What Happened When I Went From Biking in Small Town, New Zealand to Biking in New York City
Biking in New York City is very different to biking in New Zealand. It’s better.
Flying is awful, but there is no practical way to get back to the UK to see family without doing so.
To make the most of the long haul flight, I stopped in New York City to see the folk at King Features. I always used to take the subway in NYC, but I’d been warned it had become dangerous (it was actually fine, and I shared rides with professionals, families, and friendly panhandlers and drunks). After the pricey late evening taxi ride from JFK to my Brooklyn Airbnb, I intended to get around mostly by biking.
It won’t surprise regular readers to read that cycling is my favourite way to travel. What surprised me was finding it way more fun cycling in New York City than in New Zealand.
I went everywhere. From my AirBnB, across Prospect Park and on to fellow cartoonist/biker, Dean Haspiel‘s studio in Red Hook. To catch the ferry from DUMBO up the East River to 34th Street, Manhattan (where I got a crosstown bus to Macy’s to use the loo – there are practically no public toilets in New York City). And ultimately the big trek from Brooklyn across the bridge to the cycle super highway up the Hudson River and cross town to West 57th Street and Hearst Tower.
There was an incredible network of bike lanes that didn’t exist when I lived in New Jersey in the early 90s and used to go into NYC on a regular basis. It wasn’t just men in lycra using them – women like me, families, guys in shirts and suits biking to work, delivery riders. Everyone.
And the most amazing thing?
The drivers were lovely.
They gave me room, looked before opening doors when parked and even smiled back when we were stopped at the lights (admittedly, most of the cyclists run red lights, so it probably surprised them to see one that wasn’t). It was so much nicer than in New Zealand. The culture has changed and if you can do that in a city the size and density of New York, you can do that anywhere.
I also found the Citi Bike app easy to use, though it is also easy to spend a lot of money. I wasn’t even using the electric bikes which are more expensive.
When I got to Bath, UK (where we were celebrating my mum’s 80th) I intended to use the electric Tier bike share scheme. Unlike NYC, it was hard to get started, partly because The UNESCO World Heritage site has few mobile phone towers and the app was often struggling to connect. When my sister and I finally managed to unlock two bikes, we had the city to ourselves early Sunday morning. It was exhilarating to whizz around the Georgian streets and parks. It felt like flying.
But without the eco-guilt.
Thank you for being one of the good humans.
Alex
PS. I’d love to hear of any bike share schemes you’d recommend (or not!).
PPS. I’m missing Molly. She’d love it here as dogs are allowed almost anywhere in the UK – pubs, cafes, beaches, shops and even in the queue at the post office.
That's wonderful to hear about NYC! I just got out for my first bike ride of the summer today and it was a good reminder how relatively quick it is to get around.
I'm glad you enjoyed biking around NYC. It was great to meet you in person.