Tuesday, August 21, 2012

8-20-2012 6 Bridges, 3 Boroughs, with Bob. (28.05 miles)

A few of my readers have reached out to me to ride together since I have started my blog. A couple of months back I started chatting with a reader named Bob via email, and we discussed riding together, but up until now our schedules never quite matched up. Bob also enjoys the combination of cycling and photography, and was eager to witness some of the sights seen on my blog for himself.

Bob is a retired teacher living between Long Island and Florida who enjoys splitting his time between his athletic hobbies like swimming and cycling, and spending time with family. He rides a recumbent bicycle and has a group of fellow recumbent riders that he rides with down in Florida, but he was interested to ride in New York City's more urban landscape, so he was very pleased to have a tour guide. After a brief discussion last week it was determined that Monday the 20th would likely be a good day for us both, and the weather was supposed to be nearly ideal. We set the time for 10a.m., and the place, the entrance to Astoria Park.

We met as planned, and stood there discussing various aspects of the ride and route, and I tried to gauge Bob's comfort level with urban conditions. I always ride cautiously when by myself, and doubly so when I'm leading a ride. We decided that it would be wisest not to use the interior of Manhattan to loop back towards Queens, and use the combination of Vernon Blvd and Kent Ave for both legs of the trip.

Soon we were off down the road, and only one 1/2 mile along we arrive at our first bridge, the Triboro. The first time I rode this route I regretted not bringing my Fuji camera, and this time I made sure I had it ready with full batteries, and an empty memory card. Unlike my Android phone that automatically stitches panoramic pictures, the Fuji requires precise stitching by hand, on location.



Starting out along Ditmars with Bob.





Triboro Bridge, Fuji





Triboro Bridge, Razr Maxx





Triboro Bridge, Razr Maxx





Triboro Bridge, Razr Maxx





Hellgate Bridge, Fuji





Bob shoots from the Triboro Bridge, Fuji





Descending the Triboro Bridge.



Our next elevated destination would be the Queensboro Bridge. At different times throughout the ride Bob and I discussed the route and possibilities for the days ride. Additionally we spoke of ways we could add to the ride, and ideas for future rides. Bob offered some good insight into a readers perspective of my blog, and offered some great ideas and encouragement for the far reaching plans for my page.



Waterfront route to Goodwill Park.



When we arrived at the Queensboro Bridge I was very happy to see that construction to repave the bike path was well underway! This made stopping at the top for photos even more difficult than usual, but I was able to get a few good pictures before we rolled back down to the Long Island City side.



Queensboro Bridge, Razr Maxx.





U.N. seen from Queensboro Bridge, Fuji.





U.N. and Freedom Tower seen form Queensboro Bridge, Fuji.





The East River seen from the Queensboro Bridge, Fuji.





Descending the Queensboro Bridge, repaving of the bike path in progress.





Graffiti near Queens Plaza, riding along the Queensboro Bridge, back to Vernon Blvd.



Leaving the borough of Queens behind, we rode along Vernon Blvd until we reached Pulaski Bridge, which would take us into Brooklyn. It seemed to me that Bob's excitement was growing the further South we traveled. His enthusiasm was contagious, and made the ride even more enjoyable for me. I'm often exposed to these stunning views of New York, and seeing Bob inspired helps me appreciate things more. Sharing a bikes eye view of New York is part of the passion behind my blog, and doing so firsthand is a treat for me as well.



Pulaski Bridge, Fuji





Truck crossing Pulaski Bridge, Razr Maxx





Pulaski Bridge, Razr Maxx





Pulaski Bridge, Razr Maxx





Pulaski Bridge, Razr Maxx





Pulaski Bridge, Fuji





Descending the Pulaski Bridge.



Along the way to our next bridge (the Williamsburg Bridge) I made a slight detour to East River Park which offers an awesome view of the skyline right on the riverside. Here I was lucky to film a seaplane landing on the river as well as capturing some nice panoramic pics.



Seaplane lands in front of NYC skyline, viewed from East River Park.





The view from East River Park, Razr Maxx.





The view from East River Park, Razr Maxx.





The view from East River Park, Razr Maxx.





The view from East River Park, Razr Maxx.





The view from East River Park, Fuji.





The view from East River Park, Fuji.





The view from East River Park, Fuji.



Still heading South, we came upon a cool little landmark, a graffiti building in Greenpoint. Just as I was about to start filming our turn around the building, another Seaplane passed almost directly overhead!



Seaplane passes over Graffiti building in Greenpoint.



Once again following my usual route into Brooklyn, we rode Kent Ave to Flushing Ave, and followed the bike lane and signs to the Williamsburg. This bridge is unique in that it has separate lanes for, bikes, pedestrians, and cars, as well as track for subway trains. Panoramic pictures here are challenging due to the close proximity of the fence. Lining up the links in the fence can be tedious to say the least. Still, the view and the inexplicable charm of this odd red bridge make cresting it very enjoyable, and I believe I got better shots here this time than last.



Williamsburg Bridge, Razr Maxx





Williamsburg Bridge, Razr Maxx





Williamsburg Bridge, Razr Maxx





Williamsburg Bridge, Razr Maxx





Williamsburg Bridge, Razr Maxx





Williamsburg Bridge, Razr Maxx





Williamsburg Bridge, Razr Maxx



The route from Williamsburg to the Manhattan Bridge took us West along Kent past the Navy Yard until we could turn on Flushing Ave passing Steiner Studios, and eventually following signs to the entrance for the Manhattan Bridge. This bike path is a little narrow, and was made even more so by scaffolding erected for construction. This is another location where fence obscures part of the views. I was however able to place my camera on a rail and successfully take some panoramic pics with my Fuji camera here.



Manhattan Bridge, Fuji





Manhattan Bridge, Razr Maxx





Manhattan Bridge, Razr Maxx





Manhattan Bridge, Razr Maxx





Manhattan Bridge, Fuji



5 Bridges down, one left to go, as we made the very short round about to enter the Brooklyn Bridge. This bridge arguably has the best view of Manhattan, and for this reason it is often jammed with tourists on any day of the week. We stopped at a couple of different vantage points along the bridge, competing with the throngs of tourists for a clean shot of the skyline.



View from the Brooklyn Bridge.





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Razr Maxx





Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji





Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji





Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji





Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji





Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji





Bob takes pictures from the Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji



Once we satisfied our photographic needs for the day, we began the straight shot back to Astoria. When we reached the bottom of the bridge we saw a cycling family who inquired about entrance to the Manhattan Bridge. I invited them to follow us for the quick trip around the corner, and we guided them to their destination.



Leading a cycling family to the Manhattan Bridge.



After a rather uneventful ride back to Astoria Bob and I discussed riding possibly later in the week, or the next week and bid our goodbyes. When I asked him about my skills as a ride leader he commended me on doing a good job to point out turns and road imperfections. He also stated that he felt he learned something about riding safely in the city by following my examples of when to pass right or left around a car depending on conditions, signalling extra early, watching the horizon, and forcibly taking the lane for safety when necessary.

A fantastic day of riding was made even more enjoyable with the good company of my new friend Bob. Considering he wants to delve deeper and deeper into NYC riding, I have a feeling we will be riding together soon again! Thanks, Bob!



Bob takes pictures from the Brooklyn Bridge, Fuji. Cyclist passes in front.





2 comments:

  1. How amazing is all that?
    You guys rock!
    Awesome scenes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Karen!
    We had a great time.
    This route begs to be repeated, and added to.

    ReplyDelete