Bicycles
Go for a Bike Ride
Jun 17th
Recently, my boyfriend’s younger sister traveled to New York City for a visit. Since she is a young, spritely college athlete, we wanted to think of something besides shopping and dining out that would allow her to tour some of this great city. We found a great opportunity to bike up the Hudson River, from the West Village all the way to the George Washington Bridge and back.
Biking is a great way to tour a new place. Depending on your pace, biking can be relaxing or energizing. Traffic in the city can be intimidating, but bikers should not fear because Google Maps maps out the safest bike routes, from point A to point B, in the city. A path, safe for bikers, walkers and joggers, runs along the Hudson. There are various parks along the way, perfect for resting and snacking.
For bike rental, I highly recommend Hub Station Bike rental. The service was excellent and the bike options ranged from mountain bikes and cruisers to tandem bikes.
Hub Station Bike
73 Morton St. (betwen Hudson and Greenwich streets.)
212 965 9334, hubstation@gmail.com
Open 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Prices: $35/24 hours or $7/hour
Happy biking!
– Courtney Centeno, account executive
Extension Excursions
Apr 22nd
The volcanic ash from Iceland may have caused some stressful inconvenience for most travelers this week; however, for some it is an extended vacation. Over the weekend, I met some visitors from Germany whose trip to New York had been extended much longer than they had planned. Being efficient travelers themselves, they had seen all the major tourist attractions of the city and wanted some advice on how to make the best of their extended time here. We came up with a few fun ideas on how to get to know the local side of a city you might be stuck in for over a week.
1. Take a trip to the local farmer’s market or grocery store. Local mom and pop shops are a great way to stock up on food and get to know your area. Local butchers and cheese shops usually offer the best quality for the best price, and you can even ask the owner for some touring tips or recommended cafes.
2. Get a copy of the local paper every day and read it. The local paper is an easy way to familiarize yourself with local events and politics.
3. Become a regular at a cafe. This is the best way to people-watch while enjoying a simple daily pleasure.
4. Rent a bicycle. Biking is one of the best ways to get around without missing too much of what is around you.
5. Visit the dog park. If you’re a dog lover, dog parks are a great social setting for meeting locals and enjoying the friendly atmosphere.
6. See an independent film. When traveling, I personally spend more time exploring and less time in the mall or theater. Cinema, however, is one of the most modern forms of art, and visiting a local theater to catch an independent flick is a great way to get to know the culture and politics of the destination you’re staying in, especially if you’ve visited all the museums.
7. Take a tour of a local brewery or winery. Whichever beverage connoisseur you may be, chances are one of these will be in or near the city or town you’re staying in.
What sort of small adventures have you taken to get to know the local side of your destination?
– Courtney Centeno, account executive
Bike Perils Put To Rest
Oct 9th
I am happy to end my Bad Luck Bike saga with a positive conclusion. If any of you recall in my previous blog, after falling into the vintage craze of Williamsburg, I was swayed into purchasing a brown vintage cruiser, advertised online as a “1960s cruiser in great shape, no need for a fix up”. The girl selling the bike stated that the only reason why she was parting with it was because after six months of owning it, she only rode it once. After a short test ride and swapping the cash with a Park Slope artist about my age for the ancient (but cute!) thing, I returned the bike to my neighborhood only to find, after only a ten-minute ride, that I had been duped into buying a lemon!
After sending a disappointed email to the conniving merchant asking for my money back, I got an instant reply from the demon bike dealer saying she did not feel morally obliged to take the bike back since I took it for a test ride and it was fine. She insisted that the damage must have happened in the car while the bike was being transported to my neighborhood. Besides, she had already spent the money I gave her.
It took about two weeks of staring at my idle bike sadly stored in my living room before I decided to take action and walk the bike over to a local bike shop three blocks from my house. For $10, yes $10, Peter (the owner) told me with honesty that, although he didn’t cure the bike completely, he replaced a cable, which made it ride much better.
Now, to prevent this from happening in the future, I will share what I have learned through the perils of purchasing a bike:
- Not to knock Craigslist, it is a very useful way to search for apartments without brokers and find items being sold in your neighborhood, but be wary when purchasing on that site. Anyone can advertise there, and while it’s supposed to be an honest space to sell your stuff, anyone is still anyone.
- If you’re buying a bike, don’t trust that it’s in good shape if the person who is selling it claims they only rode it ONCE.
- I know you might be excited when you see it, but TEST RIDE FOR LONGER THAN 30 SECONDS.
- Trust local bike shops. They are honest people, especially if you notice that everyone in the neighborhood is on very friendly terms with the owner – that is a good sign.
And, I have to say, after about a month and a half of riding it, I have encountered zero problems. Now, if I could only get myself to stop biking past my ex-boyfriend’s subway stop every week . . .
-Courtney Centeno, account executive
Cape Cod Bike Trails
Aug 21st
Last weekend I spent 3 days at the Cape with my family. I’m one who loves tropical beaches – white sand and palm trees, but there is nothing like the New England beaches!
First, I’d like to get it off my chest that every time I saw one of those “SOS” stickers opposing the wind turbines, I had to refrain myself from egging the cars they were stuck on. Well, maybe I didn’t even have a carton of eggs available to me, but come on people! I’m from Massachusetts. If we claim to be a liberal state, then we should all quit whining and accept the fact that this could arguably be one of the best choices we’ve made. Plus, wind turbines actually look quite pretty.
Aside from the passive-aggressive turbine protests, Cape Cod offers quite a view for the traveler. As a most recent broken bicycle owner, I mournfully looked into some travel bike trips on the Cape as I can’t imagine a better bike ride than one that trails along the coast. The New York Times online has a great bike guide for Cape Cod visitors and/or residents.
When I was about fourteen, my aunt and I rented a tandem bicycle for the day and biked around Provincetown. I highly recommend doing this, so fun! To me, biking offers the best opportunity to tour a place without letting everything whiz past you in a blink and still allowing you to reach your destinations at a faster pace than walking. I know what you’re thinking – “duh!”
-Courtney Centeno, account executive
