Set your car’s SAT/NAV to the 14th Street Pier in
Hoboken New Jersey. You and your bike
will be boarding the ferry bound for the World Financial Center Terminal in
Manhattan. Bring some cash, it is the
Big Apple after all, nothing is cheap there.
The ferry trip will cost you $10.75 one-way and the bike will be an
additional charge of $1.25. Parking is
not free at the terminal but cheaper than parking in Manhattan. The ferry departs every 30 minutes beginning
at 6:08 a.m. Enjoy your ride to the big
city on this Valentine's Day.
So, by now you are wondering what this is all about? Easy, the SBT crew can sum it up in two
words: Fashion Week. That is correct,
you--in your silly-looking biking ensemble--are going to Fashion Week. Specifically the St. John’s Center Studios to
take a gander at the newest collections from Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein happening today. Fashion Week in New York began during the war
years. Traditionally new fashions
debuted in France but with the Germans occupying Paris beginning in 1940 the
idea of high fashion seemed of little interest to anyone at the time. What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day
than with a trip to Fashion Week—by bike.
Once the ferry pulls in strap on the helmet for a fun adventure. You will be greeted first by the Irish Hunger
Memorial. It was built in 2002 as a tribute
to the lost souls of the Great Potato Famine, the result of which was a new
generation of Irish Americans. Between 1845 and 1852, a blight on Irish
potatoes led to a mass starvation. At
least one million Irish died, the rest it seems came to America. You will then want to ride your bike along a
seawall into Rockefeller Park. This is
the place for that potty break.
Rockefeller was a native Yorker, the 49th governor of the
state and US vice president under Gerald Ford.
The park provides an expanse of green lawns with views of skyscrapers to
one side and the Hudson River to the opposite.
Exiting the park puts you on the Hudson River Greenway. It is the longest greenway in Manhattan, it
is also the most heavily trafficked bicycle greenway in the United States. The ride is relatively flat, hugging the
Hudson for most of the way as it moves through the city heading north. The path traverses 14 counties and finally
concludes somewhere up in the Catskills. A
steep climb along the Manhattan section does occur at the George Washington
Bridge (we assume as the Catskills approach other climbs will be made).
As you near Pier 40 you are getting close to the St. John’s Center
Studios. Pier 40 is a nice detour,
cruise through the expansive parking lot.
The pier is home to a number of baseball and soccer fields, a kayaking
center, a boat house, a dog park, and believe it or not an actual school for
budding trapeze artists. At 14 acres it
is the largest pier in Manhattan and the location offers great views of the
Statue of Liberty. From this location
jump onto West Houston Street, the Studio is just one block away and the street
has a bike lane! Messrs Lauren and Klein
await your arrival. But wait, not so
fast. Do you have a ticket? Unless you are a fashion writer, editor,
stylist or Lady Gaga you won’t get in.
We suggest a tip of the cap (or helmet) in tribute to the show and get back
on the saddle. The Catskills await and
along the greenway north you will pass more piers, more parks and the USS
Intrepid (at Pier 86). Next are some
cruise ship terminals and then a ride through the huge Riverbank State Park. Keep an eye on your time, the last ferry back
to Hoboken is at 8:07 p.m.
Visit our website at www.stickybottleteam.net. We recently reviewed the best bikes that sell for around $2,000 under PRODUCT REVIEWS. We also have a story of a former NHL hockey player's bike ride across Canada at RANDOM THOUGHTS.
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| Great view from the cruise terminal |
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