On my second to last day in America this summer, I set about cycling the entire length of Manhattan island in NYC following a recommendation from a local friend. It was a goodbye to the city which had fascinated me all summer.
Since I was dealing with some injuries, I decided to use an e-bike sped things up a lot. If I ever get another chance I would love to walk this adventure!
On the way up I managed to visit both the Guggenheim and the Met Cloisters. The Guggenheim is incredible and the famous spiral architecture inside is so cool! It is a nice size for an art gallery - I have a preference for galleries which you can complete in a couple of hours because any longer I find can be a bit too much for me.
The Met Cloisters are fantastic too, like a little slice of Europe in NYC.
I started the trip at the northernmost point of the island (so I would mentally be heading downhill!) which is a little inaccessible and I was surprised not to see any particularly obvious marker.
Northern Manhattan has a much more relaxed vibe compared to the south - relatively speaking. It’s still lively, but knowing what lies further down makes it feel eerily quiet...
I ventured south climbing Fort George Hill - I didn't realise Manhattan was so hilly!- and took a diversion West to Riverside park. I flew down the coastline. E-bikes are super fun and I love the feeling of gliding up and down hills with ease.
In Manhattan I stumbled across SO many skate spots. Not on purpose, I haven't been skating for a while. I suppose its a testament to how many spots there are in NY. The General Grant Memorial was one I saw on this trip. Its located in such a gorgeous and quiet area and the Riverside Church in the background is also a stunning piece of architecture. I set out late so the sun painted a gorgeous warm glow over the city.
Then, I cut in towards Central Park. You can sail through Central Park on a bike thanks to its huge bike paths and it was probably, unintentionally, the fastest part of my trip save for a few picture stops. Its hard to fathom the scale of Central Park and you could spend days seeing everything it has to offer. Its such a wonderful compliment to the concrete jungle.
After Central Park I ended up going through Time Square. I wasn't aiming for it but I thought it would be fun. Times Square is definitely a place you should visit once if you are in town just to see what its like but you will probably never want to go again. I ended up there a fair few times because it was a block over from my bus station and I enjoyed the people watching and the pure sensory overload.
It was really dark at this point and the south of the island was spooky and quiet. I made it to the bottom and saw the Statue of Liberty at the lookout, grabbed a pint and went home. The whole journey took me about 2 and a half hours including a couple of very brief stops. The entire trip cost me $49.70 (CitiBike) which was pretty steep but for a spontaneous tour of Manhattan I've done much worse! Overall I would really recommend seeing Manhattan this way if you have the time. It was nice to get out of the significantly more touristy areas at the bottom. It might be better to do it at a slower pace and take breaks to investigate cool things you find on your own journey. The tricky part is keeping some discipline in not stopping at every block!