Shakin off the blog dust

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.

Going Green

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!