The Big City

Every of my journeys starts with a little crises which this time was getting to my bike. As soon as I got all my stuff outside ready to load on my bike I unfortunately forgot the 4-digit code of the garage door - my bike still in there. Nobody at home, all I could do was try. All I remembered have been the two middle numbers ?55?, so I had to try every of the 100 possible combinations and waiting 15 s after every false try. Somehow the 1552 didn't worked the first time so I tried wrong codes for about an hour. But anyway, solved it! A quick start-photo and let's go for it!

Let's go for it!:)

Uhhhh...first thing to notice: my bike is really heavy! It now feels more like steering a truck. No quick turns anymore, 10 seconds to get to 20km/h and you have to break a lot earlier. I hope I'll get used to it:) Starting also meant to finally testing my new biking-equipment which is a tool to fix my smartphone next to the bell, a battery which gets electricity from my wheel, is able to recharge my phone and is able to send data about speed, hight, GPS-Location and distance to my phone as well, a new speed indicator and a offline navigation app. Can't complain about anything really except of the navigation-App. It is kinda necessary especially in NY, sure but it thinks somehow it would be nice to send me on the shortest way available not considering any steep parts or suspicious side-streets with strange people.

I entered NY then from the north, crossing the bridge to Manhattan via the Bronx heading towards midtown. Was happy to finally reach Central Park with the shadow-spending trees from that pure sunshine with about 33 degrees (weather should stay like that). The park itself is that big that when you're in the middle you don't even realize that you're right in the center of one of the biggest cities in North America! I was curious if I would meet that guy I saw in a documentary who lives in the park and just eats what grows here, but unfortunately didn't meet him...

Great Lawn in Central Park

Leaving the park on the in the south I saw the street-sign which said "Broadway":) Wasn't actually my intention to get there but I thought: why not? and decided to cycle to downtown on the Broadway instead along the Hudson river.
This part of NY didn't changed at all since I've been here last time: People who don't care about red traffic lights, cars which don't care about red traffic lights and blowing their horns all the time, people driving crazy, ambulance all around, people shouting and last but not least: Hot Dog booths everywhere! What I didn't remember was that there's actually a real bike lane along the most of Broadway! Less surprisingly it was still so hard to cover some distance. Usually as a biker you're able to get one or two streets further until the traffic lights turn red again. Somehow I managed it one time to ride six streets without stopping - on Broadway!! That must be the record for sure:D But anyway it's an adventure to cycle along that street seeing these super-high buildings and all these people, especially on Times Square, looking at you like you'd be an alien or something:)

Times Square, soooo many people there!!

Cycling along Broadway, notice the bike lane on the right!!! :)

Flat Iron Building on Broadway

The probably most famous intersection in the world:)

Ground Zero Memorial

In Downtown I took the ferry from World Trade Center over the Hudson to Jersey City. At the end of the day I knew that I definitely spend to much time in Manhattan cause it's about a 60km-ride to get out of town so it was 11pm when I finally found a place to sleep, after crossing Raritan River, next to a little baseballfield in South Amboy.

Empire State Building from Jersey City

My place to stay for the night:)