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Tour B - The Delights of Brooklyn
Brews, Views, Chocolate, and much more!
Saturdays, 10:15 am - 5:00 pm
Note: During 3 Saturdays in August (the 7th, 14th and 21st), the city will close 80 blocks of Park Avenue and
more for the Summer Streets program. All
Tour Bs on these days will begin by pedaling through this traffic-free festival of fun!
This special tour starts with a ride through the historic Lower East Side. Once the most
densely populated neighborhood in the world(!), it is now a very “in” section with a
thriving nightlife, as well as an authentic Soviet era, larger than life, statue of Lenin!
Leaving Manhattan, we dive into the delights offered by the borough of Brooklyn as we
pedal over the new Williamsburg Bridge bike path. We enter the "hip," artistic
neighborhood of Williamsburg and head to the Big Apple's best
micro-brewery, The Brooklyn Brewery.
Its 1860's building has been beautifully
restored to its bare brick and wood timbers. Here you can sample its top-rated beer, ale, or
stout on tap. (While those under 21 are welcome to enter, they and other tea-toddlers have
the option of browsing through a vintage, hip clothing store for the latest in worn-only-once
very stylish clothing!)
Only a short ride away, yet centuries back in time, we enter a Hassidic "shtetl," like that made famous in
Fiddler On The Roof. Here the orthodox Jewish population still tries to live as it did before the Holocaust.
On this, the Jewish Sabbath, all the businesses are closed as the synagogue becomes the focal point of existence.
As if travelling through time, we pass by the Brooklyn Navy Yard. With almost 200 years of ship building history,
this served as the birthplace place of scores of famous ships, from the Fulton Steam Frigate and
USS Maine to the USS Constellation and Missouri!
Just a short pedal later, we complete our return to the 21st century, as we enter the now-posh neighborhood of Fort Greene. In its
center, we find the pride and joy of the neighborhood, built upon a crypt, holding the remains of Americans
who suffered the atrocities of war.
From Fort Greene, we enter Dumbo, another fascinating "in" neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Here, you’ll experience a classic "only-in-the-Big-Apple" panorama! (see photo below)
We head to Jacques Torres Chocolate Shop, run by a pastry chef extraordinaire. Here you can sample his pithiviers,
featured recently in The New York Times- or get high on other chocolate delights.
We finally pedal over the Brooklyn Bridge, also on its own bike path. The high here is not merely provided by the altitude, but also by the incredible views of the New York skyline and harbor.
Great brews, Great views and Great chocolate - all make for a delightful afternoon in the Big Apple!
Easy paced, safe, quiet streets. 15 miles, 7 hours, $90 includes bike, helmet, a licensed tour guide in front and “sweep” in back (food and drink extra; $10 less with your own bike).
“We were the first to arrive and were curious as to which other 'lunatics' would be
joining us on this tour.
We were however very pleasantly surprised that most of the group of twelve were rather 'normal,'
around our own age, and of varying fitness levels.
The day went very quickly and at no time did we feel that we were out of our depth or in any danger.
Indeed, by the end of the day, we were weaving in and out of the gridlocked traffic around
Union Square. We would encourage anyone who is thinking of going to grab the bike by its
handlebars and 'go for it!' Thanks for a great day!”
--Jackie and Sheldon Fagleman, Manchester,England
This tour leaves every Saturday, year-round, weather permitting, at 10:15 am, a few blocks from Union Square, of Manhattan. It
is approximately 15 miles and will last about 7 hours. (It is also available, by special request, any weekday)
The $90 cost includes the bike, a helmet, and the licensed tour guide ($10 less with your own bike).
Click below to reserve your spot:
(Enter the date you would like a reservation on, then click "Reserve Spot")
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