Urban Adventures & More

In typical Urban Adventure-fashion, I went on an unplanned trip to New Jersey today. The route is basically this one, or, more precisely, the one given on maps 10 and 11 (about page 34) of the New Jersey Greenway Guide. Also seen easily on the New York City Bike Map route.

I would not recommend this route, however. I went up the West Side (on Riverside drive, which is quite enjoyable!) to the George Washington Bridge. I then went over it on the north walkway. This had a beautiful and unusual view of northern Manhattan, the Palisades and up the Hudson to Hastings-on-Hudson or Tarrytown (I couldn’t make out the Tappan Zee, so I’m not sure it was Tarrytown), as well as south to Midtown. I highly recommond this part of the trip; the route over the bridge is wide, and you get different vantage points on different parts of the bridge.

But as soon as I reached the other end and went up, and then down, stairs to the street, the fun ended. Perhaps a wiser man would have gone directly into the Henry Hudson Palisades Park, although they indicate there that you have to stay on the Henry Hudson Drive, a river road that is presumably not-so-well-travelled. To get there from the bridge, you go down 2 blocks from the bridge exit and the park is on your left. To get to Henry Hudson Drive, google maps indicates you have to stay on River Road going south for a half mile. This is OK, as it is a separated bike path down a hill. I would definitely consider going back to check out this route.

Instead, I went south along Bergen County Route 505, also known as River Road. This is just a road, and has the unfortunate properties that it is the only route through this section, and it happens to have no shoulder. The georgraphy is such that the palisades are to the west, the river to the east, and one north-south road along the flood plain. Therefore, the only escape on the 9-odd-mile stretch of road I took from the George Washington Bridge to the Weekhawken Ferry Terminal was the Hudson River Walkway (pictured as the green off-road routes on the maps I linked above). The rest of the route (the on-road sections) are on this busy street; I would definitely recommend you either follow safe on-road bike policy and take up one entire lane (as there is no shoulder; you may incur the wrath of aggressive drivers here) or go slowly on the sidewalk. Therefore, the route was an alternation between beautiful, pleasant, scenic riding along the shore, and harrowing, terrifying experiences on the road.

When I got off the George Washington Bridge, I did see a number of bicyclists (the Tight-Pants variety) coming from the direction of Main Street, Fort Lee. This may be a function of the geography I described, but there could be another worthwhile route out there. Fortunately, there is plenty of unexplored terrain in New York City for me to explore that I don’t feel the need to venture out in that direction. On this side of the river, the cars are more respectful, and there are a lot more escapes from busy thoroughfares than in New Jersey. Plus, I have more interest in the history on my side of the big river.

The ferry back to Manhattan (39th Street) was $8.75 with the bike. It seemed to go every 20 minutes, with other routes (to downtown) having big lulls and running every 30 minutes during rush hour. Definitely check a schedule before you commit to this portion, if you do this ride.