Five Borough Bicycle Club
Yesterday, I rode 25 miles with the Five Borough Bicycle Club, who offered a free guided tour through Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg (north and south), Vinegar Hill, and DUMBO. It's one more reason that bicyclists actually see a different city than other New Yorkers. I found out (1) the location of the world's deepest estuary, (2) the asylum where Mae West was committed for her performance in the Broadway play Sex, (3) the perimeter of Brooklyn's largest Satmar Hasidic community, (4) the site of the only soft drink advertisement in New York to also be an historical landmark, and (5) the location of the mansion that once belonged to a World War II commandant.Before I started riding, I would not have explored so much in one day.
posted by Adam K. at 6:14 AM
2 Comments:
Biking (or walking) is one of the most important ways we can truly experience a locality (especially a large urban area). New York City is a place rich in history, culture, and many -- many! -- diverse traditions. Only through travel under the power of our own locomotion do we truly understand that on a fundamental level. There is a touch of the same thing Whitman is seeking in "Brooklyn Ferry" in what Adam is expressing here. We stand -- or, in this case, pedal -- where many have gone before. There is something intrinsic about this kind of tour -- I have taken similar walking tours in London, Dublin, and Paris -- that connects us, binds us to past generations and present neighbors.
I appeciate that the first comment I got on this blog is as intelligent, perceptive, and interesting as this one. It made me re-read some Whitman. Always a good thing.
Dramatist212, I assume you are also a playwright? I have a theater company in New York. Keep me posted on your work. You can find my email on that website, too.
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