Eccentric Eddie Lives On

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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

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.