New York vacations by bike: 42 miles, 30,000 riders

On May 7, join 30,000 bikers in a rare New York sight: the 5 Boro Bike tour free of car traffic.

By Julie Houde

New Yorkers are often asked by visitors, “What is the best way to see New York City?” Well, if the goal is to soak up prime New York vacation spots, the best bet is via feet to pedals, and not from the back seat of a zooming cab. Enter the Five Boro Bike Tour, the largest recreational cycling event in the United States and the only way to explore Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island in one day. Every year on the first Sunday of May, more than 30,000 riders participate in this 42-mile journey, which treats locals and tourists to a rare sight: streets closed off to automobile traffic.

Starting in Lower Manhattan, the ride heads north through the heart of Manhattan into Central Park and continues on to historic Harlem and the Bronx, returning south along the East River on the FDR Drive. From there it crosses into Queens and then Brooklyn, where cyclists take over the highway before making the thrilling climb up — and down — the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Staten Island. The route is mostly flat except for the bridges. Strength in numbers is what this is all about. Cars wait for you, police clear your way, and New Yorkers are, well, New Yorkers.

As if riding car-free with 32,000 fellow cyclistsisn’t fun enough, riding past the colorful roster of entertainers is an experience to savor — starting with the Broadway cast slated to perform during the opening ceremonies. Once on their bikes, participants spin past a gospel choir in Harlem, a dancing and drumming troupe in Bronx, drummers in Queens, a marching band in Brooklyn and finish off with a Beatles tribute band at the festival on Staten Island.

For New York hotels near the beginning or end of the tour, my top picks are the New York Marriott Downtown or the Blue Moon Hotel, a Lower East Side property housed in a renovated tenement building whose soul has been preserved and glorified. Tribeca Grand Hotel is a chic option sitting within five blocks of SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown and Greenwich Village, Manhattan’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

And to offset the cost of your stay, take advantage in the freebies along the Five Boro bike route. When a New Yorker hands you a banana, energy bar, raisin, orange or bottled water, graciously accept it! The random act of kindness is a local’s biggest gift.

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Tagged: Hotels, New York