Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bicycle and newyorkcity

Baby and bike boutiques in the Big Apple

fijiwriter — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:11:04 -0800

Headed to New York City, and looking for toddler-geared stores and bike shops. The lovely Mrs. Writer and I are headed back to NYC for our wedding anniversary, and we need guidance on your favorite stores.

We need help finding:

1. Baby/toddler stores in Midtown, Theater, SoHo, Upper West Side, especially clothing. Nothing along the lines of a $90 couture Tshirt, but something unique that we couldn't order online. Something touristy could even count, like a small I (heart) NY shirt for our little 2-year-old girl.

2. I'd like to find a nice bike store to kill some time and support them with a purchase of a store jersey. Ideally, an LBS geared more toward road and pro cycling, if that exists in the city.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I Want To Ride My Bike...

EmpressCallipygos — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:55:18 -0800

Yes or no: is biking permitted in Inwood Hill Park in New York? I have found conflicting information about this -- first TIME OUT NEW YORK suggested Inwood Hill as a pretty spot for a fall bike ride, but then readers' comments on the TONY site suggested that biking is actually forbidden in the park. But Wikipedia's article about Inwood Hill Park says biking is allowed, and that moreover there is a bike trail leading from there to Ft. Tyron Park. However, a bike map of the city suggests otherwise. Other Googling tells me about possible mountain biking in the park, but nothing about regular, I-just-want-to-tool-around-on-my-Schwinn biking. When I called the park directly, I got a voicemail at a nature center and I have a hunch they won't call back.

So. Since it would really suck if I wrestled my Schwinn all the way uptown from Brooklyn on the A train only to find I couldn't use it, can anyone confirm whether non-mountain-bike bike riding IS permitted in Inwood Hill Park? (If not, I'll just go for a walk instead.)

Cheap travel from Delaware to NYC?

viewofdelft — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:23:54 -0800

What are the cheapest ways to get from Newark, Delaware, to New York City? I'm a research assistant at the University of Delaware and as part of a long and wonkish I-95 corridor project, we've decided to produce a map or informational pamphlet letting students know the cheapest ways to get from here (Newark, Delaware) to New York City.

A few things to keep in mind:
1. Any mode of transportation is fair game (air, rail, highway, seaports, etc.), as is any type of vehicle (plane, train, automobile, bus, shoes, etc.).
2. Be creative, but within reasonable limits of safety (i.e., no airmailing oneself).
3. It's alright if many of the suggested travel methods begin in Philadelphia (and maybe even Baltimore) if these departure points are more familiar to you.
4. Cost is the most important factor, although I don't want to discourage that outlandish teleportation idea you've been waiting to uncork.

After we've completed the map or pamphlet, I'll contact each of the contributors about mailing them a finished product. Thank you.

Bike Lost Forever?

hermitosis — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:57:05 -0800

Is My Bike Lost Forever? A long tale of suspicion, woe, and revenge... My bike was stolen from where it was locked outside my workplace on Friday; the lock was cut (there was a little piece of it on the ground when I got there, like the ear in Blue Velvet).

Back story:

There is no bike parking where I work. I've been locking up to mid-block city-owned street signs (like "No Standing") all year. At first I parked in front of the residential hi-rise next door to my office, but every week their maintenance crew would bury my bike in the sacks of garbage they put out on the curb. So I moved down the street, and began parking in front of what eventually became a hotel after construction finished.

After over a month of parking there during work hours I was confronted by the doorman, who bore a message from the manager telling me I was not allowed to park there. I knew the signs were city property and told him that, as there was no bike parking on the block, I would be parking here and there really wasn't anything either they or I could do about it. I have to park somewhere, after all.

Last week he confronted me again, saying his manager would have the lock cut if I didn't stop parking there. I explained again that the signs are city property and that even if the cops came through to collect "abandoned" bikes, it wasn't likely they'd do so during the regular business hours I parked there. I told him I'd make an effort to come in and speak with his boss about this sometime soon.

Two days later, Friday, I parked somewhere else, across and down the street a ways, not wishing to anger the manager further until we'd had a chance to talk. However, THAT was the day that I returned after work to find my bike missing.

I called the police precinct to see if it had been collected, but they said they had no bike matching my description. At this point, I don't know whether my bike was just genuinely stolen (as happens all the time in NYC), is lost in the bureacratic shuffle after having been taken by the cops, or has met with foul play on the part of the evil hotel manager. You have to admit, it's a pretty strong coincidence: two days after he threatened to have my bike taken away, it was gone. And yet, that was the one day I WASN'T parked in front of the hotel...

Are there any other ways I can approach the police about this, or other departments to check? How should I approach the hotel manager and find out whether he even actually called them? If he did, what can I do about it? If he didn't, should I still suspect foul play on his part?
I know I may just have to move on, but it's a bitter pill to take because my bike commute was often the best part of my day, as opposed to taking the subway during rush hour, which never fails to be the worst. Any advice is welcome.

How to deal with an NYC summons when you are moving away?

ethel — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:22:53 -0800

So last week in Brooklyn, I was a block from my apartment, hopped my bike up on the sidewalk, got stopped by the popo, and now have a pink summons. But I'm moving away in a month! So my court date is in September, and I'm moving across country very soon! When I mentioned this to the officer, he mumbled something about coming in early, but I was a little flustered and neglected to ask him to explain further.

Does anyone here have experience with this? Can I come in to the courthouse and request an earlier court date? I'm a little freaked out, because I saw in an article online that the fine is $100-$500 or 20 days in jail!

Thanks for any advice!