Brooklyn-Queens Bike Express

The Brooklyn-Queens Bike Express... NOT! Without actually being part of the New York Bike Tour, I thought the route would get on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Queens and enter Brooklyn that way. Just because I was stuck on the BQE before because of the Bike Tour does not necessarily mean the Tour went from Queens to Brooklyn via the BQE.

We left Manhattan for the last time via the Queensboro Bridge. It has been ages since I last used the QB. When I lived in Long Island City the QB would be the quickest way to get into Manhattan. It took me a few minutes to realize that we were on the upper level of the QB. The view was great! I had to pull over a few times to take picture of the surrounding. It is not everyday that one gets to be on the bridge, free of cars, to briefly mill about. Someone made the snide remark "Tourists!" while another said that he sees this, referring to the Manhattan skyline, from his office every day. How unappreciative of the City, these wise guys!

We got off the QB around 21st Street and traveled mostly along Vernon Boulevard and eventually reached the Pulaski Bridge, an entry point for Brooklyn. I again took some photos of the Manhattan skyline. I can almost swear that I once saw some sign informing drivers that they are leaving Brooklyn but I just couldn't find it. I only got the sign welcoming people to Brooklyn. I realize now the tour route is basically along the waterfront of Brooklyn and Queens. The northern waterfront part of Brooklyn is one area that I am not familiar with. Some kids and their mother had a lemonade stand out but if was on the far side of the road so I had to turn down the offer but the rest of the trip I had this urge for a nice cool cup of, what else, lemonade.

Eventually we reached DUMBO, the area Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. It was around 1 PM so some people pulled over for lunch, sitting outside under the beautiful sky. One woman had a sign advertising coffee and such for the restaurant nearby, which was within sight where she stood. I think she would have more business if she had the items ready-made, that people could just buy from her right near the bike route.

Finally, we entered the BQE after passing Atlantic Avenue, over the Gowanus Canal, and along the elevated portion of the BQE that is in constant need of repairs. Some plans call for that part of the BQE to be put underground. Maybe not being exposed to the elements will allow the expressway to last longer, who knows?

I thought we would go to the Verrazano Bridge via the BQE but instead we took the Belt Parkway. It was early in the evening and we were right off the waterfront along the Belt. Occasionally we would be greeted by a cold blast of wind, which was refreshing. Just what we needed to keep going for the last few miles.

Note that there are no photos taken on the BQE or the Belt Parkway. Living in Brooklyn for more than 10 years now, I travel those paths often and don't have any special connections to them. Not like parts of Queens, which I don't visit that regularly these days. Something about absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose.

Some interesting-looking apartment buildings north of the Queensboro Bridge.

Citi Corp building, the lone high-rise in the area.

The 7 train making its ear-splitting turn.

The Manhattan skyline viewed from the sharp turn toward the 21st Street exit.

Manhattan skyline viewed from the Pulaski Bridge.

Brooklyn, like no other places in the world.

This Is How I Roll

As the new year (2010) rolled in, I decided to adjust my workout schedule. The right foot was in frequent pain from the regular jogging so it was time to do something different. I could only think of cycling so cycling it was. Whether I came to know about the New York Bike Tour through one of those smart-aleck Google contextual ads I cannot remember, but today I found myself completing the 42-mile (67.7-km, I do have some fellow S.I. fans out there, do I?) tour. Note that it's called a tour, not a race, and that's what it really is. Not the entire route is closed to other traffics for the cyclists to really run at top speeds to see who finishes first.

The night before the event, just as I feared, I had some envelope-stuffing business to take care of that tied me up until almost 2 A.M. Someone I know rode in the tour before and told me that as long as I had the vest, via mail, that was all I needed. There won't be any registration on the day and there will be so many cyclists chances are the start time of 8 AM can be safely ignored. It was my first ride, so against better judgement I still got up at 6 AM and got to the start line, or actually, about half a mile from the starting line, around 7:30 AM. Sure enough, I wasted about an hour just milling about.

I don't know what motivating speech Cousin Brucie gave the cyclists but by the time I got to the stage on Church Avenue, a few blocks south of Canal Street, there was no one left on the stage. There was a handful of cheerleaders somewhere on Church Avenue. I spent a great deal of time in front of Syms - "An educated consumer is our best customer", that Syms - and there was nothing entertaining around me. Many group cyclists had cute or recognizable helmet accessories, like BMW hood ornaments, flowers, or tin-foil antennas. Someone tried a wave once and it didn't last too long. There was no one from the Tour around to make us stretch or chant silly songs, just something to while away the time.

The one entertainment we got was from a PoleRider. It is a combination of pole dancing and cycling, or pedicab cycling, to be exact. Say you are good at pole dancing but want to be known outside of your house. Have someone pedal the bicycle while you dance away on the pole, on whatever streets the bicycle goes. Kinda weird for my taste, but it was entertaining while we waited. At first, from far away, I thought it was just some girl bored with the long wait and decided to use one of the traffic poles on the street to show off her skill. When we started to inch forward, I noticed that the pole also moved slowly with the flow. Close-up, I learned that the pole was on a pedicab of sort. Definitely the right place to advertise the merchandise!