I reside within the Bronx, simply over the Harlem River from the northern tip of Manhattan Island:
[From the NYC Bike Map [PDF].]
To entry stated island by bicycle, the 2 nearest bridges are these:
The Broadway Bridge, which additionally carries the subway prepare, is sweet as a result of it’s brief and it’s close to stuff. But it surely’s unhealthy as a result of Broadway is a kind of untamed thoroughfares and also you’ve obtained to enter elbow-throwing mode and do battle with among the most aggressive drivers New York Metropolis has to supply once you cross it. By the way, the Broadway Bridge additionally adorned a few of my headwear choices again after I provided stuff to put on in your head:
These will now fetch hundreds of {dollars} apiece within the classic clothes market.
The opposite crossing is the Henry Hudson Bridge, which connects the headlands on the confluence of the Harlem and Hudson Rivers:
The advantage of the Henry Hudson Bridge is that you simply’re not likely mixing it up with site visitors. The unhealthy factor about it’s that it’s a part of the Robert Moses parkway system so something that’s not a automobile is an afterthought, and the Manhattan aspect of it leaves you deep within the final remaining little bit of wilderness on the island–plus should you’re coming from Manhattan you’ve obtained to climb some critical grades with the intention to get to it, which may be enjoyable should you’re on a highway trip, however which sucks should you’re coming residence from a protracted day at work.
And if that weren’t sufficient, all it had was a measly, slender little pedestrian path with stairs on both aspect, and whereas there was no one there to cease you from doing it, using your bike throughout it wasn’t even technically allowed:
As soon as in an excellent whereas I’d trip over the Henry Hudson Bridge for the sake of novelty, however for essentially the most half I’d nearly by no means hassle, which is simply too unhealthy, as a result of if it weren’t for that awful path it will make a really nice and handy path to the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River Greenway.
Effectively, again in 2023 the MTA introduced it will lastly make its bridges bikeable, and whereas I don’t know if it’s formally open or not, yesterday I headed over to the Henry Hudson Bridge for the primary time in fairly awhile and was amazed to search out the steps gone and a luxurious new path as an alternative:
There have been nonetheless vehicles and employees on the trail placing in what I assume have to be the ending touches, however no one objected to my presence so I can solely assume it’s open for enterprise:
Behold the Amtrak swing bridge and the mighty New Jersey Palisades within the distance:
Earlier than lengthy I used to be in Manhattan:
Although the slopes of Inwood Hill Park had been nonetheless strewn with snow:
Whereas the gradient isn’t obvious from the photograph, this explicit hill is fairly steep, which made descending treacherous, and I didn’t even have treaded tires just like the gravelistas who had clearly been right here earlier than me:
My knowledgeable monitoring expertise inform me that’s a Panaracer Gravel King SK.
Go forward, inform me I’m mistaken:
Taking a pinch of snow, I tasted it, and shortly decided the tire to be 43mm extensive and inflated to roughly 35psi. The rider was additionally utilizing a SRAM AXS group, using a carbon body, pushing a 23-inch gear, and he coasts left foot ahead.
As for me, with these tires I felt like I used to be carrying possum socks on a hardwood flooring:
Nonetheless, because of the ample wheelbase of the Homer I managed to remain upright. I then continued in direction of the Hudson River Greenway, which nonetheless requires you to hold your bike throughout this footbridge that spans the Amtrak tracks:
After taking in a little bit of the Greenway and going about as far downtown as I may stand I began heading again in direction of the bridge, and I suppose it’s been awhile since I’ve ridden on this stretch of Broadway as a result of final time I did this constructing didn’t even exist but:
Closets begin at simply $2,800:
And so they even have “chef-inspired kitchens!”
In the event you’re questioning what a “chef-inspired kitchen” is, properly, it’s a kitchen:
It’s very good of them to look to cooks for inspiration when designing kitchens, as a result of I had a swimmer-inspired kitchen as soon as, and never solely was the diving board utterly pointless, however I couldn’t even get the burners lit.
And take a look at these shitting-inspired bogs!
There’s even a recreation room with pretend graffiti and a pretend bicycle so you possibly can faux you’re in a gritty pool corridor, or no less than in that constructing in Williamsburg that you’d have most popular however was method too costly:
Housing disaster? What housing disaster???
Anyway, quite than cross over the Amtrak tracks once more I executed a flanking maneuver and approached the bridge from the opposite aspect of Inwood Hill Park:
Right here I started to climb:
That’s the Bronx on the opposite aspect:
The span of the Henry Hudson Bridge is dramatic, if not precisely handy:
On the steepest a part of the climb I used to be now not capable of preserve traction and was compelled to stroll:
This regardless of my ample wheelbase and hill-conquering winch gear:
Earlier than the brand new path you used to enter the bridge the place it says “walkway closed:”
Now you roll proper on through that luxurious new ramp, the place you’re greeted by the beginning of the Hudson Valley:
Talking of that winch gear, after using in all that slush I gave my chain a fast lube job:
I’ve additionally realized from expertise to offer the derailleur screws a drop or two after using in situations like this so I’ll be capable to flip them later:
By the best way, Dumonde–the Kiehl’s of bicycle lubricants–had been form sufficient to ship me one other care package deal lately:
I understand this sounds precisely like what somebody who will get care packages stuffed with lubricants would say, however that is simply the very best chain lube I’ve ever used. It appears to final a very very long time, and it additionally doesn’t go away a lot of build-up on the pulley wheels, although possibly that’s simply since you don’t have to use it fairly often. Plus, it’s nice on salads, simply so long as you don’t eat them.
