In an Effort to be More Exciting: An Unexpected Adventure

Yesterday was a very, very rainy day! I have actually come to enjoy rainy days in the city. The fog and rain have a very strange way of changing the city. It's seems so much smaller and much more peaceful. The streets are less crowded, you can't see the top of the skyscrapers, everything is just a bit more calm.

After a weekend of staying in my apartment doing absolutely nothing, I was ready for an adventure. Rain or no rain I was getting out there, So I decided to ride my bike to meet a friend in Manhattan (See my route here). The only problem was that I got off work at 5:00 and my friend didn't get off until 7:30... so I had some time to kill.

DISCLAIMER: I tried to take pictures but I didn't want to destroy my phone in the rain and the pictures weren't turning out that well anyway...

I started off and stopped by Barnes and Noble to buy Storm of Swords (I stayed up until 3:00am finishing the second GOT book on Sunday). I can't wait to start it! Then I headed off to the Brooklyn War Memorial. It was a gorgeous small park/memorial that I'm sure looks even more beautiful when the sun is shining.

After that, I hopped onto the Brooklyn Bridge. It was my first time going over it on foot or on my bike so it was a fun experience. I did get stuck in a torrential downpour when I was in the center. The winds also made it a bit painful, but hey... pain just adds to the adventure right?

View of the Manhattan Bridge

Lots of construction on the Brooklyn Bridge

After making it into Manhattan and letting out a sigh of relief that I didn't run over any tourists (seriously, even in the storm they were out taking pictures in the middle of the bike lane), I crossed through Manhattan and after exploring the sculptures at Rockefeller Park I hopped on the Hudson Green way.

Memorial

Now, I've walked and run bits and pieces of the Green way before but I never paid much attention to what was around me. Since I had so much time to kill I made sure to stop and explore. There were so many things I would have typically just zoomed by! For example, a very moving memorial for a man who was struck while riding his bike. There were also moments when I had to pull over and just admire my surroundings. This is truly a spectacular city. It's so astonishing how one minute you can be surrounded by hundreds of people, skyscrapers and filth, then the next you're in a park surrounded by trees, flowers, and beautiful sculptures.

My plan had been to stay on the Greenway and then cut over on 56th st and hang out by my friend's work until she was ready. What I ended up doing was getting so caught up in my surroundings that I didn't realize how far I'd gone until I saw a "Riverside Park" sign. Oops. Seriously guys, you can forget you're even in the city. Riverside park is absolutely beautiful. After that I carried my bike up some stairs and got back onto the roads. I headed towards Central Park where I saw "The Reservoir" for the first time (it's much larger than I expected) then rode down to 7th Ave and waited in the Brooklyn Diner (ironic?) drinking hot tea and constantly apologizing for the puddles that my backpack, helmet, and clothing were leaving on their floors. My plan had been to ride home on a different route but, after sitting in a restaurant soaking wet for an hour or so I decided to hop the Subway home.

What a great night!!! You've got to love unexpected adventures.