It's an oft-repeated cliche that spring comes to New York for two days or so and then summer begins. But cliches take flight on wings of truth and summer has, indeed, arrived with a vengeance.
Sunday was Brooklyn's first Tour De Brooklyn. Patterned after a long-standing bicycle tour of the Bronx, Brooklyn decided to give it a try and, despite the intense heat and humidity, it was a great success.
Stacey and I, up late the night before, rose early at 7:30. The Tour was to depart Grand Army Plaza, just a block or so away, at 9:00.
Leaving our house, bound for the Tour De Brooklyn.
We joined thousands of other bicyclists and lined up inside Prospect Park. This was to be an easy-going ride down to the shore and back. Sponsored by Transportation Alternatives, (T.A.) New York city's bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization as well as the city's DOT and the Brooklyn Borough President's office, it was evident that the bicycling community has become a large and increasingly potent force in the city and it felt good to be there in such great numbers. I've observed before that my neighborhood of Prospect Heights is a big biking locale - just standing in front of my building on Underhill Avenue on any given day, one can see dozens of people cycling by - on their way to work or play - the word is out: the bicycle is the fastest (and most pleasant) way to get around downtown Brooklyn's car-congested streets.
Lining up inside Prospect Park at Grand Army Plaza.
The official sticker denoting one's status as a Tour participant. And yes, that's Stacey's back to which it's adhered.
Thousands of Brooklyn bikers turned out - biking is mainstream in our neighborhood and throughout downtown Brooklyn.
Before we got under way, and standing in the broiling sunlight, we were addressed by Paul Steely-White, the director of T.A. and then Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, who clowningly admitted he couldn't make the entire ride due to lack of fitness. Not a great role model, I thought. But, nevertheless, he was out there showing his support for cycling and that was a plus. A few more speakers and then we were off.
Leisurely rolling through idyllic Prospect Park.
We descended, with wonderful speed, the great moraine that underlies Prospect Park and exited at Park Circle. Crossing Prospect Expressway we were delighted to find that Ocean Parkway was closed, southbound, to automotive traffic and we cyclists had all three lanes to ourselves. Fabulous, as we cruised toward Coney Island and the beaches of Brooklyn totally unimpeded.
A bit of historical perspective is in order -- Ocean Parkway, built between 1874 and 76 later had the country's first bike path constructed alongside it. The Parkway was designed by the same great landscape architechts who conceived Prospect and Central Parks: Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. And the bike path was opened in 1894 with a grand parade of thousands of cyclists, members of more than 60 "wheelman" clubs. By that time, production of the bicycle had become the largest manufacturing industry in the United States and bike riding was the favorite outdoor activity of Americans. Sadly, it's enormous popularity declined just a few years later with the invention and ascension of the infernal internal combustion engine -- the car. Happily, bicycling for pleasure and for commuting is on the upswing again.
Historic sketch of the bicycle path on Ocean Parkway.
Riding over Prospect Expressway toward Ocean Parkway.
What a spectacle - thousands of bikers entering Ocean Parkway while the cars wait.
It's a testament to the strength and influence of Transportation Alternatives and the bicycling community that the city agreed to close the Parkway for a bit while the bikers proceeded along their ride. The cars just had to wait as this magnificent, non-polluting and silent (except for the lovely, soft sound of thousands of tires and gently clicking gears) parade of bicycles passed by. Quite beautiful, I thought. The car drivers, for the most part, took it in good humor, many of them standing outside their cars and applauding as we pedaled by. It was quite a sight.
Gliding down Ocean Parkwy.
I've done this ride many times over the years, but by myself or with friends. This time, accompanied by thousands of other cyclists, I felt inspired. And the time flew by as we chatted or pointed out places of interest along the way. As we approached the shore, my alma mater, Lincoln High School, (class of '63!)came into view, standing there as proud and beautiful as ever even after all these years.
Lincoln High - one of Brooklyn's great public high schools.
We hit the shore and cycled down to the western end of Coney Island and the fenced off community of Sea Gate. There we turned around and headed for Kayser Park where the bikers were served bagels, organges, bananas and water. After a bit, we mounted our bikes and headed back up Ocean Parkway for our return to Grand Army Plaza.
At the ride's end at Prospect Park, ride t-shirts were distributed and live bands competed to a large audience. Later, at 3pm, riders were treated to free beer at a new eco-friendly restaurant that has opened in Fort Greene: The Habana Outpost Brooklyn. It's billing itself as "New York City's first solar-powered restaurant and market."
It was a great day - and we were hot and tired. But we also felt rewarded by joining fellow cyclists from Brooklyn and beyond in an exhilarating adventure that promoted both bicycling and Brooklyn, both of which grow daily, it seems, in appreciation and respect.
Free beer and great Cuban food at Habana Outpost on Fulton Street.
Wall mural at Habana Outpost Brooklyn.
9 comments:
Your Alma Mater!?
Lincoln is MY Alma Mata!
Class of...
Never you mind.
Olmsted and Vaux were busy guys... and my hat is off to them.
In their master plan for Central Park, the 1858 "Greensward Plan," Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux proposed an architectural "heart of the Park" defined by a sweeping Promenade that would culminate in a Terrace overlooking the Lake. As Vaux said to a newspaper reporter in 1865, however, the architecture was always to be subordinate to the landscape: "Nature first, 2nd and 3rd – architecture after awhile."
Yet Olmsted and Vaux also understood the practical nature of a public park. There had to be places for people to gather, to experience the human variety the City had to offer, as well as the inspiration of nature. And they succeeded splendidly with Bethesda Terrace and what we now call the Mall (formerly the Promenade).
On the lower Terrace is one of the most photographed fountains in the world, "Angel of the Waters." Bethesda Fountain , as it is often called, was the only sculpture commissioned as part of the original design of the Park. The artist, Emma Stebbins, was the first woman to receive a commission for a major public work in New York City; the fact that she was the sister of Col. Henry G. Stebbins, the President of the Central Park Board of Commissioners, does not detract from her accomplishment or talent. The sculpture, dedicated in 1873, is a neoclassical winged female figure who symbolically blesses the water of the fountain with her one hand and carries a lily, the symbol of purity, in the other. The fountain celebrates the opening of the Croton Aqueduct, which brought fresh water to New Yorkers in 1842.
Stacey looks good from the front as well as the back.
Murray
Matthew,
We must have gone to the different rides...
I have not seen any bagels, bananas, etc in Kayser park, nothing but stale water and 30 min of waiting to resume the ride.
And there was absolutely no finisher's line, or T-shirt distribution at the end of the ride in the Prospect Park! All i saw was a few people setting up a stage for the concert, most riders leaving, and some staying waiting for the concert. When did they give you the T-shirt.
And finally, i question the wisdom of having Tour de Brooklyn consist of ride there and back over Ocean Parkway, whose connection to the ocean is only in the name. Some oceanside riding would be much much better on a hot day!
Don't think I'll want to repeat this ride next year...
Well, there were plenty of people at Kaiser Park calling out "Food to the left, water and bathrooms to the right." And so they were.
The end of the ride was indeed problematic, as bikers were directed down narrow dirt paths to the Carousel, where booths were set up with T-shirts and souvenirs. Riders at the front of the pack were not correctly directed, and rode on to the starting point.
While Ocean Parkway is wide and flat, I do agree that a more varied route would have been more fun. Out one way and back another,maybe? And the route needs to be clearly published, at least on the Web, in advance.Yes, the Carousel was mentioned as the finish point, and there was an approximate timetable, but no route.
But I will be back.
Great ride. A couple of minor organizational glitches. Remember there were thousands of riders and it was free. Thanks TA and Brooklyn for a great morning.
I was near the front of the pack at Kaiser Park and there were plenty of bagels and oranges. It was not clear where the water was until 5-10 minutes later when organizers periodically stood up and yelled 'water and bathrooms that way, food that way.'
I was also near the front of the pack at the end of the ride and the ride did just kind of disolve. So I missed the t-shirts.
From: waltergoodman@mac.com
Subject: Feedback on Tour de Brooklyn
Date: June 6, 2005 5:36:03 PM EDT
To: info@transalt.org
Cc: waltergoodman@mac.com
We had some fun, and we would love to see future Tours de Brooklyn. However...
For our family, the pace of the ride was really a problem. I am an experienced rider, and was riding with two sons, the younger of whom is seven, and my wife. She agreed to the family riding, given that it was a long ride for the seven-year-old, because the description said 'family-friendly ride at a leisurely pace'. Our experience did not fit that description.
We started out quite far back in the pack, partly because though I registered the whole family online, only my name appeared on the list. As we found ourselves being passed by many riders, we found ourselves coaxing our youngest on, and then when we saw the cars behind us, we increased our exhortations to the point where it was quite nerve-racking for him and for us. The alternative was to be left without the protection of having traffic stopped for us at intersections. Ultimately that is what happened, though not until Avenue Y. At that point the ride was for us less safe, slower, and less fun. In addition, we had no map, no printed directions, no signs, and no one to point the way, though luckily we know the neighborhood well. We were able to glean the way by looking for a few stragglers, though you can imagine the anxiety it all caused for less-experienced riders, particularly because every question about where we were going and what to do next was answered by me with 'I don't know'.
That was our worst point, and from the rest spot on we were able to keep up with the ride, though not easily. We accomplished this by starting out at the front of the pack, and because the return ride was somewhat slower paced. I am guessing that the police slowed the ride down in an attempt to keep the pack together, which was a very good move from my perspective.
I wish that my son's introduction to group rides could have been more positive. He did have a great sense of accomplishment from having ridden over 20 miles, including the leg to our neighborhood, and parts were fun for him. But being admonished by the ride volunteers that he was riding too slow, albeit just a little slower than the pack, and that he would have to leave the group and ride on the side, was an unnecessary setback.
I think 'family friendly rides at a leisurely pace' are a great idea, and represent the future of TA. I would suggest that there be more attempts to include young riders and beginners. Perhaps you could arrange to start them near the front of the pack. I would like to see the ride lead by someone other than racers in uniform, setting what is for many an unrealistic pace. Publicizing or marking the route would help. If there need be a minimum speed, I think it should be in all advance publicity, along with the alternative for those, like my son, who very much want to continue the ride and definitely do not want to take the subway home.
Well Matt, you're the featured blogger on the TA site that's some sort of first isn't it?! Oo La la!
Thought I must say I was rather disappointed when I read your story (I know there's always a critic) You neglected to mention US!! Your pre-retirement pals! The know the ones, I caught site of you passing us on the way & hailed you & Stace over!
I don't know how you could of been passing us by w/o noticing the bleary-eyed kids & Mom (from the fireworks & Star Wars)& even blearier-eyed Dad-on a bike!(home from the JFK at 1 am).
There weren't too many Mom's (2-I saw & 1 Dad) with a kid on the back seat. Our 8 yr old (who could pass for 10) was a little slower than I with my 40+ lb, 3 yr old dumpling on my rear wheel. Dad was more disapointed than I about the lack of kids w/parents on the ride. But I wasn't expecting too many after all the kids we saw at Star Wars the night before, I'd of stayed in bed too if I didn't have such early risers :( - :)
All in all we had a good time, found the Bagels/Banana's/oranges/ P-B&J/Water/Bathroom line (no thank you!) with no problem. Though it would of been nicer if it started on time & there was no lure of Star Wars (ending at 11:30)in the park the night before.
Like I said It was fun! We'd do it again.
To Walter, we got there at 7:30, registered that morning, after we sat around for a while & then some, listening to the promise of start ....soon... & lots of repeated facts (ad nauseum) waiting for Marty & Fernando. Hence we started at the front of the pack & then settled into the comfortable middle with no pressure from the sweeps, which sounded rather unpleasant & would have been quite unnerving for our 8-yr old, whose Dad would have gone ballistic on them, after 5.5 hrs of sleep! As I said Dad & the boy were generally about 1/2 a block behind me. There was no problem of them losing track of me as spotting someone w/a baby seat was a rariety! so how did you ride by us Matt? :) I'll let you forget after a while!
It would have been quite nice if the whole ride went over the boardwalk, as we did!
Yeah, we never planned to ride back, lack of sleep & proximity to the ocean! We went to the beach & took the train home, after all it is uphill back :) & Ocean Pkwy can be boring back & forth. So, no T-shirts or carosel rides for us shirkers hanging out at the beach!!
.
From Astoria, Queens...
I got up very early, and fixed myself a sandwich, and left home in Astoria (near Steinway and Broadway) a little before 7 am.
After an hour riding across Brooklyn I arrived at Prospect Park, and registered.
I agree with Walter that the pace was anything but "family friendly leisure...". It was OK for me, but not for smaller children or people with children in back seats or trailers (although I didn't see many).
It would be nice to have an itinerary published beforehand, and to try and have some variation in the return trip.
I can understand how Alexey missed the snacks at Kaiser Park: He kept going straight to the end of the park, instead of turning left at the corner towards the grass and tree area...
At the end, I came in with the vanguard group, and found no directions explaining that t-shirts were being given at the Carousel. In fact, I stayed for more than half an hour sitting at one side of the East Drive, not 100 yards away from the bandstand, and yet saw nobody with t-shirts or directing riders to the Carousel...
After that, it was the ride back to Queens, mostly along Bedford Avenue, and I got home at around 2 in the afternoon.
Anyway, it was fun, pretty decent for a first time event, and I hope the organizers (thanks, T.A.!!) listen to all the suggestions to make this a more family fun ride.
Ride safely everybody!
Jose E. Llufrio
llufrio2k@yahoo.com
yea, i went on the ride too, and no t shirts were distributed.. which kinda upset me, cuz i liked the logo.. but yea..
and that hold up at the park near coney island was lame..
the motorcade should have gone faster.. but the ride was sitll enjoyable
-alana!
I agree completely with Alexey. I guess I've learned my lesson about riding in the front. Not only did I have to sit on my brakes almost the entire time in order to stay behind the pros and the police escort, slamming them on for the final turn into the park with absolutely no warning that we were about to go offroad on foot-wide sand paths, but then no one pointed out any kind of food. The vanguard was directed (if you can call it that) straight to the water and bathrooms, the latter of which mysteriously already had long lines (although I was within the first twenty or so riders). Then there was the long wait, of which I took advantage by TRYING to find the food, but failed, and then got frustrated by the crowd and the lack of organization and went back to the front so I could just get back as soon as possible. I saw no t-shirts at the end, either, and I think that was a conscious misdirection, because I heard an organizer saying before the ride they hadn't made enough and so couldn't hand them out to everyone. They must have only started telling people about them after most of the ride had gone by, so that they'd at least have enough for the people who were left. I did sit around the bandstand for a while, waiting, but eventually gave up and went home. It was exhilarating having Ocean Parkway to ourselves, but also far from scenic, and I agree it would have been nice to take a different route back. I did enjoy being out on such a beautiful day (sunscreen- check!), but I think there were a lot of bugs to be worked out for next year. I applaud TA for their efforts, as always. The first run is always a little shaky. Next year, maybe we can put Markowitz in a bike trailer so he can do the whole ride?
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