Enjoying Manhattan's West Side Highway Cycle Path

"Get on your bike and ride!" Freddie Mercury shouted on Queen's Bicycle Race. When the sun isn't too blazingly hot and the wind is just cool enough to be pleasant, you can cycle your way along the West Side Highway Cycle path in Manhattan to rid yourself of the weariness of the working week. You will find your troubles drifting away from your beleaguered soul as you pedal your merry way alongside the Hudson River.

New York as a whole has in recent years become a much more cycle-friendly place to be. You'll see cycle paths cropping up all over the place in Brooklyn and thankfully Manhattan has a wonderful Cycle path running parallel to the West Side Highway. Should you want to you can take a spin right up to the 60's streets and then cross over a few Avenue's should you wish to visit Central Park. This makes for an excellent day out. Apparently this cycle path travels all the way around Manhattan but I have never had quite enough energy to travel the whole route.

As an amateur weekend cyclist, I don't often get the chance to make a journey of any great length but traveling from 'Dyker Heights' in Brooklyn to anywhere in Manhattan is a pretty decent challenge for someone who doesn't ride on a regular basis. The total length from beginning to end if you drag yourself all the way to Central Park is something like 13 miles each way so you'd better be sure that you are in the mood to make the trip. The most exhausting part of this journey is making your way through the busy Brooklyn Streets and then there is the truly torturous prospect of traversing across the Brooklyn Bridge which will completely destroy your calf muscles. However once across you can take a breather and maybe pop on down to the 'South Street Seaport' for some relaxation and a bite to eat. Then, keeping to your left you can cycle your way along the footpath that runs along by the water until you hit the beginning of the Cycle path which starts just past Battery Park. From here on in it's plain sailing. A relaxing cycle ride up a flat, mostly straight cycle path. Many speed-demon cyclists pass me as I pedal but I prefer to take my time and enjoy the harbor views whilst occasionally stopping for even more snacks and drinks. Make sure to stay hydrated if the day is hot and clear. You can tell that food is a big part of a fun day out for me.

As you make your way up this pathway, you'll pass a large sporting complex 'Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex'. Later if you like you can stop to take a gander at the aerial acrobatics of those brave souls who always dreamed of being part of the big top at the Trapeze school. There are the occasional little park areas and mini-piers to stop off for refreshment. Once you've made it up to the 60's streets then you can cut across the Avenues to check out 'Central Park'. Traveling across-town this way is actually less traumatic than you'd think as long as you do it on the Weekend. Weekday traffic is killer in Manhattan. Be sure not to wait too long to make the return trip. Leave yourself a good 2 hours I would say.

So drag your bike out of storage, clean it up, oil it down and helmet in hand cycle yourself into Manhattan for a relaxing and enjoyable day out in the big City.