(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Yes, despite the approaching super-mega-disaster storm headed my way, I’m still here in New York City.
made possible by:
- Planet Bike
- Lancaster Engineering
- Readers like you!
Despite the impending doom, today was actually a gorgeous day: over 60-degrees, some clouds, and even some sun. It was a perfect day to see Central Park in all of its fall splendor. But before I share a few photos and thoughts from my time in the park today, I want to update folks on coverage that’s in the works. Stay tuned for a full recap of the panel of big city commissioners that capped off the fantastic NACTO Designing Cities conference. I’ve also got at least one more story to share from one of the sessions I attended. As far as New York City bike culture and infrastructure, I spent 12 hours out on the streets today (and 10 hours yesterday) so I’ve got loads more of that to share too.
Now, back to Central Park…
The last (and only) time I visited New York City was about 10 years ago and Central Park was full of snow. And I didn’t have a bike. Today was the first time I rode around the loop, and it was magnificent. I entered the park from E 91st Street, which happens to have a carfree block between 2nd and 3rd avenues. Are their any blocks in downtown Portland where we could create a street park like this? (And yes, those are sharrow markings on the road)…
Once I got to Central Park, I took the one-way loop north. The road, East Drive, was packed with all manner of riders, walkers, joggers, and so on. The people were a mix of locals and tourists, young and old, racers and slow-pokes. There were no cars allowed on the road, so the cycling was sublime. The markings and traffic management system they have worked pretty well; but as I looped around to the southern end of the park, things got really chaotic.
Overall, I could not be more impressed. Central Park has got to be one of, if not the best park in the world (and biking the loop is just one tiny aspect of what it offers!).
Here are a few more photos…
And to think, this amazing park is smack dab in the middle of a vast metropolis…
Up next: My ride down the protected bike lanes on 1st Ave, Broadway and the amazing plazas in Times Square!
— This post is part of my ongoing New York City coverage. I’m here for a week to cover the NACTO Designing Cities conference and the city’s bike culture in general. This special reporting trip was made possible by Planet Bike, Lancaster Engineering, and by readers like you. Thank you! You can find all my New York City coverage here.