NY cycling

[flydhest]

Considering moving to NY. Office would be in midtown. Don't want a commute much past 1/2 hour, hopefully less. Negotiations will ensure that housing in that radius is affordable. The question is, within that radius, where to live to have best cycling.

Brooklyn on a subway line could do it, but would I be relegated to laps in Prospect Park?

Chelsea or Union Square, up the west side to go out 9W?

Please, discuss. Cycling matters but not enough to have a 45 to 90 minute commute and lose family time.

Thoughts?

[thegunner]

Considering moving to NY. Office would be in midtown. Don't want a commute much past 1/2 hour, hopefully less. Negotiations will ensure that housing in that radius is affordable. The question is, within that radius, where to live to have best cycling.

Brooklyn on a subway line could do it, but would I be relegated to laps in Prospect Park?

Chelsea or Union Square, up the west side to go out 9W?

Please, discuss. Cycling matters but not enough to have a 45 to 90 minute commute and lose family time.

Thoughts?

UWS would get you central park and GWB to 9W...

[christian]

Uws.

[feFIFO]

UWS for sure. My office is in midtown, and I lived on the Upper West before moving to CT. I miss the hell out of a 15 minute commute. Laps in the park are fine, but quick access to 9W can't be beat. Riverside Park is pretty terrific for running too.

UWS would get you central park and GWB to 9W...

[flydhest]

Should add ... schools? Can do private but would prefer public so kids see all of the city, not a curated select group. Elementary school.

[EDS]

Should add ... schools? Can do private but would prefer public so kids see all of the city, not a curated select group. Elementary school.

I live on the UWS. Work midtown east. Good public schools (my oldest is in kindergarten at PS9). Not a cheap place to live but makes city living doable because of the neighborhood vibe, access to parks, good schools and easy escape routes out of the city by bike and car.

[MagicHour]

Of the neighborhoods I've lived in over the years yeah I'd have to agree UWS as probably one of the more cycling accessible friendly, especially if you join any clubs or race. The meeting points will usually be CP, grants tomb or gwb.
I loved living in park slope-riding in prospect park is fun and convenient but just getting to/from the Gwb adds about 25mi to ride. I think it' was 75mi round trip to nyack. That and the bridges aren't the best; Brooklyn bridge-too many pedestrians most of the time; manhattan bridge-access at either end not exactly a pleasure cruise.

In general no matter where you decide early mornings, late evenings (in the parks) cold and/or rainy weather = the best ride opportunities.

[tctyres]

The hardest parts of NYC are the river crossings. If you can afford to live in Manhattan, this will cut your commute considerably.

The western foot of the George Washington Bridge (~181st St) to the Intrepid (55th St) along the River is about 35 minutes on a bike (and probably more in a car) --- meaning that Jersey is out.

Bridge crossings to Brooklyn can be a hassle.

Subway track work on weekends is a hassle.

UWS is good. The area directly north of Central Park might be an option. I live near Columbia University. It's relatively safe with the university patrols, but the area has been gentrified/sanitized by the University.

With kids, I probably wouldn't live north of 125th. Parts of the UES could also be good options.

What you need is a recommendation for a good realtor.

[flydhest]

.



What you need is a recommendation for a good realtor.



You all are great. A realtor would be part of the relocation package, so we will get that covered. Not sure how many realtors cycle, so I came to the experts!

UWS will get a lot of focus.

Thanks all!

[tumbler]

Another vote for UWS, especially upper-UWS. Easy subway commute to midtown. You have Central Park, Riverside Park, and the Hudson River greenway nearby if you just want to get out of the house, or a short ride to the GW Bridge where you can get to Jersey and 9W. I was on the UES, which isn't that far from the UWS, but the journey across town was the most annoying part of my riding.

[tctyres]

I was on the UES, which isn't that far from the UWS, but the journey across town was the most annoying part of my riding.

Getting across town on anything, subway, cab, or bike, is a hassle.

[R3awak3n]

I guess if the focus is cycling, uws is the answer. Its not particularly an area I would like to live in (I live in Brooklyn and its pretty great).

I am in Greenpoint which is pretty convinient to both central and prospect parks (20 minutes you are at either of them) but sure its less convenient to get to the gwb than if you live in uws. The worst part of the ride is getting to the bridge. That said, you will get tired of that ride, people here do it every weekend. Its a great ride but it just gets boring after the 100th time.

You could consider "upstate", westchester county. You would have to commute by train but as I hear public schools are really good and the ridding up there is better than anything you will do from starting in manhattan (read, good ridding up there). Your commute will be more of a pain but your cycling will be better so you can decide on that

[Buzz Killington]

I'd get a place on West End Ave in the UWS. Around 85th/86th.

[titans]

I second this as North White Plains station on Harlem line is 35 minutes to Grand Central Station. Did the commute for 10+ years and they have quite a few trains originating there so you will always have a seat. Big parking lot but don't know what the monthly is now. It was $30 a month way back in the early 90s. Gimbels ride Sat and Sun if you want to hammer. Cyclesport Sat ride and Sun rocket ride in NJ is only 30 drive over TZ bridge if you want variety. Good luck with relo!

[Climb01742]

Another vote for UWS. Then you face two other choices:

How far up on UWS? 70s and 80s are pretty different from 90s and 100s. I lived on both W75th and W106th, both great but VERY different. Only walking around can tell you which you dig.

How far west on UWS? Be closer to CP or closer to RSP? Being closer to CP makes it easier to get into park to ride. But being closer to RSP makes it easier to hang out there. As much as I love CP, just hanging there on a weekend isn't always great. RSP is a much nicer (read calmer) place to just walk or drink your coffee on a bench on Sunday morning.

Lastly, if you or your wife run, CP (particularly the Reservoir and bridle paths) are best running in the city.

Good luck!

PS UWS prices are high (it's desirable). The UES actually has better values, but it's hard to recco living there...with one exception. It might be worth scoping out Carnegie Hill. It's close to the park and though I never lived there, it always felt a bit removed from the snootiness of the UES.

[happycampyer]

^ I was going to say, agree with the UWS call, but just for comparison purposes, I would look at options in White Plains and in the closer towns on the New Haven Line (Pelham to Larchmont, with Larchmont probably being on the extreme end of your commute time). I say this only because the difference in $/sq. ft from city to suburbs is pretty shocking and, depending on the town you choose, the public schools will be good through high school (bearing in mind that in Westchester, like pretty much everywhere, there's a high correlation between school quality and real estate prices).

[Ray]

Getting across town on anything, subway, cab, or bike, is a hassle.

But not a bad walk!

[johnmdesigner]

Are you buying or renting? Want to keep a car?
I live at 124th and Broadway so it's quite easy for me to ride across the GWB.
The Citibike share has only reached 110 on the West side so that might be something to consider if you want to use the service.
Personally, I think the area below 110 street is awful unless you live on the blocks closest to CP or Riverside. The 1,2,3 trains are overcrowded and slow. Central park West you can ride the A,B,C,D. A and D trains are express from 125 to 59 st so it's a fast trip.
Garage parking for cars is difficult to get and very expensive. You can find street parking in my neighborhood but it is a pain to move it twice a week.
Construction on all the major subway lines means they are not very useful on the weekends. We usually take a car ride somewhere and go out in the city during the week.
You might want to consider an area the realitors call Manhattan Valley, north of 110 street and along the edge of Morningside Park up to 125. Lots of new apartment buildings put up over the last few years and an interesting mix of different cultures, the Bunche school is very good, nice restaurants, decent subway and you are close to CP and GWB.

[fuzzalow]

Considering moving to NY. Office would be in midtown. Don't want a commute much past 1/2 hour, hopefully less.

1/2 hour (or less? Park Ave south of Grand Central, Kips Bay, Hells Kitchen etc.) to midtown is a very small radius. With kids also means requiring a two bedroom within that radius. If you are renting it will be at least $3,500/month for a doorman building.

Negotiations will ensure that housing in that radius is affordable. The question is, within that radius, where to live to have best cycling.

By affordable, you mean that your employer is subsidizing your housing expenses? NYC is IMO not overly expensive if you own, it can be cripplingly expensive if you rent so you will either require capital for the former, or cash flow for the latter.

I would not prioritize living in NYC if cycling was an emphasis for what you want out of living here.

[54ny77]

if you can afford it, do it. even if for a few years or so. nothin' like nyc.

would not pick queens or brooklyn if easy access cycling is priority. the only game in town (besides the city parks) is 9w over the gwb, and the commute to get there for a ride = no fun.

might suggest picking a spot and rent for a year. figure out what you like & don't like. explore.

with kids and wife like you have, as others have said, go with the uws and the the best school district you can afford.

life's an adventure! :beer:

[echappist]

1/2 hour (or less? Park Ave south of Grand Central, Kips Bay, Hells Kitchen etc.) to midtown is a very small radius. With kids also means requiring a two bedroom within that radius. If you are renting it will be at least $3,500/month for a doorman building.



By affordable, you mean that your employer is subsidizing your housing expenses? NYC is IMO not overly expensive if you own, it can be cripplingly expensive if you rent so you will either require capital for the former, or cash flow for the latter.

I would not prioritize living in NYC if cycling was an emphasis for what you want out of living here.

this

[thegunner]

i know i said UWS (and that's still my primary rec), but I live in midtown east near GCT, and that makes getting on the train for weekends pretty damn easy too...

you're also not getting a 2br in midtown for 3500...

[grat]

Lived in NYC for a bit. Really did not like cycling up there. There was no where good to ride in the city, the parks sucked and it took a while to ride out of the city just to ride up in Jersey.

[htwoopup]

Some random thoughts in no particular order as they come to mind. I am sure that others will have very different opinions on this but it is only from my experience with my personal biases having lived here my whole life and having brought up my daughter (she is now an adult) as a single parent here. Others have had other experiences no doubt.

From a cycling standpoint and apartment size for the dollar standpoint, agree that if you do Manhattan the UWS is best. That said, better public schools are on East Side (6 and 158). The private schools are not as non-diverse as you would expect (although not as diverse as public) but the process to get in and the cost is just stupid particularly if you are talking more than one kid. Although, the public schools are nowhere near as good. I hate to say it, but if more than one kid I would suggest Westchester and commute on the train because you only have one shot to get the kid education right. There is better car parking (you never use a car, but if you have one for getting out of town) is East Side. And, to get to the Park/ through the Park to the Hudson Greenway & GWB is cake from the UES. Plus, you can discover all kinds of other routes over other bridges (albeit with more traffic) from anywhere Upper East or West such as Van Cortlandt Park then North on the County Trailway and so on. And, UES is convenient for getting to Long Island and beaches in the summer while UWS is better for Jersey and upstate NY (and if you are going back down to DC).

[veloduffer]

Affordable may be a challenge, depending on your budget. And if you plan on owning a car, parking is $300-500 a month depending if it's an outdoor or indoor facility. Plus you will need a place for your bike; wouldn't want to keep my high end bike in the building's basement/bike closet.

You may also want to look in NJ or Westchester. Having lived on Long Island, mass transit is pretty bad. Since you're midtown, its easy to get a 35 minute express train if you live near a hub like Summit, NJ. Of course, housing isn't cheap either but more housing options and public schools are good. Property prices are cheaper in the 'burbs but property taxes are much higher since most goes to the school. NYC property prices are much more expensive but lower taxes.

[fuzzalow]

you're also not getting a 2br in midtown for 3500...

Yeah, I know. You caught me sugarcoating it on the proviso that some smart aleck thinks he can find 2-BR for less - well sure you can but you wouldn't wanna live there or in it. So yeah, 2BR try $5,000 and up.

While transitioning from Nassau County burbs to NYC we went through a lot of options to rent. Among them was a rental building called the Camargue on the UES which was not great and quite expensive. For an idea, this is the Camargue's rental company for what they offer in the NY Metro area: New York City Apartments (http://www.equityapartments.com/new-york-city-apartments). Bring money.

This town runs on money, in fact the entire Metro NYC area runs on money - it's just a question of how much and how fast you burn it. I know only a little about Washington D.C. as pertaining to towns like Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Georgetown. And those are nice towns much like Nassau County NY towns. But NYC compared to NW D.C. is a whole 'nother ball game. I love this town but I raised a family out in the 'burbs - LIRR is great on the Port Washington line.

Good luck to the OP but be sure to look before you leap. NYC is a great city but know what you are up against.

[Bob Ross]

Not sure how many realtors cycle, so I came to the experts!

PM me, I can hook you up with several.

I've lived in Manhattan for the past 13 or 14 years...but always north of the GWB: First in Inwood and now Washington Heights. When you get tired of the shellshock from real estate prices on the UWS, come check out these neighborhoods. I'm 4/10ths of a mile from the bridge, which means 15 minutes to River Road or 9W in NJ.

[flydhest]

So ... cycling is not the driving force for moving. I have great riding here. It is a combination of career opportunity with my wife wanting an opportunity to live in NY. One important aspect of the conversations so far (both with my wife and with the potential employer) is quality of life and family time. For the latter, i don't want a fairly standard 45 minute to hour+ commute. Just would stay here in DC, make less money, but be happier. So, they have to make the life I want affordable.

Sounds like we will be doing some exploring of the UWS. Any other views on Climb's point about CP versus RSP?

Cycling is important to me, but comes after family and then career. But while career is a distant second to family, cycling (as part of my general happiness/enjoyment) is a relatively close third to career. Not as important, but gets some weight.

A 30 minute train ride from the burbs often translates to an hour commute door-to-door. Not worth better cycling for me. I would be losing time with my kids so I could spend time away from my kids. Doesn't compute for me.

Oh, and our current thought is to rent for a year then buy.

[crownjewelwl]

Tarrytown is a 39 min express train to Grand Central. When we first moved to the burbs I drew a radius of no more than 40 minutes on the train WITH easy parking. You can still get a resident parking permit with no issues here (unlike to years long waiting lists in other towns). I am 7 minutes to Graham hills for great mountain biking. I am 2 blocks from the start of the North county trail which will lead you to some choice road riding.

[flydhest]

Tarrytown is a 39 min express train to Grand Central. When we first moved to the burbs I drew a radius of no more than 40 minutes on the train WITH easy parking. You can still get a resident parking permit with no issues here (unlike to years long waiting lists in other towns). I am 7 minutes to Graham bills for great mountain biking. I am 2 blocks from the start of the North county trail which will lead you to some choice road riding.



Just to make sure I am thinking of this right, though, you have a 40 minute train ride plus what ever time it takes to get to the train station and park plus whatever time it takes to get from GCT to work. Even if both are fast, say 10 minutes including waiting on the platform, isn't that an hour?

Sorry if I am being thick. I know I can't replicate what I have here, but my tough commuting choice is 10-minute bike ride versus a 22 minute walk, literally door to door.

[R3awak3n]

well, it depends on what you want to prioritize. You said you wanted good cycling and for that you have to live outside the city or like I said you going to be doing the same 9w palisades ride every weekend.

depends where your office is but if you close to grand central, you can live "upstate" and have a 30-40 min commute, by train.

[flydhest]

Thanks R3awak3n. It would be on 51st Street. Have a friend who is a cyclist who lives in Larchmont and his office is very close to where mine will/would be. He feels like he has largely given up cycling because of the commute. He has the same job (but with another firm) that I would have and has four kids roughly the same age as my two.

[R3awak3n]

Thanks R3awak3n. It would be on 51st Street. Have a friend who is a cyclist who lives in Larchmont and his office is very close to where mine will/would be. He feels like he has largely given up cycling because of the commute. He has the same job (but with another firm) that I would have and has four kids roughly the same age as my two.

yeah, I totally understand. The farther you live the more time you will be in the train. On the weekends you will have better cycling but during the week you will suffer. Someone said that NYC sucks for cycling and the parks are terrible. That is not true, prospect and central are great parks and great for training laps so that is a +1 for the city where you can wake up early and go for an hour or so of laps and get some exercise before work and then literally come home, shower and ride to work and you can be there btw 10 and 20 mintues.

I do that ALL the time. I ride to the park (prospect), then ride, come home and then ride to soho (20 mintues), its great. However on the weekend I always do the same ride everyone does, till now but we just bought a place upstate (catskills) so weekends we go up there ad the ridding is incredible

[echappist]

Yeah, I know. You caught me sugarcoating it on the proviso that some smart aleck thinks he can find 2-BR for less - well sure you can but you wouldn't wanna live there or in it. So yeah, 2BR try $5,000 and up.

While transitioning from Nassau County burbs to NYC we went through a lot of options to rent. Among them was a rental building called the Camargue on the UES which was not great and quite expensive. For an idea, this is the Camargue's rental company for what they offer in the NY Metro area: New York City Apartments (http://www.equityapartments.com/new-york-city-apartments). Bring money.

This town runs on money, in fact the entire Metro NYC area runs on money - it's just a question of how much and how fast you burn it. I know only a little about Washington D.C. as pertaining to towns like Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Georgetown. And those are nice towns much like Nassau County NY towns. But NYC compared to NW D.C. is a whole 'nother ball game. I love this town but I raised a family out in the 'burbs - LIRR is great on the Port Washington line.

Good luck to the OP but be sure to look before you leap. NYC is a great city but know what you are up against.
A million dollars buys you some extremely nice properties in the DC area in Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase, and Great Falls (on the VA side). The only drawback is that public transit stinks in DC, and vehicular commute stinks even more, and given the dipalidated state of the Metro, the nominal 30 min ride to downtown from Chevy Chase may take much longer. However, a million still goes a long way. The amount is also more than enough to buy a relatively new two bedroom condominium in the more desirable areas within the district or along the metro lines.

I believe one million is slightly more than what is required to purchase a "fixer-upper" in Scarsdale. Summit and Livingston may be better in this aspect, but not by much.

So ... cycling is not the driving force for moving. I have great riding here. It is a combination of career opportunity with my wife wanting an opportunity to live in NY. One important aspect of the conversations so far (both with my wife and with the potential employer) is quality of life and family time. For the latter, i don't want a fairly standard 45 minute to hour+ commute. Just would stay here in DC, make less money, but be happier. So, they have to make the life I want affordable.

The pay raise ought to be quite significant for you to replicate quality of life in DC.

I did 4 years of grad school at Columbia, then moved to Pentagon City, so I would think i have a good general grasp of both places. People in the DC area may (rightfully) kvetch about increasing housing prices, but those pales in comparison the the prices in Silicon Valley or NYC.

Last December, when I needed to defend my thesis, i shelled out $35 to park on 120th street. In comparison, had i overstayed the meter on 120th (i've done this a week earlier), i would have gotten a $40 fine. It won't be just housing prices that go up, as the cost of every other minute detail would also increase.

[crownjewelwl]

Yes...39 min is transit time only. So prob an hour door to door to be conservative...

But at least with metro North there is a reasonably reliable schedule. Commuting by subway is more of a crap shoot.

And I can walk out of my door and ride.

Just to make sure I am thinking of this right, though, you have a 40 minute train ride plus what ever time it takes to get to the train station and park plus whatever time it takes to get from GCT to work. Even if both are fast, say 10 minutes including waiting on the platform, isn't that an hour?

Sorry if I am being thick. I know I can't replicate what I have here, but my tough commuting choice is 10-minute bike ride versus a 22 minute walk, literally door to door.

[htwoopup]

Living in Manhattan and having a kid in school in Manhattan is great for being with the kid. Basically, you never miss an after school activity/game because it is so easy and convenient.

That said, be careful on commuting time calculations vs say Larchmont...East 51st is really convenient to GCT. Yes, with the 10 minutes to and the wait etc it is really an hour. But if you are going from E 51st and say Thrid to Manhattan Valley or the Far UWS like some of the newer developments off West End (better pricing but inconvenient for food and getting to subway) you have to figure you are looking at 30 minutes minimum probably 45 in real world. So, not that big a time savings vs the burbs but a much higher cost of living. Trains to suburbia and subways both run on schedules. But trains are maybe every half hour and subways are like every 6 minutes.

On the other hand, living in Manhattan is something special that is what most people think of when they are coming from outside of NYC and just isn't the same as what you experience elsewhere in the metro area. Not necessarily better, just different than what I think people are referring to when they imagine the NYC experience.

[flydhest]

Thanks again everyone. I think I have a handle on some of the cost differential. A friend and possible future colleague just rented a 3-bedroom in Union Square for $8.5K a month. I am factoring in somewhat more than that as part of the discussion with the firm. So, yeah, different world than D.C. My neighbor here just sold a two-story rowhouse for $1.6 mill here on U street, which now seems cute compared to Manhattan.

People wonder about how far apart this country can be politically and culturally and these sorts of conversations always make me realize how there really are such different realities people face.

Anyway, so much appreciation to everyone for their insights.

This is a good problem to have, to be sure.

[happycampyer]

While the real estate in Bronxville is pricey, the train ride is pretty quick. You could look in that vicinity, again just for comparison purposes. There's nothing like living in the city, but as other have noted, the cost to maintain a decent standard of living is very high.

If you are visiting the area and want to go for a ride in the suburbs, send me a pm. If you can ride a ~56, I should have something that works.

[Climb01742]

Someone said that NYC sucks for cycling and the parks are terrible. That is not true, prospect and central are great parks and great for training laps so that is a +1 for the city where you can wake up early and go for an hour or so of laps and get some exercise before work and then literally come home, shower and ride to work and you can be there btw 10 and 20 mintues.

I concur wholeheartedly. Laps in CP may not be cycling heaven, but they aren't hell either. You can be darn fit and especially in spring/summer, doing dawn laps is actually kinda cool. The park's great strength is its accessibility. As stated, get in, get out, and be at work or with family. I'm biased, but living in Manhattan has so many positives and world-best experiences, that riding in the park is a small price to pay.

[flydhest]

Thanks, Happycamper, but I ride a 59 or 60. Of course, if we go this route, anyone who rides a 59 or 60 or who rides Campy and/or tubulars should watch the classifieds. Almost surely would have to downsize the stable.

[crownjewelwl]

i would just say there is no free lunch...bunch of finance dudes keep the market efficient...there is always a trade off

[echappist]

Thanks again everyone. I think I have a handle on some of the cost differential. A friend and possible future colleague just rented a 3-bedroom in Union Square for $8.5K a month. I am factoring in somewhat more than that as part of the discussion with the firm. So, yeah, different world than D.C. My neighbor here just sold a two-story rowhouse for $1.6 mill here on U street, which now seems cute compared to Manhattan.

People wonder about how far apart this country can be politically and culturally and these sorts of conversations always make me realize how there really are such different realities people face.

Anyway, so much appreciation to everyone for their insights.

This is a good problem to have, to be sure.
this would probably render moot most of the previous concerns raised.

I concur wholeheartedly. Laps in CP may not be cycling heaven, but they aren't hell either. You can be darn fit and especially in spring/summer, doing dawn laps is actually kinda cool. The park's great strength is its accessibility. As stated, get in, get out, and be at work or with family. I'm biased, but living in Manhattan has so many positives and world-best experiences, that riding in the park is a small price to pay.

i would literally pay for the privilege of riding in a place like Central Park. In DC, there was Hains Point: 3.1 miles and 3 stop signs, but even that still made for really good place for training. CP is an order of magnitude better. Legion were the days when i'd head out at 8:30pm and basically have no one else i'd need to worry about. All the training that one could ever want to do.

Now i live in the NJ countryside, and the roads here are horrible. Furthermore, i'd need to be cognizant of high traffic hours and times when there's high glare in order to mitigate dangers on the road. Night riding and early morning riding are out of the question.

[thegunner]

i would literally pay for the privilege of riding in a place like Central Park

want to join me for a century in the park later this year?

[flydhest]

want to join me for a century in the park later this year?



So wrong and yet so right. If I move to NY, can I join?

[thegunner]

So wrong and yet so right. If I move to NY, can I join?

100% in fact, anyone who wants to can :)

for the past 2 years, i've done a few 95~ mile rides in the park / ducked out right before i hit 100. i've been keeping it as a goal of mine, but i think i should probably knock it out this year.

sorry for derailing thread! but to the OP, doesn't this sound like a good reason to move to NYC? :D

[flydhest]

100% in fact, anyone who wants to can :)






sorry for derailing thread! but to the OP, doesn't this sound like a good reason to move to NYC? :D


I am the OP, and yes ... yes it does.

[Ti_on_Steel]

I'd look at Morning Side Heights (on the UWS). The three things you want to be close to are

-The Hudson River Bike Path (for commuting, it's an easy N/S way around Manhattan)
-Central Park (Good for early Am laps)
-Riverside Drive to ride up to the George Washington Bridge. (Good for riding on River Road / 9W on the weekends)

Don't do Brooklyn, you add 20 unpleasant miles to any ride to NJ. Morningside Heights also has some more affordable 2 bedroom apts.

Feel free to DM with any questions.

[Climb01742]

for the past 2 years, i've done a few 95~ mile rides in the park / ducked out right before i hit 100. i've been keeping it as a goal of mine, but i think i should probably knock it out this year.

You are far more mentally tough than I am. 60 miles was as far as I ever rode in the park, and even that felt like I'd go mad. Once, years ago, when I did triathlons, I tried to run 26.2 miles inside CP. I hit 20 then bailed; I just couldn't face one more loop. Sanity, for me, in the park was to keep it shorter but faster. Hats off to you, sir!:D

[echappist]

want to join me for a century in the park later this year?
i'd be honored. better question is when could we do it, and does it have to be soon?

also, 95 miles? i hope it wasn't all solo
So wrong and yet so right. If I move to NY, can I join?
i once did ~65 miles around Hains

You are far more mentally tough than I am. 60 miles was as far as I ever rode in the park, and even that felt like I'd go mad. Once, years ago, when I did triathlons, I tried to run 26.2 miles inside CP. I hit 20 then bailed; I just couldn't face one more loop. Sanity, for me, in the park was to keep it shorter but faster. Hats off to you, sir!:D

running one lap around CP gets tedious after a it becomes a routine. Big reason why i started cycling. Somehow the unease/dread doesn't kick in until well after 30+ miles

[fuzzalow]

want to join me for a century in the park later this year?

Not a chance. Go nuts goin' 'round & 'round. Laps in the Park is to the open road like what the Ferrari test track at Fiorano is to Spa Franchochamps. Add to the mix tourists in high season and laps in the Park becomes like riding inside a pachinko machine.

Don't do Brooklyn, you add 20 unpleasant miles to any ride to NJ. Morningside Heights also has some more affordable 2 bedroom apts.

Affordability is essentially not an issue it seems but still prone to negotiation and closing a deal on location pay differential. Not a bad bene if it can be gotten.

i would just say there is no free lunch...bunch of finance dudes keep the market efficient...there is always a trade off

Finance? Naw, D.C. relocating to New York is probably Law.

I'll admit I'm not convinced that anybody that gets a good opportunity to do well in this town can still put family first as a priority - and furthermore, why go at reduced speed here even if you could? A way to make time for the family can always be found but nobody is paying anybody in this town to go at 3/4 speed.

[R3awak3n]

Max miles in parks I have done is maybe 35. Get really boring, quick. Like fuzz said, add tourists and idiots and you have a very unpleasant ride. That said prospect park is a little better than central when it comes to tourists

[sonicCows]

When I lived in New York (Morningside Heights), I loved riding in Central Park...albeit at night. It was nice to be able to ride at 8, 9, 10pm, and do laps with the other hardcore trainers when there's no crowd. Night riding in Metro Boston with drivers as they are is just scary. Add in weekend rides up 9W to Piermont, Bear Mountain, or beyond, and you have a decent selection of riding to keep things interesting.

100% in fact, anyone who wants to can :)

for the past 2 years, i've done a few 95~ mile rides in the park / ducked out right before i hit 100. i've been keeping it as a goal of mine, but i think i should probably knock it out this year.

sorry for derailing thread! but to the OP, doesn't this sound like a good reason to move to NYC? :D

You should try Everesting in CP!

[fiamme red]

Consider Morningside Heights, near Columbia University. It's a short commute to midtown via the A train, which runs without any stops between 125th and 59th. It's close to Central Park, if you want to do laps there during the week. It's an easy ride up to the GWB and points beyond. It's very close to the Harlem-125th St stop on Metro-North, and on a weekend you can get out quickly to North White Plains, Tarrytown, or Greenwich for more interesting rides.

[echappist]

When I lived in New York (Morningside Heights), I loved riding in Central Park...albeit at night. It was nice to be able to ride at 8, 9, 10pm, and do laps with the other hardcore trainers when there's no crowd. Night riding in Metro Boston with drivers as they are is just scary. Add in weekend rides up 9W to Piermont, Bear Mountain, or beyond, and you have a decent selection of riding to keep things interesting.



You should try Everesting in CP!

when was this? When I was in NYC (2009-2012), for most of September - April, the park is pretty deserted by then. Occasionally we'd have team Barloworld, consisted of a few portly gentlemen in full aero gear, rolling around the park.

[timnem70]

Consider Morningside Heights, near Columbia University. It's a short commute to midtown via the A train, which runs without any stops between 125th and 59th. It's close to Central Park, if you want to do laps there during the week. It's an easy ride up to the GWB and points beyond. It's very close to the Harlem-125th St stop on Metro-North, and on a weekend you can get out quickly to North White Plains, Tarrytown, or Greenwich for more interesting rides.
Lived in Stamford, commuted down to the City on the northern line for work. It's bike friendly but there are Just a LOT OF people, cars, taxis, and more people. I had to get used to riding in a city that size but it is magical. Living off the island of Manhattan would save you quite a bit dough for you to purchase your "NEW CITY BIKE"Lol.. It's all so close and paths lead over all the bridges in town which makes it reative.[emoji3] have a great time.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[fuzzalow]

Consider Morningside Heights, near Columbia University. It's a short commute to midtown via the A train, which runs without any stops between 125th and 59th. It's close to Central Park, if you want to do laps there during the week. It's an easy ride up to the GWB and points beyond. It's very close to the Harlem-125th St stop on Metro-North, and on a weekend you can get out quickly to North White Plains, Tarrytown, or Greenwich for more interesting rides.

The OP is trying to get a generous "cost of location" increase so if he makes good on this, he can pick pretty much any decent location anywhere from TriBeCa to UES/UWS. Plus the spouse wants the live in the core of what most consider prime Manhattan. She's right about this and how can you fault that - I wouldn't move to NY and live in the burbs which, as nice as say Larchmont may be, feels just like Bethesda.

Good luck to the OP and welcome to NY.

[fiamme red]

The OP is trying to get a generous "cost of location" increase so if he makes good on this, he can pick pretty much any decent location anywhere from TriBeCa to UES/UWS. Plus the spouse wants the live in the core of what most consider prime Manhattan.But if cycling is a consideration, riding through "prime Manhattan" gets old quickly.

[fuzzalow]

But if cycling is a consideration, riding through "prime Manhattan" gets old quickly.

100% right! And how! But as long as he knows what it is, that's maybe a compromise he'll accept.

I'll give a slightly different take on that riding in Prospect or Central parks isn't as bad as could be - the open road is increasingly hazardous with the rise of distracted driving. The parks have different hazards but sheet metal is usually not the predominant threat.

What can I tell ya? We work with what we've got, right?

[flydhest]

Fuzz, you hit the nail on the head about the objectives. My point to post here was essentially to know, when it comes to brass tacks, which way to lean.

Priorities are:
1) Family (so short commute, comfortable housing, Happy wife)

...

2) career
2.5) cycling

I will keep the forum posted and if we move, would love to go for a spin with locals and buy the first round afterward.

[dumbod]

My two cents (assuming that you want to live in the city)

Find the subway stop that is closest to your office. Figure out what lines run through that stop and shop for real estate accordingly. For example, if your office is E 51 St., you might find parts Queens attractive (and much more affordable that either Manhattan or Brooklyn.

As for the riding, you don't move to NYC for the riding. If you like the UWS, great but don't do it for the riding. Yes, you're closer to the GWB and NJ but the ride up route 9 gets just as old as looping the park.

One neglected resource: the various commuter railroads. With the purchase of a $5 lifetime pass, you can take your bike on the train. This gives the chance to ride all sorts of places that you wouldn't expect. For example, once or twice a year, I take MetroNorth to Pine Plains, ride up to the CT/Mass border and then ride down Rt 7 to Long Island Sound. It's then an easy ride on the train home.

Good luck on the move.

[Bob Ross]

You should try Everesting in CP!

I have a buddy who Everested on Alpine (the last climb on River Road) last year, he'd probably jump at the chance to do it again if he had company!

[timnem70]

My two cents (assuming that you want to live in the city)

Find the subway stop that is closest to your office. Figure out what lines run through that stop and shop for real estate accordingly. For example, if your office is E 51 St., you might find parts Queens attractive (and much more affordable that either Manhattan or Brooklyn.

As for the riding, you don't move to NYC for the riding. If you like the UWS, great but don't do it for the riding. Yes, you're closer to the GWB and NJ but the ride up route 9 gets just as old as looping the park.

One neglected resource: the various commuter railroads. With the purchase of a $5 lifetime pass, you can take your bike on the train. This gives the chance to ride all sorts of places that you wouldn't expect. For example, once or twice a year, I take MetroNorth to Pine Plains, ride up to the CT/Mass border and then ride down Rt 7 to Long Island Sound. It's then an easy ride on the train home.

Good luck on the move.
That's what I was eluding to. Although it's just as expensive to live in Stamford/Greenwich as one of the Bouroughs. You can always and I did, leave the city and go 45 minutes west for beautiful rides. You're gonna have a blast no matter what.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[thegunner]

I have a buddy who Everested on Alpine (the last climb on River Road) last year, he'd probably jump at the chance to do it again if he had company!

wait... i knew someone who did that last year... there's nowhere in CP that works for this. HH is only 100 feet, but there's no good way to loop it without doing the 1.4 mile loop around the top end of the park. no way i could get enough repeats to get 28k. i've done the northend loop 36x before and that was mindblowingly boring.

[hnovack]

After living in the city for 20 years, then moving with kids to Westchester. Living in the city is exciting and fun. Difficult to deal with schools with kids. Good riding in Mid to Northern Westchester and Fairfield County. Bergen County ie Ft Lee, Englewood Cliffs has cheaper housing. Good Schools in Fort Lee, and a easy commute. Northern Bergen County is also an option, but longer commute to City. Ie Creskill and Closter. Remember the subway rides coming in from Brooklyn can take an hour or so depending on where.

[fuzzalow]

Fuzz, you hit the nail on the head about the objectives. My point to post here was essentially to know, when it comes to brass tacks, which way to lean.

Priorities are:
1) Family (so short commute, comfortable housing, Happy wife)

...

2) career
2.5) cycling

I will keep the forum posted and if we move, would love to go for a spin with locals and buy the first round afterward.

One last comment to play off of your comment above regarding "comfortable housing" was a whimsical quip in a NYTimes real estate article about NYers relocating back to NYC: Once and Always a New Yorker (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/realestate/once-and-always-a-new-yorker.html?_r=0).

There are different expectations and notions for how people live based largely on where they live and what they have experienced. As quoted from this article:

The neighborhood, because of its proximity to Lincoln Center and its “European feeling,” was his first choice when he returned from California a year and a half ago. He had sold his Malibu house and bought an apartment on West 76th Street, off Central Park.

“My L.A. friends say, ‘How are you going to live in that?’ and my New York friends say, ‘How did you find that?’ ”

Like the line 'New York New York, a helluva town' from the B'way musical "On the Town" dating back from 1944. Yes it is, was and e'er shall be. One of the greatest cities in the world and given any opportunity to live here, you'd be crazy not to take a shot at living it.

[tctyres]

My two cents ...
As for the riding, you don't move to NYC for the riding. If you like the UWS, great but don't do it for the riding. Yes, you're closer to the GWB and NJ but the ride up route 9 gets just as old as looping the park.


Yep. I agree. I live in Morningside Heights and find 9W pretty boring. I don't ride it as much as I used to. There are much better rides down on the Piermont Rd/County Rd side of the hill. Zip down Churchill or any one of the other routes, and take it from there.

[R3awak3n]

and you can take the train to cold spring and there are some fantastic ridding up there as well.

I agree, you don't move to NYC for cycling but its a hell of a city and good cycling is around, just not right outside your ny condo

[torquer]

I grew up in the suburbs, and have lived in Westchester for decades (commuting into Manhattan most of those years), so "city cycling" feels a bit exotic to me, even though I totally get the appeal of city life. (It was great when I was in my 20s, but I need my rest now.)
I would consider the Riverdale section of the Bronx if minimizing commuting time and maximizing access to good riding were my prime competing interests. Metro North commute is 30 minutes to Grand Central, and access to the Westside bike trail isn't too bad for that form of commuting. For serious miles, you'd be on the mainland with direct access to Westchester, either riding or driving (parking is still an issue, but much less so than other NYC neighborhoods discussed here.) Dunno about public schools, but no shortage of good private schools.
Sounds like you're thinking of apartment living, but the Fieldston section has some spectacular properties.

[velofinds]

If I may offer a counterpoint to the “NYC isn’t great for cycling" narrative, I might argue that it’s actually pretty great for time-crunched individuals (which I assume there's a good chance anyone with career and/or family obligations relocating from one metropolitan area to another has of being). If one only has one, maybe two hours tops to get in some high quality riding, it’s hard to argue with laps in either of the city’s large parks or the relative quiet and solitude of River Road (when one has the luxury of being able to spend an additional one or two more hours in the saddle). The population density (and thus, abundance of cyclists) I find creates a nice environment for riding, and chance encounters with other riders of similar fitness or ability aren’t uncommon on all the aforementioned well-worn paths. True, “epic” all-day rides will require traveling to further afield, but if weekdays are devoted to work and weekends to family (as in my case), then one probably wasn’t going to be doing very many of those to begin with.

[adampaiva]

since the OP seems to have gotten quite a lot of good info, I'll go ahead and ask my own question.

Am I crazy, as a currently non-married, non-childed, 33 year old for considering a move to the WC burbs? I would prefer a condo / apt. living situation to buying a home and happened to find this building in New Rochelle that is kind of my dream but attainable apartment. It has me really thinking about giving up life in Crown Heights Brooklyn. A whole lot of pluses and minuses I can think of for both situations, but any one have any feedback on New Rochelle in particular? I've looked around a bit and haven't found anything else really that appealed to me in any of the burbs so I'm really just thinking about this one building if/when the right unit comes up for sale. I sort of want the loft NY apartment life, ideally in a little walkable village, but outside of NYC itself. Oh and with my own parking space. I also have a little cabin upstate so prefer the idea of a condo to a home and the cabin can be my escape for space and nature and green and repairing water heaters and worrying about the roof. Moving north of the city would make that Friday night trip to the Catskills easier too. And weekend rides into WC / Dutchess / Putnam counties easier. Weekday riding, I rarely find the time as it is to ride much more than my commute during the week so I imagine that wouldn't change much because of a move to the burbs adding in a MNorth commute.

But I digresss...the main question is anyone have opinions on New Rochelle in particular? Or know of somewhere else I can find a reasonably priced "loft-like" condo and village for city-like living outside of the city with a relatively short train commute to Midtown?

[19wisconsin64]

...are good if you either have a super duper smart kid who tests well and you are super duper good at following up with the required paths to getting your kid into a "test into" top manhattan public school.

if this does not work you can try to live in the zoned areas for the top schools.

being a nyc cyclist, and having raised kids in the public schools here i can tell you that certain streets are much better zoned than other certain streets on the upper west side.

for cycling, shopping, commuting, and amazing public schools, the north side of 72nd street on the west side and going up......there are some sweet spots. it's easy access to everything. it's expensive, but if you are on a budget you can find something reasonable for nyc. reasonable is a relative term.

lots of wonderful students and teachers and schools here, and amazing amounts of cultural things to do in and around the city. i could lie and say that our favorite thing to do is to stroll to one of the dog parks to watch the dogs, but the truth is that this is only a stop on the way to shake shack.

good luck in your search if you do come to nyc!

[dumbod]

But I digresss...the main question is anyone have opinions on New Rochelle in particular? Or know of somewhere else I can find a reasonably priced "loft-like" condo and village for city-like living outside of the city with a relatively short train commute to Midtown?

To buy or rent? Remember, if you want to buy, that property taxes are OUTRAGEOUS in Westchester County. Yeah, you save some on income and sales tax but not that much.

I haven't done a systematic look but in my quick searches, I haven't found anything that is vaguely loft-like along the Sound except the Knickerbocker Lofts in New Rochelle. (I have to say that I find nothing attractive about New Rochelle but to each his own.) You might have better luck going north on the Hudson.

I'm intrigued by Bronxville. Much more interesting village (IMO) than NR and some nice older co-ops. And a super-easy commute into the city.

[Climb01742]

Good Schools in Fort Lee, and a easy commute.

Unless Gov. Christie is in a bad mood.;)

[torquer]

New Rochelle, along with White Plains and Yonkers, are small(ish) cities, with some city-like amenities, but also city-like challenges. All have areas that feel totally suburban, but none of their "urban" cores compare to anything available in NYC. White Plains, at least, has lower residential property taxes than surrounding villages.

Peekskill has some interesting things going on, but that's at a still-smaller scale, and a 70 minute train ride.

Bronxville? Feh. Scarsdale is only a few train stops further north, and Beyoncé might be your neighbor.

[adampaiva]

Yes to buy. Not rent.

And yes, Knickerbocker lofts was the one building I liked. I've looked around for something comparable and haven't seen anything.

I didn't really even think about property taxes. That may throw a financial wrinkle.

[54ny77]

yes.

:D

since the OP seems to have gotten quite a lot of good info, I'll go ahead and ask my own question.

Am I crazy, as a currently non-married, non-childed, 33 year old for considering a move to the WC burbs?

[christian]

Yes to buy. Not rent.

And yes, Knickerbocker lofts was the one building I liked. I've looked around for something comparable and haven't seen anything.

I didn't really even think about property taxes. That may throw a financial wrinkle.

I don't think there's any lofts there at all, but downtown Tarrytown is nice. My buddy owns some buildings there if you want me to ask around. And yes, 33 and single, moving to the 'burbs? Nuts. Get ye to Murray Hill. LOL.

[thegunner]

I don't think there's any lofts there at all, but downtown Tarrytown is nice. My buddy owns some buildings there if you want me to ask around. And yes, 33 and single, moving to the 'burbs? Nuts. Get ye to Murray Hill. LOL.

haha that's my hood :p weirdly enough, i'm surrounded by retirees.

[velofinds]

And yes, 33 and single, moving to the 'burbs? Nuts. Get ye to Murray Hill. LOL.

Any self-respecting Brooklynite will probably think s/he is downgrading by moving to Murray Hill ;)

[adampaiva]

ok yea I think you guys are right. I need to stay put a little while longer.
The better cycling and parking spots can wait.

[r_mutt]

Any self-respecting Brooklynite will probably think s/he is downgrading by moving to Murray Hill ;)

Murray Hill is for 35 year old boys who think they still live in a frat house.

[19wisconsin64]

...i lived on W 75th and W 76th Streets forever, now live on W 107th. If you are looking to move to the UWS and trying to save some money on rent send me a PM. There is a family that owns about 60 walkup brownstones with reasonable (for NYC) rents.

[stuckinthecity]

I'd like to offer something else to think about.

Move right next to your office. Or as close as you can to it. It's not absolutely the prettiest area but it's a relatively inexpensive neighborhood and the schools are good.

In reality, the subway and taxis are the worst part of living in New York. Constant crowds and delays. You can't put a price on that sort of convenience and the ability to always spend time with your family.

You will be a quick ride to grand central station, which you can take to wonderful rides points north.

Once you are in Manhattan you will find that it's quite compact overall especially in comparison to the suburbs!

[flydhest]

Is there anyone on the forum who regularly commutes by bike in Manhattan? I do not yet have a sense of facilities at the new office, but was curious about people's experiences. I am an almost 20-year bike commuter through downtown D.C., but I have only ridden a bike in Manhattan on weekends on a Citibike doing touristy things. No real sense for what a commute would be like.

[adampaiva]

Yes, I commute every day from Brooklyn into Midtown Manhattan. NYC bike commuting is fine and I don't mind it, and it's a great way to start the day (today is almost 60 degrees!). But at the same time, it is crazy traffic and tons of taxis and pedestrians not paying attention and potholes etc. I've been knocked down by cars a handful of times over the years, but its never kept me from getting back onto the bike every single day.

[christian]

Murray Hill is for 35 year old boys who think they still live in a frat house.

Murray Hill is AWFUL. But I do think of it as the most "singles" neighborhood in the City. So long as you like dudes in white lacrosse hats and/or girls who work in social media.

[velofinds]

Is there anyone on the forum who regularly commutes by bike in Manhattan?

Me.

I do not yet have a sense of facilities at the new office, but was curious about people's experiences.

Great. My twice-daily commute is the best part of my day by far, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Seriously.

Of course, it helps that I'm blessed with great at-work facilities (indoor parking, shower), but even if I didn't, I'd still do it.

I am an almost 20-year bike commuter through downtown D.C., but I have only ridden a bike in Manhattan on weekends on a Citibike doing touristy things. No real sense for what a commute would be like.

You'll be fine. The cycling infrastructure here has come a long way, and your fitness and street smarts are way more important factors besides. Riding in Manhattan seems scary to non-locals and those who don't do it, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: I feel vastly safer riding in Manhattan than I do riding in the suburbs or even in the outer boroughs. Have situational awareness and ride defensively, and riding in the city can be supremely enjoyable.

[fuzzalow]

Is there anyone on the forum who regularly commutes by bike in Manhattan? I do not yet have a sense of facilities at the new office, but was curious about people's experiences. I am an almost 20-year bike commuter through downtown D.C., but I have only ridden a bike in Manhattan on weekends on a Citibike doing touristy things. No real sense for what a commute would be like.

I can walk to work but I more often than not bike to work with my Brompton so I have no experience with the CitiBike. On CitiBikes one of my work colleagues complains that getting the bike isn't the problem but that being able to park it when all the bike docks near the midtown office are full is a PITA.

Riding in Manhattan is safe if you've got your head screwed on straight. Even the worst of 8th Ave midtown by the Cravath building is manageable if you just slow down a little. Search this forum for Manhattan city riding and you'll get a bigger picture. Biking will put you in touch with the rhythms of the city but even so, I'd admit riding south of 14th Street is a different head and a much nicer vibe than midtown. But that's to be expected, it's midtown, right?

Murray Hill is for 35 year old boys who think they still live in a frat house.

Really? HAHa! Murray Hill still costs Manhattan so does that mean these boys are sharing a 1BR piled in 6 deep? Um, bromance innuendoes aside, that didn't sound quite right.;)

[christian]

I cycle from GCT to 225 Liberty a few times a week. Commuting in the City is fine.

[velofinds]

I cycle from GCT to 225 Liberty a few times a week. Commuting in the City is fine.

Weren't you also in the Times a few years back in an article on uber-commuters? :)

[echappist]

Really? HAHa! Murray Hill still costs Manhattan so does that mean these boys are sharing a 1BR piled in 6 deep? Um, bromance innuendoes aside, that didn't sound quite right.;)

Well, there was a recent nyt story on four people splitting a 1-br, $40000 apartment. So you arent too far off.

[sashae]

I previously lived on the UWS and bailed to Northern Westchester after getting sick of fighting schooling and realizing i was driving out to the area on weekends regardless for riding. UWS is super accsssible for getting out over the GWB or (my preference) over the Broadway bridge into Westchester, where endless fab riding lies. Best of luck with the move either way...

...adampaiva just roll up for some weekend rides sometime instead of moving ;)

[htwoopup]

commuting/riding in Manhattan is not a problem once you have done it. The situational awareness comes pretty quickly if you don't have it (I know you said you have commuted in DC but NY Ubers are a special breed of crazy).

The biggest issue is the shower/ locker part. Unlike more bike friendly (in number of years they have been bike friendly) cities, there aren't a lot of offices with showers and the gyms/ health clubs here don't get the "shower membership" thing. They want to charge (at least in my experience) like if you are going to work out and take classes and monthly gym cost are way over the top in Manhattan. Do, in order to answer the question you need to do some due diligence on your company and building facilities and all the NYSC, Health and Racquet, Crunch, etc near your office.

[adampaiva]

I have no shower facilities at work and my nearest gym is about 20 streets or 7 avenues away and I have never really felt like I would use that even if I did. Would just add another 20+ minutes to my routine and I'm already bad at not being late every single morning. Pretty easy for me to just cycle in 8 miles in work appropriate pants and a t shirt, throw on a button down when I get there're if it's summer, otherwise I just cycle in pants and a button up shirt and just cycle chill enough for that I don't work up too much of a sweat.

But I can bring my bike in and would be pretty sore about it if I didn't have that. Would not want to park a niceish commuter outside every day. But some people do. Today saw a beautiful Johnny Coast rando locked up on 49th St.

Anyways, cycle commuting in nyc is very doable and enjoyable and I think anyone into bikes enough to be on this forum will handle it just fine.

[adampaiva]

And sashae yea lets do some rides this year. I get up there often enough, we just need to plan it.

[thegunner]

Is there anyone on the forum who regularly commutes by bike in Manhattan? I do not yet have a sense of facilities at the new office, but was curious about people's experiences. I am an almost 20-year bike commuter through downtown D.C., but I have only ridden a bike in Manhattan on weekends on a Citibike doing touristy things. No real sense for what a commute would be like.

i do, but i also cheat because my office has a few dedicated bike rooms. for the most part, if you avoid the stupid hours it's pretty cathartic.

[jeffcon0]

I spent most of my adult life/the last 15 years in NYC before finally beating it up to VT a bit over a year ago. Cycling in NYC isn't bad at all, just different. There's a certain joy to grabbing your cheap single speed and bombing around the city. It's obviously much harder to gear up in your full cycling regalia and head out for a long scenic ride but its very easy to integrate cycling into your daily life whether that means commuting, running errands, doing loops in the park, or riding on the multiple greenways. I found it to be quite a social activity and easy to find a little clique of cyclists to ride with.

The constantly changing scenery and neighborhoods make riding there eminently interesting and there's no better way to explore the city than to hop on your bike and go. Riding empty country roads where I am now is a beautiful experience but there's still a special something about riding in NYC that I'm sure OP will discover.

Oh...and also throwing my hat in on the UWS recommendation. If I could live anywhere in the city it'd be Riverside Dr across from the park. Beautiful there and a very family friendly area.

[54ny77]

I generally felt safer riding in NYC when I lived there than I do on PCH in SoCal.

Seriously.

[dumbod]

I generally felt safer riding in NYC when I lived there than I do on PCH in SoCal.

Seriously.

I ride 1,000s of miles in the city every year and the only accident that I've had was entirely my fault. You can ride safely as long as you remember that you are invisible to both drivers and pedestrians and ride accordingly.

[flydhest]

Start spreading the news ...

Things are looking more and more likely that we will make the move. Going to head up next weekend with the fam to check out the feel of some neighborhoods. No doubt, I will have many question for this esteemed group, so many thanks for the info so far and thanks in advance for future help.

[timnem70]

I ride 1,000s of miles in the city every year and the only accident that I've had was entirely my fault. You can ride safely as long as you remember that you are invisible to both drivers and pedestrians and ride accordingly.
The only problem I've ever had is that cycling, other than use for commuting, should be about enjoyment, beauty of the outdoors and that feeli.g you get when your body is at peak that day and all is well with the world. I find that watching out for my life riding in the city the size of NYC detracts from all of those. I won't matter though. New York city is the greatest on Earth, just be careful and have fun.

Galaxy S7 Edge

[fuzzalow]

Yes! Way to go. Big moves...big goals... are achieved one step at a time...maintain course and speed.

NYC now possesses some of the finest neighborhoods and it is very true the vibe & vibrancy is uniquely different across neighborhoods. IMO deciding which is purely a right-brain decision. And the quality of life is fairly consistent because all of prime Manhattan exhibits the same underlying cost structures. Which is great from a "living inside the bubble" perspective but not so desirable from a plurality & socioeconomic diversity perspective, at least in theory. But NYC has the advantage of drawing all forms of diversity into its epicenter even if the cost of residency drives a certain homogeneity via its economics.

The good thing is that in throughout all of prime areas in Manhattan, you cannot go wrong because almost everywhere is walkable.

Also, I love cycling, and love is a word I use very sparingly. But I knew that living here would not diminish the ardor but certainly change the form of how cycling weaves through the fabric of my life. I don't chase saddle time on the bike, I'd rather live my life in a city that could never be relegated even by a sport I have done for a lifetime. I'm slower than you and I'm OK with that.

[timnem70]

Yes! Way to go. Big moves...big goals... are achieved one step at a time...maintain course and speed.

NYC now possesses some of the finest neighborhoods and it is very true the vibe & vibrancy is uniquely different across neighborhoods. IMO deciding which is purely a right-brain decision. And the quality of life is fairly consistent because all of prime Manhattan exhibits the same underlying cost structures. Which is great from a "living inside the bubble" perspective but not so desirable from a plurality & socioeconomic diversity perspective, at least in theory. But NYC has the advantage of drawing all forms of diversity into its epicenter even if the cost of residency drives a certain homogeneity via its economics.

The good thing is that in throughout all of prime areas in Manhattan, you cannot go wrong because almost everywhere is walkable.

Also, I love cycling, and love is a word I use very sparingly. But I knew that living here would not diminish the ardor but certainly change the form of how cycling weaves through the fabric of my life. I don't chase saddle time on the bike, I'd rather live my life in a city that could never be relegated even by a sport I have done for a lifetime. I'm slower than you and I'm OK with that.
Beautiful.

Galaxy S7 Edge

[R3awak3n]

The only problem I've ever had is that cycling, other than use for commuting, should be about enjoyment, beauty of the outdoors and that feeli.g you get when your body is at peak that day and all is well with the world. I find that watching out for my life riding in the city the size of NYC detracts from all of those. I won't matter though. New York city is the greatest on Earth, just be careful and have fun.

Galaxy S7 Edge

its true but sometimes there is nothing like ridding through the city. Its a different kind of beauty and its amazing.

[velofinds]

I spend part of the summer in Colorado, and while the riding out there is amazing, I do end up missing - much like I miss the city itself - the rhythm and vibrancy of riding in the city.

[timnem70]

I spend part of the summer in Colorado, and while the riding out there is amazing, I do end up missing - much like I miss the city itself - the rhythm and vibrancy of riding in the city.
I live in Denver. And you are right.

Galaxy S7 Edge

[flydhest]

I spend part of the summer in Colorado, and while the riding out there is amazing, I do end up missing - much like I miss the city itself - the rhythm and vibrancy of riding in the city.



Very apropos, as my mother-in-law is in Ft. Collins, and I keep one of my bikes in her basement.

I do like urban cycling, so hopefully will have the best of all worlds.




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[dumbod]

The only problem I've ever had is that cycling, other than use for commuting, should be about enjoyment, beauty of the outdoors and that feeli.g you get when your body is at peak that day and all is well with the world. I find that watching out for my life riding in the city the size of NYC detracts from all of those. I won't matter though. New York city is the greatest on Earth, just be careful and have fun.

Galaxy S7 Edge

It's as I said in my first post. You don't come to New York for the cycling but that doesn't mean that the cycling can't be enjoyable. When I'm in the right mood I actually enjoy riding in the city quite a bit. It's a lot like playing high-stakes Frogger.

[adampaiva]

Agreed on the city cycling. There are numerous occasions I can think of riding at night and 7th Avenue opens up in front of me and the lights just keep turning green on my cue and I am gliding down ahead of traffic with four lanes to myself, towers to my left and right, and the feeling can't be beat. Or a different rush when I am hustling down 5th Avenue darting and weaving through and around taxis at 30 mph feeding off the energy around you. It's just a totally different cycling thing than cresting a climb out in the middle of nowhere, but both are special. Definitely makes owning an "urban racer" worth the investment.

yep. Nyc is something great.

[mecse]

Considering moving to NY. Office would be in midtown. Don't want a commute much past 1/2 hour, hopefully less. Negotiations will ensure that housing in that radius is affordable. The question is, within that radius, where to live to have best cycling.

Brooklyn on a subway line could do it, but would I be relegated to laps in Prospect Park?

Chelsea or Union Square, up the west side to go out 9W?

Please, discuss. Cycling matters but not enough to have a 45 to 90 minute commute and lose family time.

Thoughts?
Brooklyn weekdays would be prospect park, almost certainly.

Upper West Side gets you to NJ and has good subway access, along with central park for early morning laps.

I'm sure others have said the same.

[flydhest]

Start spreading the news . . . I'm leaving today . . . OK, well, won't be up there until May, but all the papers are signed and the firm issued a press release today. We are moving.

Still need to finalize where we will live, and the kids likely won't move up until after the school year is done, but I am becoming a New Yorker. Who am I kidding, I will always be a DC wonky nerd, but, you know. We will need to start planning a Paceline ride, first round after the ride is on me to say thanks for all the collective wisdom.


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[fuzzalow]

Congratulations. Welcome to New York City.

Let me know where you wind up, as far as which part of town you will take up residence in. HaHa, don't worry about privacy concerns, no address necessary but simply which part of town. Y'know, you'd think sayin' Upper East or Upper West or TriBeCa or whatever covers some ground but in many ways this town will in no way live as large as it might seem when you first get here. In an island of 1.6 million people, I run into friends all over this island all the time - always a pleasant surprise.

[Frikki]

I had a several year drought of cycling before moving to NYC (was living in Iceland, which for cycling purposes might as well be known as black ice land for 8 months out of the year) and echo adampaiva and dumbod's comments.

There's nothing quite like moving through traffic in NYC like a hot knife through butter, basically reenacting scenes from return of the jedi.

And though it depends on where you work, and whether your place of work has a shower, doing laps in Central Park in the morning is a luxury I'll miss once I eventually get to my 'this is a horrible place to live' (http://www.theonion.com/article/84-million-new-yorkers-suddenly-realize-new-york-c-18003) moment

[hokoman]

Congrats Flydhest! My family and I will be moving back to the NYC area in the next couple of months too! It's been 16 years since I lived there, it'll be weird going back.

[EDS]

Start spreading the news . . . I'm leaving today . . . OK, well, won't be up there until May, but all the papers are signed and the firm issued a press release today. We are moving.

Still need to finalize where we will live, and the kids likely won't move up until after the school year is done, but I am becoming a New Yorker. Who am I kidding, I will always be a DC wonky nerd, but, you know. We will need to start planning a Paceline ride, first round after the ride is on me to say thanks for all the collective wisdom.


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Congratulations and welcome.

[thegunner]

see y'all this summer :) send out a message when it happens and i'm sure we could make a paceline ride happen.

[galgal]

Flydhest - congrats and welcome to NYC. Hope you have an easy move. Biking in and around NYC is fun. Beats the hell out of taking the subway. I'm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn now after 17 years in East Village. Spent a year in between on UWS and prefer the other two but as many others have rightly suggested UWS does have cycling advantages. I'd suggest taking a look around West Village (west of 7th avenue). Nice hood with easy access to Hudson bike path. Cheers

[echappist]

Congrats, and best of wishes with the move and new job

[flydhest]

So, it is getting more and more real. It looks like we found an apartment. We will be in Chelsea. The school came recommended by several friends of friends who have kids there (PS 11). It is reasonably well located for things we like.

I will likely be moving into the apartment in mid- to late-May, with the rest of the fam following after the school year is out down here.

Thanks again to everyone for the great advice so far. Looking forward to a Paceline event after I get up there.

[mecse]

So, it is getting more and more real. It looks like we found an apartment. We will be in Chelsea. The school came recommended by several friends of friends who have kids there (PS 11). It is reasonably well located for things we like.

I will likely be moving into the apartment in mid- to late-May, with the rest of the fam following after the school year is out down here.

Thanks again to everyone for the great advice so far. Looking forward to a Paceline event after I get up there.

We could just grab a beer at a bar too :)

[thegunner]

We could just grab a beer at a bar too :)

you're buying first round?

[TRACK]

So, it is getting more and more real. It looks like we found an apartment. We will be in Chelsea. The school came recommended by several friends of friends who have kids there (PS 11). It is reasonably well located for things we like.

I will likely be moving into the apartment in mid- to late-May, with the rest of the fam following after the school year is out down here.

Thanks again to everyone for the great advice so far. Looking forward to a Paceline event after I get up there.

congrats! lets beer and bike pls!

[flydhest]

OK, here's an update. We have taken possession of our apartment in Chelsea. I am living in the apartment and commuting home to DC until the school year is out, then the fam moves out. We are making plans for furniture and stuff. I have my fixie here now (lovely wife just brought it up yesterday). So no road ride for me yet. But I started thinking about how many bikes to bring. There are awesome two-bike racks that are stand alone units that lean against the wall. Does anyone make a vertical hanging, four bike rack that is also stand alone? Would love not to have to drill things into the walls here. Would also love to have more than one of my bikes in the apartment. My wife will have one or two, each kid will have one. I don't fancy having multiple bikes in the storage unit. Thoughts?


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[hokoman]

That's a lot of bikes in an apt. I already told my wife when we move this summer, I will only bring one regular bike to Brooklyn with me. One for her, probably an extracycle type bike and their two balance bikes. Even that is pushing it, and we are looking at townhouses.

Someone posted a rolling clothes rack they used to hang bikes, that might be the easiest, cheapest option.

[flydhest]

Yeah . . . I am a bit of a freak. Oh, wait, here on the Paceline, I am restrained. :) My upper limit is to bring three bikes for me. I could imagine having only two. We have a storage room and it is on the same floor as the apartment, so that will make life easier, as well. We have a good sized apartment, and the entry way is pretty wide. I could easily have three of the wall-leaning double racks. But I was hoping to have things a bit more condensed. There is a chunk of the entryway that is wide enough that bikes would fit that way.


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[Mr. Pink]

Shoulda moved to Bronxville.

[hokoman]

If they fit in the storage room on your floor... that is a no brainer, and I would fill that sucker up with bikes and parts, but in the living space is always tricky. I think once you have more than two well placed bikes in a living area, it starts to look like a bachelor pad/sports locker. Just my opinion.

[fuzzalow]

Being as you are already here and have a fixie to use - I assume you have done the reconnaissance rides through the neighborhood in order to determine the kind of riding you can do, given the environments available and appropriate/suitable for your wife & kids to ride in. NYC bike riding is no where near as open and freewheeling as what was familiar to you in the DC suburbs.

Saying you have a good sized apartment is still a relative thing and even so, you don't want to clutter it up with bikes. I say stick 'em all in the storage unit and not in the apartment. Downsize to get rid of bikes while you can and do not allow the mindset to take hold that you want or should have more bikes: IMO Manhattan is not really conducive to bikes as a sporting lifestyle. You will now have the chance to find out if this turns out to be also true for you or otherwise.

When I first got here, I initially tried to hold onto the familiar as far as my cycling lifestyle - I have cycled my entire life. I was quickly disabused of that notion - the 9W grind is not for me so I adapted. But I always knew that would happen because I know I did not move here to ride my bike. I miss dearly the riding I used to have and I made a choice but hey, life goes on.

[Mr. Pink]

Buy a metro north pass, and, Katonah.

[flydhest]

One reason I cannot totally downsize. Last January, I started a job. My first non-government job. I gave myself a Zank and a Goodrich as a present. By the time they were getting built, i realized I didn't like my job. By the time they arrived, i had a year in and had given notice. I plan to commute on my Vanilla fixie, as I did for 15 years in DC (I have a very early Vanilla). Not sure how to downsize among those three. Good problem to have, though.

[velofinds]

If you have sufficiently high ceilings, you can hang the bikes upside-down like so:

http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/a/a6/Hang-a-Bike-on-the-Wall-Step-3Bullet5.jpg/aid156533-900px-Hang-a-Bike-on-the-Wall-Step-3Bullet5.jpg

This allows us to maximize our space (and thankfully I have an incredibly understanding wife- who also rides).

[R3awak3n]

Not knowing what kind of appartment you have, I was in a brooklyn 7000/800 sq ft appartment for 5 years and had 5 bikes in there with minimal problems. Wife wasnt into it but I made it work. Plenty of locals have that amount and more. All you need is a corner and some creativity and you can find a way to fabricate a wall rack or something like that.

[Hank Scorpio]

No one steal this idea! *Someone may have tried to do it. Is there anyone offering bike specific storage options in NYC? I thought I read about one a while back that also offered tuning and repair services as well. I guess the the two obstacles would be convenient locations and the high $/sq ft rental rates.

[fuzzalow]

One reason I cannot totally downsize. Last January, I started a job. My first non-government job. I gave myself a Zank and a Goodrich as a present. By the time they were getting built, i realized I didn't like my job. By the time they arrived, i had a year in and had given notice. I plan to commute on my Vanilla fixie, as I did for 15 years in DC (I have a very early Vanilla). Not sure how to downsize among those three. Good problem to have, though.

Very understandable and nuthin' wrong with setting the lower bound at 3 bikes.

Downsizing is, to me, an intent and desire to set a personal equilibrium for yourself and your relationship to material possessions. It is neither a taliban outlook on modern life consumerism nor a self loathing towards living well amongst your possessions.

I too have a Vanilla - it is in storage which is a completely different animal than saying that when I "downsized" I got rid of it.
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3UMIblPmV1g/U4UNTee6wwI/AAAAAAAAAkY/K2ZFiIhx5qA4Lnxd7cIR88d7qbgRwpmcgCHM/s1024-no/dsc00722.jpg
C'mon, how does any bike enthusiast dump off a Vanilla? So I too live in a glass house and talking about downsizing to you is not throwing stones of hypocrisy but merely an outlook on the realities on living space in Manhattan and how it shouldn't be spoiled by needless clutter.

Not knowing what kind of appartment you have, I was in a brooklyn 7000/800 sq ft appartment for 5 years and had 5 bikes in there with minimal problems. Wife wasnt into it but I made it work.

Your wife is a saint. I'm lucky to be married to one also.

We rented a 1BR on 76th street while looking to buy - BTW renting on a temporary basis is the only way while buying because you have absolutely no control over what may come on the market and you cannot allow yourself to be forced into choosing among what just happens to be on the market at that particular point in time. And "temporary basis" for us turned into two years. But we refused to compromise. For example there is a Rosario Candella pre-war building we wanted to get into where nothing of the size we wanted has come available in that building for the 5 years we've been watching apartment listings in that building. If people are living well, they tend to stay put. A desirable apartment ANYWHERE is an extremely valuable and scarce thing and getting ownership of such a property is approached like warfare without quarter.

Anyway, 76th street was 750 sq/ft. That felt small and was unpleasant to live in after the newness wore off. I had the Eriksen and a Brompton in that apartment and that was an intrusion and having to live around that was a reminder every day of being around too much stuff. Too much stuff being relative to the space allowed its expansion.

Buy a metro north pass, and, Katonah.

HaHa, that's the ticket!

[Mr. Pink]

Wow, this whole thread should be filed under First World Problems.

[fuzzalow]

Wow, this whole thread should be filed under First World Problems.

Yes. It is all relative.

[flydhest]

Thanks for all the thoughts. I am chuckling--I am under no delusions that I am experiencing hardship. Quite to the contrary. And three bikes is for me an upper limit, not lower bound. There remains the chance that the Vanilla would go into some medium term storage. But it is so cool and is a great commuter, especially in such a flat city.


The apartment is a little over 2000 sq feet with three bedrooms, so we aren't feeling cramped. The ray of hope for me is that the entry hall way is five feet wide and like 20 feet wide. (Alongside which are the washer and dryer and closets--perfect for stashing gear) It turns to open up to the apartment and gets even wider. So, the idea of a few leaning racks against the wall is entirely feasible without cutting into living space. Plus, bit having to take the bikes into the living area seems even better. From the living room/dining room area, the bikes would not be visible.

[Mr. Pink]

What the.......2000 sq feet with three bedrooms on the upper west side?? Where does the maid sleep? Are you a Goldman partner?

Here's an idea. Buy a van, and park it in a local garage, using it as a mobile storage solution. Surely you can afford that. And then, you can just hop in and drive to a decent place to bicycle, after you almost go insane from the thousands of laps around Central Park.

[flydhest]

Chelsea, not UWS. No, not Goldman. No maid. Feeling fortunate, but also wanted to ease the transition for the family, so decided to shift expenditures pretty heavily to housing and give up other things. We are going for public schools (part of the choice process of where to live). Friends/colleagues drop $50K per year per kid. I figure I am saving $100k per year and some of that goes into living space.

[Mr. Pink]

Like I said, check out Bronxville. Short half hour train ride into Grand Central, (never, ever consider a commute into Penn Station. Ever.) nice town, awesome schools. The high school is perennially listed in the nation's top ten. And safe. Sorry, but, I would not want my kids to be subjected to NYC public schools. Yeah, diversity and all, but, still.

[happycampyer]

What the.......2000 sq feet with three bedrooms on the upper west side?? Where does the maid sleep? Are you a Goldman partner?

Here's an idea. Buy a van, and park it in a local garage, using it as a mobile storage solution. Surely you can afford that. And then, you can just hop in and drive to a decent place to bicycle, after you almost go insane from the thousands of laps around Central Park.
This is actually a great idea. Get a van like the one Moots uses for its demo fleet...

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6Ptrf4k/0/f49ed945/XL/i-6Ptrf4k-XL.jpg

[fuzzalow]

What the.......2000 sq feet with three bedrooms on the upper west side?? Where does the maid sleep? Are you a Goldman partner?

What might not occur to many with only a passing glance to investment banking...It is one thing to get into Goldman, it quite another thing to STAY at Goldman. The brutality of the unrelenting renewal process is what makes it what it is.

Goldman partners don't do buildings other than the marquee names in town: San Remo, Bresford, UES townhouses between 5th and Madison, maybe even 432 Park Ave but that skirts too close to seedy foreign oligarch money, etc, etc, etc Nice pied a terre for these guys 'cos home is usually an estate somewhere. Or so I have heard...;)

Sting is trying to sell his 5000 sq/ft duplex on Central Park West.

There's always somebody richer...

[Climb01742]

One more consideration: how does your building manage bikes getting upstairs to your apt? Some buildings are ok with bikes in the main elevators, but some request/require you use the service elevator. I found that using the service elevator kept neighbors happier, too -- that and tipping the service elevator operator.;)

[paredown]

What might not occur to many with only a passing glance to investment banking...It is one thing to get into Goldman, it quite another thing to STAY at Goldman. The brutality of the unrelenting renewal process is what makes it what it is.

Goldman partners don't do buildings other than the marquee names in town: San Remo, Bresford, UES townhouses between 5th and Madison, maybe even 432 Park Ave but that skirts too close to seedy foreign oligarch money, etc, etc, etc Nice pied a terre for these guys 'cos home is usually an estate somewhere. Or so I have heard...;)

Sting is trying to sell his 5000 sq/ft duplex on Central Park West.

There's always somebody richer...
A builder I worked with was doing new houses in Rye, NY--sort of the half-way from the city, and before the big estate in CT.

$2.4-2.6 million--and the "kids" were paying all cash with their bonuses, every year--except the year when they almost destroyed the country. Typically younger than 35, one kid, second on the way so the city was looking less attractive.

No recession for them, unless you count that one year--and even then I think they made up for it the following year.

[peanutgallery]

Manhattan seems like way too much work to do just about anything, but if people want to live there more power to them. It keeps my little part of the world free of bodies, plus my house will soon be beachfront property and NYC will be like Atlantis:)

In my part of the world $250k gives you 2400sf, full basement, 2 car garage, no NY proberty taxes, good schools and puts you minutes away from excellent hundreds of miles of mtb trails, rail trail system, the AT, numerous brew pubs, good food, incredible road riding out of the back of the neighborhood, tons of gravel roads and low stress. You can have NYC and all the work to make it "work"...and I will just chuckle

Additionally: 90 minutes or so from DC/Balt, 2 hours from downtown Philly and just less 3 from NYC

The point about what it takes to hang on at Goldman Sachs is spot on, move here and you will feel like you're retired in comparison

PS: I have room for bikes

[velofinds]

Chelsea, not UWS.

Just FYI, Chelsea isn't considered middle class, though I think that was your intent in juxtaposing it with the UWS.

[velofinds]

Manhattan seems like way too much work to do just about anything, but if people want to live there more power to them. It keeps my little part of the world free of bodies, plus my house will soon be beachfront property and NYC will be like Atlantis:)

In my part of the world $250k gives you 2400sf, full basement, 2 car garage, no NY proberty taxes, good schools and puts you minutes away from excellent hundreds of miles of mtb trails, rail trail system, the AT, numerous brew pubs, good food, incredible road riding out of the back of the neighborhood, tons of gravel roads and low stress. You can have NYC and all the work to make it "work"...and I will just chuckle

Additionally: 90 minutes or so from DC/Balt, 2 hours from downtown Philly and just less 3 from NYC

The point about what it takes to hang on at Goldman Sachs is spot on, move here and you will feel like you're retired in comparison

PS: I have room for bikes

Good for you :rolleyes:

[galgal]

I believe the OP was about being excited about moving to NYC and cycling here. As I love both, am glad that this is happening, for fellow forumite. That he found a spacious apartment in a nice neighborhood is great.
That NYC is crazy expensive is hardly news. I'm saying this as a long time New Yorker without a large bank account and 4 bikes in a small apartment. When I go riding in NYC don't ask fellow riders for their finances nor have been asked. Maybe I don't bike in the circles that would do so. Since this thread also mentioned a NYC Paceline bike ride, I'm hoping the main topic of conversation would not be about how filthy rich one was and had a ...

[flydhest]

Just FYI, Chelsea isn't considered middle class, though I think that was your intent in juxtaposing it with the UWS.



Don't know how you came to that conclusion. The earlier part of the thread included discussion of UWS. I was responding to a poster who thought I ended up there. FWIW, I don't really care about how neighborhoods are classified by others. One interesting bit about NY is that even in swanky sections, there seem to be a fair mix of housing stock. Sure, not right on Central Park, but within a block of where we are I can see both opulence and boarded up places.

We ended up here based on the following criteria: less than a 30 minute commute door-to-door; public school that we wanted to send kids to; a neighborhood feel that appealed to me and my wife. The cycling has distant behind those, but will never be out of my mind. My wife and I did our first NYC ride today, albeit I was on my fixie.

Looking forward to a Paceline NYC ride when my road bike is here.

My most recent post was asking about indoor storage. I am coming from a row house in DC that I own, so drilling into the ceiling to create bike storage was no big deal. Here, I prefer not to damage walls. I thought it was a straightforward convo.

[galgal]

If I understand correctly, your apartment hallway seems like a viable option for bike storage. Wall-leaning racks are an option, though if you have little ones running amok, there might be probs. I know you don't want to drill into walls, neither did I, but ended up asking building management and having them do so. Now have 4 bikes hanging in hallway. As you said, they then don't intrude into main space of apartment, but will also be begging to be ridden, hanging out in hallway. I'd be wary of building bike rooms. I'm sure that varies with specific buildings, but better if you can accommodate bikes in apartment. Anyway, congrats on successful move, and hopefully there will be a NYC Paceline ride

[fuzzalow]

Looking forward to a Paceline NYC ride when my road bike is here.

Anyway, congrats on successful move, and hopefully there will be a NYC Paceline ride

If there is a NYC Paceline ride, I am calling dibs on lantern rouge. That will be me. Mine. I called it here first. Everybody'll want me to have that job anyway 'cos it'll be too much work to go slower than me.

[54ny77]

to the op, congrats on finding a space in the city!

ain't nothin' like it on earth. just spent a couple days as a tourist there, and really longed to move back (we live in the nearby 'burbs). esp. when i saw riders zipping by.

for whatever it's worth, i made out just fine with 3 bikes in our small space. well, wife was "patient" about it. sorta. :p

the hard when i lived there part was cleaning dirty bikes in winter. pain in the arse, it is. most of the time it was warm soapy bucket of water, a toothbrush, bottle of simple green, a dry rag (for drying it) and 2 full waterbottles to rinse things off. all performed after 10 pm outside well off to the side of the building & outta the way, so as to not piss off the other residents and cause problems for the doormen. they were always cool about it.

and worst case, if i couldn't get outside, take off front wheel and put whole bike in shower. man that really sucked, because while much easier to clean the bike, it took a good 20-30 minutes cleaning the shower & tub from dirt & grease. :bike:

3 bikes for me was def. the limit, otherwise things looked kinda silly. at the time, 2 were mine, 1 was wife's (mounted only on trainer), so they weren't ALL mine....:D

[htwoopup]

I am coming from a row house in DC that I own, so drilling into the ceiling to create bike storage was no big deal. Here, I prefer not to damage walls. I thought it was a straightforward convo.

First, welcome!

On drilling, I have found in condos and coops I have owned and in apartments I have rented there is no drilling issue that a 20 to the super and each of the guys doing the work can't fix except for one. In one apartment I owned the ceiling was cement (a problem in 1980's and later buildings mainly). When you leave, another 20 to remove the hook and dab some spackle in the hole.

[weisan]

Texas is open for business, everyone is welcome. :D

[cnighbor1]

OT A friend living used his Kayak to get from seattle to Kirkland via Lake washington

[flydhest]

Slowly coming along. Will be ready before long for a NY Paceline ride ... until then, four bikes is only slightly crazy ... right?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170706/eee7c1e47d3baa0c2ffe0ca42af1d0c2.jpg

[paredown]

Slowly coming along. Will be ready before long for a NY Paceline ride ... until then, four bikes is only slightly crazy ... right?...

Looks about right to me (says the owner of 4 bikes):D

[velofinds]

That looks awesome (and the bikes are rad). I don't care what anybody says; if you don't mind sacrificing some living space (and maybe looking slightly crazy to those who don't "get it"), I think it's eminently possible to have your cake and eat it, too -- i.e., city living need not necessarily doom a person to n=1.

[54ny77]

You must be single. Or have a VERY understanding & supportive significant other.

;)

That looks awesome (and the bikes are rad). I don't care what anybody says; if you don't mind sacrificing some living space (and maybe looking slightly crazy to those who don't "get it"), I think it's eminently possible to have your cake and eat it, too -- i.e., city living need not necessarily doom a person to n=1.

[galgal]

Looks about right to me (says the owner of 4 bikes):D

+1 (says owner of 4 bikes ):beer:

[flydhest]

Two of the four bikes shown are my wife's bikes. Yeah ... I am lucky.

[Bob Ross]

if you don't mind sacrificing some living space (and maybe looking slightly crazy to those who don't "get it"), I think it's eminently possible to have your cake and eat it, too -- i.e., city living need not necessarily doom a person to n=1.
You must be single. Or have a VERY understanding & supportive significant other.

Between the two of us my wife & I have six bicycles hanging in the Living Room of our Manhattan apartment. Shortly after we first moved in my wife brought an Interior Decorator over for some suggestions on how to improve [sic] our aesthetics. The ID's first comment was "You'll have to get rid of all those bikes, don't you have a garage or basement storage?"

The missus replied "We want our apartment to reflect who we are. The bikes are staying."

[54ny77]

You sir are a lucky man. At one point I (oh I mean "we"...hah hah...) had 3 bikes in ~800 sq. ft., incl. one mounted on a trainer in front of t.v. in living room.


Between the two of us my wife & I have six bicycles hanging in the Living Room of our Manhattan apartment. Shortly after we first moved in my wife brought an Interior Decorator over for some suggestions on how to improve [sic] our aesthetics. The ID's first comment was "You'll have to get rid of all those bikes, don't you have a garage or basement storage?"

The missus replied "We want our apartment to reflect who we are. The bikes are staying."

[julseas]

Between the two of us my wife & I have six bicycles hanging in the Living Room of our Manhattan apartment. Shortly after we first moved in my wife brought an Interior Decorator over for some suggestions on how to improve [sic] our aesthetics. The ID's first comment was "You'll have to get rid of all those bikes, don't you have a garage or basement storage?"

The missus replied "We want our apartment to reflect who we are. The bikes are staying."

how are you storing? i have 4 in my brooklyn apartment, but i'm moving in w/ my boyfriend and need to move things around.

[AustinHorse]

best hanging method is hooks screwed into a 2 by 4 at 18" intervals (may need to tweak with todays wide handlebars). you can mount this to your ceiling or drywall with whatever appropriate toggle bolts or anchors your space demands.

[R3awak3n]

I know you not trying to put holes on the wall but with that space for 2 bikes you could hang like 6

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19227428_699774030196113_2761552834754248704_n.jpg

[velofinds]

I guess I don't understand the big deal about the holes. Isn't that what spackle is for?