west side (mostly) ride

30 miles
started at Jackie Robinson Park W 147th Street
had to backtrack to get around the park
(cycling up a hill better than carrying your bike up steep stairs at 155th)
bit of trouble finding the bike path along the Harlem River
but there are some beautiful uncrowded spots for picnicking there

city streets (Dyckman) for a few blocks
to intersect with the beginning of the west side bike path

main challenges: heat, various sore body parts, crowds
but on the whole, pleasant interesting riding

one more challenge: darkness, being caught in
had to navigate from 181st street back to 147th in the dark
double parked cars, car with flat tire bumping along,
buses pulling across the bike lane, other cyclists, many pedestrians

reward: dinner at Celeste, 84th and Amsterdam
not a fan of fried food, but I loved the fried artichokes topped off
with a frothy pile of fried parsley!

map only gives a vague idea of the route
for one thing, it’s showing driving directions, not bike routes
for another, it doesn’t show the return trip, which included a short cut at the end

View Manhattan West Side in a larger map