Bike the Big Apple

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a good Halloween and NYC Marathon weekend. Our busy marathon rush continues this coming week here at Bike the Big Apple, but all has gone great so far. On Friday, Levi and I led 48 Dutch marathon runners and their family members through Central Park, Harlem, and Morningside Heights. I led the tour as Colonel Mustard from Clue, complete with the monocle to inspect the official New York City Bike Map as I showed the riders the route. Levi went as Moe from The Simpsons. His Duff beer mug was perfect for collecting tips at the end of the ride. The only missing accessory was Moe's pickled eggs, which came after the tour!
I'm not quite sure the customers fully appreciated our outfits but we made them smile and that's all that counts. The ride was only 3 hours and with a group this big, first impressions are everything; the first impression they got of us was a couple of oddly dressed, young, New York bike riders who seemed very foreign to them! We explained that it was Halloween and they asked a few questions here and there, but for the most part, I'm pretty sure they walked away thinking that this was essentially our standard look (I'm only half kidding here). Either way, they called me Colonel throughout the day and the beautiful fall afternoon made it hard not to enjoy the ride.On a side note, this week, Levi premiered the model he recently built of the Freedom Tower that is due to be finished in 2012. This impressive piece of construction (his model, not the Freedom Tower, whose foundation has only just appeared) is over 2 feet tall and is almost perfectly to scale. Levi will be carrying this model in a tube on his back during all future Lower Manhattan rides!

One Wet Friday

2008-09-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last Friday began dry enough with a great visit to Socrates Sculpture Park. Several new sculptures have been installed and as you can see here, they've got one more on the way!

And, after noticing Bike the Big Apple's repeated Friday visits, a local artist introduced herself and offered to show people around this wonderful sculpture park on future rides.

As we made our way from Queens into Brooklyn, I got a call from Levi, the other guide doing Tour A that day. While listening through my plastic cell phone baggy (the rain had begun!) I could hear him saying something about seeing Beyonce on Bedford Avenue. Could this be a repeat of last summer's 'Beyonce wet in VIBE' contraversy? But, alas, we arrived too late (Levi and his group did get to watch her shoot a music video on North 7th Street just before we got there) . Below is what remained of the lingering crazed (and I mean Beatlemania-style crazed) teenagers.

This crowd waited tirelessly in the rain our entire lunch stop but she never made an appearance again while we were there. Fittingly, we parked our bikes near one of David Byrne's new bike racks nearby. He did several of these to promote a public contest to create new bike racks throughout the city. Here's a link to one of the finalists-- I hope to be seeing more of this around the city soon!

We all got back to shop completely soaked and despite concluding the day (hours after the tour was over) by sitting in the rain in Shea Stadium (a game that was ultimately cancelled), this wet day ended for me with another great Bike the Big Apple moment...

An Italian couple who spoke very little English had been trying to reach me all day to sign up for the tour the following day. We communicated a few times by phone but due to the rain and language barrier we were never able to hash out the details for their tour. They called again as we sat through the rain delay at Shea. The noise on their end made communication difficult. I couldn't make out much of their broken English, but all of a sudden I heard something I could understand, 'Sorry about the noise, we are at the Mets game.' I responded that I was at the Mets game too! And, it just so happened, I had a friend with me that spoke Italian!

I went and found the Italians at their seats and brought them back down to introduce them to their 'Italian translator' (who would be joining them on the ride the following day) and to Levi, their guide for the Tour B. They ended up having a great ride the following day and we all went to the rescheduled Mets game on Saturday night!

I've since considered opening a second Bike the Big Apple office in Shea stadium. Unfortunately, I will only be going to one, maybe two, more games and the stadium will be gone next year. Go Mets!

A beautiful weekend in August

2008-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning began with a great trip down the entire length of New York's 'Summer Streets' program, where an 100-block stretch of New York's streets are closed to vehicle traffic on three Saturdays in August.
From Park Avenue down Lafayette Street and further south to the Brooklyn Bridge, the streets were filled with public art, aerobics & yoga classes, a bike decorating party, street painting, cyclists, runners, rollerbladers, and those just taking a leisurely stroll--- everything but cars!

We had access to areas now seldom seen (outside of a windshield) in New York City, like this bridge in front of the Grand Central Terminal. With no pedestrian access to much of the area that surrounds this now obscured beauty it is rare that anyone gets to stop and gaze at this magnificent structure.

From my experiences of riding on busy bike paths, I'd say rollerbladers can be considered the SUV's of human powered vehicles (because of the sometimes dangerous way they flail their arms and legs on narrow paths--- no offense to rollerbladers!), but this pack of what seemed like over one hundred rollerbladers was a welcome sight to see on Lafayette Street and I'd take these guys over an SUV any day!
After getting downtown, we made a quick stop to check out David Byrne's exhibit, 'Playing the Building,' at the Battery Maritime Building. Each key on this organ creates a different sound made by the building, the building's pipes, and all sorts of other odd noise makers throughout this old terminal. We had the whole place to ourselves and this group from Canada really took the opportunity to 'play the building!'

The last entirely unique moment of the weekend came on Sunday afternoon as our group on Tour C pedaled across Madison Avenue. This plastic casing for electrical and cable wires stretched for over 10 blocks and made the street completely impassible. In all my biking in New York, Ive never seen such a thing. Ive seen them lay similar things a block or two at a time, but never something so big all at once. The plastic casing seemed to come alive as it snaked up Madison Avenue from Midtown to the Upper East Side!

Lots of riding!

2008-08-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

I worked three consecutive custom tours last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and, just by coincidence, these customers from all over the world decided to pick some of our longest, hilliest rides. I love hills but by Monday evening, I felt like an old man!

On Saturday morning, two families and I explored Upper Manhattan and encountered the recent progress at 'Hamilton Grange.' This 200+ year old country estate was recently moved a few blocks down a hill into St. Nicholas Park. Todd Jones, a customer from California, who has had some experience moving houses, explained to us how this was done and how they are currently setting the foundation.Above is a picture I took back in June of the founding father's home about to moved. Below is a picture I took that same day of the foundation being prepared!

The following day, repeat customers from the Netherlands decided to try the Dutch Roots tour. One of our first stops was at the Dykman House, a replication of an old Dutch farmhouse built in 1784 by Dutch descendants way up in Upper Manhattan!

Later in the day, we visited Van Cortlandt Manor. Here, we toured this beautiful mansion and the Dutch taught me all about the countries storied customs, traditions, styles, and much more as we poked around what seemed to be an endless series of nooks and hidden passageways throughout the house.

The icing on the cake to this wonderful three days was my ride on Monday with the Ronsvalle's. This family, who is now living throughout the US, met up in NYC for a great ride with George, Brian, and I in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Six of the 16 riders decided to do the ride on tandems setting a Big the Big Apple record--- most tandems (3) in one ride!

Shakin off the blog dust

2008-07-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple months we've had lots of great stories to share here at Bike the Big Apple. Here are just a few.

In early May, bunch of rowdy Europeans and I stumbled upon a street fair in Williamsburg. They didn't make much progress with the unicycle but they were certainly eager to tell the television cameras how much they loved biking New York.

The following weekend, my sister, her girlfriend, and my cousin all joined us for a great ride over the Williamsburg Bridge. The beautiful weather in May made it perfect for weekend festivals in neighborhoods all over Brooklyn.

On this day, we found the Kite Festival in McCarren Park! Kite enthusiasts of all ages came to show off their tricks.

Lastly, an update on a previous posting. In late May, we made our last visit to the East 6th Street Community Garden. As you can see here, the Toy Tower is no longer. It does look like they are making some nice progress with the garden but this stop wont be the spectacular stop it once was.

Hooray for flight delays!

2008-06-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

A family of five from Florida (originally from Queens and the Lower East Side- LES) missed Sunday's Tour C because of a flight delay but we were able to hook up for a great ride in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn on Tuesday! Early in the day we marveled at how much history has been maintained in the West Village. Sadly, Chumley's does not fall into this category. This is the first glimpse I've gotten inside since the interior chimney collapsed just over a year ago and it was very cool. The hope is that this bar will eventually be restored and, as you can see, the workers seemed excited about the progress.Towards the end of the ride, I relinquished my tour guide role and these former New York natives led me through the LES. At one point we happened upon a TV filming starring Adam Goldberg, who they fondly referred to as the Hebrew Hammer. I like Adam Goldberg as much as the next man, but I'm not so sure Ill see the movie.
After being nudged away by the TV crew, my new tour guides made the LES's Jewish history come alive. The mural you see below was painted in 1973 by the mother of this family (pictured here-- the only one wearing a helmet!) and other members of the Jewish community at the time. The mural is a collage of Jewish-American history containing the faces of people in the neighborhood. My group even made me guess which one was her! As the neighborhood changes, we hope that such valuable pieces of this rich culture can be preserved.

Mayor Bloomberg Recommends

2008-05-16T20:52:00.001-07:00

Hi, my name is Levi. I am a Bike The Big Apple tour guide who will also be sharing experiences from my bike tours. This is my first posting......
For the first time in Bike The Big Apple's history...... a customer got a totally candid photo of Mayor Bloomberg. And the best part was that he was in a tree of all places. Our tour stopped at City Hall to talk about the mayor's workplace when we were pleasently surprised to see our city's mayor posing in a tree in the backyard of City Hall. He was being photographed for a piece in Time Magazine by professional photographers. He was also photographed by Jeroen Smits from our tour (above left photo). After several minutes of trying to look as mayoral as possible, Bloomberg carefully stepped out of the tree onto a ladder and decended back to the earth. There was a young couple that had just married across the street at the Municipal Building whom were watching the mayor just as we were. The newlywed bride said to Bloomberg, "Mr. Mayor, we just got married! Could you take a photo with us?" He smiled and came over to pose for a picture with the couple. Bloomberg asked them where they were going on their honeymoon and the woman told the mayor that they were going to Milan (photo below). Mayor Bloomberg told them that he was recently in Milan and then proceeded to recommend various restaurants to eat at in Milan. Just the idea of being recommended to go to a restaurant by a billionaire mayor is hilarious and we were fortunate enough to witness this exchange actually occur. Great photos Jeroen!

Eccentric Eddie Lives On

2008-05-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Our day began with what could be our last stop ever at the 'Toy Tower' in the East Village. Sadly, this local landmark is due to be torn down any day now. Although, knowing the way the city moves, I wouldn't be surprised if it hung around for a bit. Here, our groups sheds a tear for Eddie, its creator, who's mischievous ways seemed to permeate the city on this spring Tuesday.Eddie's eccentric spirit stuck with us the rest of the day as we encountered one odd thing after another. In DUMBO we met a woman walking her piglets!? I'm not sure why they squirmed away from me, but after one sniff they acted like I was the one who smelled and headed in the other direction.
In Red Hook, I intended to take the group to one of my favorite stops--- a huge warehouse full of cars used for movie shoots. Last week, this warehouse had police cars and buses from every decade; pimped out cars and burnt out cars; taxi cabs and Cadillacs; and it was home to Thomas the Train. This week it was all gone. It was amazing. Just one big empty warehouse about 1 km in length. I have a hard time imagining how they removed all those cars in one week and I wonder where they are now. After snooping around a bit, a van pulled in the entrance and suspiciously approached. Upon realizing that we meant no harm, he explained that the "City Office of Redevelopment" was evicting them and then he tried to sell us their old office furniture.
After leaving the warehouse, we looped around the back of the building only to stumble upon something else I'd never seen before. Moored to this normally empty Red Hook shore line was looked to be a massive Naval submarine. My guess is that it also had something to do with movie shoots although I really have no idea.I have looked into these things (the disappearance of the cars and the random appearance of the 'submarine') but found nothing so far. If anyone hears anything, let me know. I look forward to the new changes that are sure to await us next time we're down in Red Hook.

More bikes on Mothers Day!

2008-05-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

Thirteen riders from Holland, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany joined Wendy and I for Mothers Day in Harlem. Although Mothers Day falls on different dates in each of these countries they had no problem getting into the spirit of the day. The energy in Harlem seems to have this effect on the even the biggest 'Mothers Day scrooges' (if there is such a thing). I did not have my camera today but I hope that pictures will soon be provided by other riders because if there is ever an occasion for your Sunday best, it certainly Mothers Day in Harlem! Last Saturday, 46 Dutch fietsers (aka cyclists) joined Levi and I on a great Brooklyn ride. We all met for lunch on Bedford Avenue. If you've ever been on Bedford Avenue you'd know that there's hardly space to lock one bike, let alone 50. However, Levi, Mark, Craig, and I were up to the task and found a great empty wall along a Brooklyn Industries mural (see above).

In order to fit 50 bikes on this heavily trafficed sidewalk, our bikes on May 3rd needed to be a lot more organized than the bike chaos you see in the bike painting above. I know my loyal readers come to this blog to read about the bike tours, but I have to digress for a minute and share the newest addition to my apartment. Thanks, Mom, for the great birthday gift and happy Mothers Day!

Back to our great ride last Saturday: These fietsers were definately my kind of people-- they were in town to ride for several days in a row AND they had no qualms about bringing their lunch leftovers along with them while riding! A few hours after lunch, we all enjoyed second lunch on the beautiful Pratt campus. Ride. Eat. Ride. Eat. Ride. Who could ask for more?

Bike Month Begins!

2008-05-05T13:24:00.001-07:00

May is bike month in New York City and business is certainly beginning to reflect this. Despite the threat of rain and the chilly weather on Friday, all 49 participants showed up for a Tour A that had reached its capacity. Levi, Pat, Richard, and I split these riders from all over the world into 4 groups and took to the streets-- ready with bags full of ponchos, hats, and gloves (in May!).
While the sweeping views from Long Island City were hampered a bit by the fog, this rider from Berlin still took the opportunity got a photo of the U.N. with her Subway pass. You'll have to join us on Tour A to find out why in the world she'd do something like that!

If the group wasn't blown away by the great views that Tour A normally offers, our visit to 5pointz got them excited. Fifteen people literally gasped in unison as we entered the rear courtyard of this artist enclave and graffiti heaven.

Later in the day, we took the opportunity to warm up in one of my favorite galleries in Williamsburg. This month they are featuring remote control plants as part of a larger exhibit. I'm glad all of our participants were better at riding bikes than they were at driving these durable little remote control plants. Those things took a beating.

Stay tuned for more posts from recent weeks. Its been busy and there's lots more to share!

The Belgian Bumrush

2008-04-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

So far, the 2008 Bike the Big Apple scene has most certainly been dominated by the Belgians. I'm not sure why (or why now), but I am almost inclined to believe the Belgians are becoming the new Dutch! So, to all of you Dutch 'fietsers' (aka cyclists) out there, you need to come back and represent and stop leading us to believe that Belgium is the bigger cycling country!

Last weekend was no exception to this Belgian trend and I was overtaken by Belgians on both days! On Saturday George, John, and I led 17 ever-curious Belgian university students and their professor Alex on a great ride through much of Upper Manhattan. Overlooking the Hell's Gate and Triborough Bridges we had a great discussion about the portion of the East River originally known as Hellegat. Although this term was coined by the Dutch, the Belgians had no problem helping to clarify its origins!

After a great lunch in Harlem, we encountered several passionate protesters on 125th Street. In the same vein as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr in the 1930s, local residents have been protesting the plan to rezone this major thoroughfare. A few days after this tour, a comprise was reached. I'd like to think that these protests had a positive effect on the future of Harlem and I hope that this compromise can help the neighborhood to retain its character despite all the new money pouring in.

Shortly after Harlem, we made our way up to Morningside Heights and Columbia University. The Belgian students felt right at home in the center of campus and took a bit of time to mingle with their New York peers. Sunday afternoon brought us 47 French-Belgians on a corporate trip. Pat, Levi, I split them into three groups. Despite the size of the groups, these guys really flew through the city. In a three hour window, we devoured over 150 dumplings and 30 sesame pancakes in Chinatown, stopped in for a short game of bike polo on the Lower East Side (it was their first time playing but these guys were REALLY good), crossed both the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, got 6 flat tires, and still made it back to the bike shop right on time for all 47 Belgians to roll out in 6 stretch limos!

Father & Son Flats!

2008-04-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

The small group of 5 for this past Tuesday's Tour D did not mean it was an uneventful ride. The day produced so many great stories and pictures, it was hard to decide which ones to pick for this posting. Three solo riders from London, Illinois, and Scotland and a father and son from the Netherlands joined Anna and I on our exploration of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
At the southern tip of Broadway the elder Dutchman (although, he would certainly scoff at being referred to in this way!) had the best reaction to 'the Wall Street Bull' that I've ever seen. I guess he thought this might get the market back on track.Shortly after Wall Street, we discovered the great views that can be revealed when a building is knocked down. I love this perspective on the Woolworth building, although it won't be around for long--- once a new building goes up, Nassau Street will go back to being the narrow, shady alley it always has been.
Momentarily turning away from all of the fascinating urban sights, we found nature in Brooklyn Heights! This is one of three Dawn Redwoods in the neighborhood that were planted here back in the 1930s with seeds brought from China.
But, as we see every Tuesday, its hard to ignore the urban chaos in lower Manhattan in the middle of the work week. In the financial district the construction you see above made us all wonder how anything gets done in this dense city.
And, of course, with this construction comes hazards to the cyclist. Towards the end of the ride the jovial father and son duo both got simultaneous flats-- both caused by big construction staples! They did not let this slow them down, though, and were eager to help with the repairs. They also made it up to us at the end of the ride by treating everyone to a round of beer. Yes, that's right, I said the Dutchmen bought US beer! What a day!

Going Green

2008-04-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have had a more perfect day for the Great Brew, View, and Chocolate tour this past Saturday. A family of five Brits, a couple from New Jersey, and a couple from Alaska joined Craig and I for our first sun burns of the year. We arrived in Williamsburg at around noon when the weary-eyed hipsters were just waking to up to the idea that this was going to be a beautiful spring day. By the time we finished lunch at the Brooklyn Brewery, the streets, parks, cafes, and art galleries were packed with skaters, brunchers, strollers, joggers, shoppers, bikers (of course!), and people just happy to be outside.

After seeing and hearing about how New York's waterfronts were becoming greener right before our eyes, my 11-year old buddy from Nottingham (right next to the original Gotham!) found a green friend his size at a gallery in Williamsburg. He wanted to join the tour but we didn't have an extra bike for him (he should have booked ahead of time!).

The uncharacteristically crowded playgrounds in Hassidic Williamsburg (it was the Sabbath, after all) and bustling farmers markets in several Brooklyn neighborhoods made it clear that spring had arrived. And as usual, ending the day atop the Brooklyn Bridge couldn't have been better. While the massive crowds enjoyed the numerous breathtaking views from Roebling's masterpiece, we peered down below to the see future Brooklyn Bridge Park. The first two piers of this park are schedule to open next year. Soon, this will all be green!

late winter in the Bronx & Upper Manhattan

2008-03-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hamburg is one of the great fahrrad (a.k.a.- bike) cities of the world. One reason for this is because, like most of Holland, its neighbor to the west, Hamburg is very flat. Well, last week six 'Hamburgers' wanted to experience something different. They wanted to see why some Native Americans called the area 'MANNAHATTA,' (likely translation= island of rolling hills) and they certainly did!

After 400 years of development, you'll find most of the hills today in Upper Manhattan & the Bronx. Following a great Italian lunch on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, we had our toughest climb of the day up to the original 'Hall of Fame,' but the views and architecture up there made it well worth it. There seemed to be one more space for a new inductee into the Hall of Fame, and as you can see one German thought he should be next, right beside FDR.

After warming up in a beautiful library designed by Stanford White, we made our way down into the Harlem River Valley and back into Manhattan. Here, Ft. Tryon Park offers wonderful views of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx (you can actually see the 'Hall of Fame' where we just came from in the distance!).

Fortunately for the Germans, we didn't have to climb a hill to get great views this time. If you know where to go, you can actually find a tunnel that's cut into the rock (Manhattan Schist to be exact) on side of the cliff. At the end of the tunnel, you will find the A train AND you will also find an elevator that takes you right to the top of the park!

Towards the end of our ride, we stumbled upon an exciting game of high school softball at the base of the magnificent St. John the Divine. To me, baseball was a sign of the warm spring that is soon to come. To the Germans, this alien pastime needed more explaining. This can be a tough one! As a tour guide, I find myself explaining all sort of topics, and I've found that explaining baseball to Europeans is, by far, one of the biggest challenges. I'm not sure if these Germans came away from this tour knowing anything more about this uniquely American sport but they enjoyed the game nonetheless.

Easter in Harlem

2008-03-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

A wise man on 125th Street once announced that every Sunday was Easter in Harlem. After spending almost every Sunday in Harlem for the past several years, those of us at Bike the Big Apple are certainly not inclined to argue with him.

Despite the chilly winds yesterday, 3 full tours worth of people wanted to see the real Easter in Harlem, and it did not disappoint. The celebratory energy (along with the outfits!) brought this 'neighborhood' (if you can call 400+ churches a neighborhood) to life on this frigid morning. And, the warm welcome we received in our favorite churches made the morning that much better.

Ending the day with a perfectly timed flat tire at the Central Park Skate Circle (a.k.a. the Roller Disco) also seemed to put a smile on everyone's face--- it almost seemed like that Bavarian cyclist got the flat on purpose! I was amazed at that turnout for the roller disco so early in the year. Didn't they know it was Easter in Harlem?

Rollin'

2008-03-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Besides the occasional hardy European group, this years tours really got rollin' the second week in March with a few great rides.

On March 14th I had wonderful custom ride to Red Hook complete with Aussie meat pies and Key lime pies. As you can see in the picture, my buddies from Rochester didn't trust my weather forcast (there was no rain!) AND didn't trust that I'd bring ponchos along just in case--- they made their own rain suites out of duck tape and trash bags from their hotel!

Earlier that week, I did a shorter version of Tour D for 7 Dutchmen. Upon meeting this great group of guys at that the bike shop, they said that they were 'old men' and needed the ride to be slow and relaxed. Little did I know, one of them was Wim Kieft, one of the great Dutch soccer players of all time. Old Men!? These were no old men! My only regret of that day was not bringing a soccer ball to knock around during our stop at pier 40. I did, however, get a chance to handily beat Wim up the Brooklyn Bridge.

Introduction

2008-03-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name is Jesse McDonough and I am the general manager and a tour guide for Bike the Big Apple, New York's original bike tour company. The purpose of this blog is to afford myself, the other guides, and all of our great customers the opportunity to share the many wonderful experiences we have while riding in New York City. Every day in a New York is a new day and these wonderful experiences are too good not to share!