservations today!

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?’”

Lopez’s reaction is proof of just how much things have changed along the river. For much of New York City’s history, “the waterfront was where the industrial areas were,” said Madelyn Wils, president and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust. “Then in the 1960s, the port business went away and the waterfront areas became so derelict they were an embarrassment. If you saw pictures of what this looked like even 10 years ago, you’d say, `How could anyone let that happen?’”

Looking at the ribbon of spotless walkways, plantings and creative play areas along the river today between Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan and 59th Street, it’s hard to imagine what Wils is describing. But when she and other New Yorkers began working to create the park in the late 1990s, one of her goals as a mother of three living in Lower Manhattan was simply to make more places where kids could play. In 1998, the city and state provided land for the park, and construction began in 2001. Last year’s opening of Pier 25 in Tribeca, now one of the park’s most popular areas with mini-golf and volleyball, was a crowning achievement.

There are still small sections along the water awaiting redevelopment – a pound for towed cars, a facility for Sanitation Department trucks – but the walkways and bike path are uninterrupted. (Wils says the park has “more bikes on the bike paths than anywhere else in the country – 6 million a year.”) Between playgrounds, lawns, sports facilities, boating options and other amenities, the park’s attractions number in the dozens.

“There are so many different boating opportunities in the park now,” said Nancy Brous, metropolitan region director for the Hudson River Watertrail. Many of the programs are run by volunteers to educate New Yorkers who may never have been in a kayak or out on the river before, Brous said, but the walk-up kayaking programs also get “a lot of out-of-town visitors. This is something that’s really going to be driving the tourist trade as time goes on and more people seek it out.”

Another aspect of the recreational boating programs is teaching the public about the river. It’s a tidal estuary, so the currents are strong, and the water can be murky as the tidal flow stirs up silt. “It’s not crystal clear and you can’t see that deep into it, but it’s not pollution,” Brous said. “People are very surprised when they learn about the water quality. Just by the birds you can tell it’s clean – they’re out there and they’re catching fish.”

Hudson River Park is also home to historic vessels that can be toured; public art like the AIDS memorial at 11th Street; yoga and other fitness programs; concerts, walks and talks, including a Sunday morning nature tour where participants learn about the park’s 85 species of birds. Little wonder the park has started turning up in travel guides to New York City as an option for visitors looking for something to do besides shopping, theater and museums.

The park is also near several of New York’s biggest attractions: the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, at 46th Street, where the NASA space shuttle Enterprise will go on view July 19, and the High Line, the stunning urban park built atop an old elevated freight rail line between Gansevoort Street and 30th Street, slightly east of the river along 10th and 11th avenues.

Another busy spot within the park is Chelsea Piers, a sports and recreation center with a bowling alley, indoor skating rink, golf driving range and other things to do between 17th and 23rd streets. The Frying Pan is a bustling bar and restaurant on a salvaged boat docked at Pier 66, 26th Street.

Lopez later raved about her day of biking in the park on her blog, called FunFitChic, as the “best day ever,” and she’s now recommending the experience to out-of-towners. “We have a cousin here from Puerto Rico, and I said, `Let’s get on a bike and go there.’ It’s definitely the way to go.”

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120712/us-travel-trip-hudson-river-park/

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!

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 Gordon-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.