Yes, just one of my arms is a little red, and that’s okay because it was a result of an awesome day.

I picked up a bike from KickStand Bicycle Shop near my place and rode down the East River to meet up with Lisa at South Ferry. Our plan was to bike up the Henry Hudson Parkway along the west side of Manhattan. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect considering the day before was rainy.

To no surprise it was busy down at South Ferry and parts of Battery Park, but once we got out onto the path, it was smooth sailing. We were pleasantly surprised how quiet the path was the whole way uptown. We rode with ease along the path, past the little outdoor cafe at 42nd Street, the Boat Basin at 79 Street, and finally stopped for a snack break at 125th Street.

Courtesy Lisa @toolmarks

Once back on the path, we continued our conversation, pedaling easily until we approached the George Washington Bridge. Here we experienced a couple of steep hills bringing us up to a higher elevation from the river.

GWB on the way back down

Once we biked past the bridge at 188th Street, we had to do a little weaving to get to Inwood Park, however we didn’t quite make it into Inwood Park, but somehow beside it… We weren’t sure quite how to navigate from there, so we turned ourselves back downtown.

At our turn-around point

By this point we were in need of beer and food, which we enjoyed at The Boat Basin. We sat out on the front patio, with a view of the sailboats in the marina, and facing the gorgeous sun – hence the red arm. 🙂

Downtown view

Our journey took about 6 hours in all, including biking and lunching. Once we reached South Ferry again, I left Lisa to take the subway home. I had to bike up the east side again and I wasn’t sure if my butt could stand it! It did however, all the way to 42nd Street and 1st Avenue at which time I had to dismount due to UN Assembly street closures.

After I dropped off the bike, I stopped to get my pint of Ben & Jerry’s and crashed on the couch at home. What a day!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, biking and talking with Lisa. We saw some beautiful landscape along the river and crossed another outdoor adventure off our lists!