SUMMER SUNDAYS WESTCHESTER LOOP

Fast and Fabulous Cycling/Front Runners New York
September 29, 2002

by Debbie Dowell

Debbie notes that this 55-mi. route only works on Sundays in June, July and August when the Bronx River Parkway is closed to car traffic, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Call (914) 864-PARK to confirm closure.  Start at the Woodlawn/Jerome Ave. stop on the no. 4 train, which is the last stop in the Bronx.

Key:  R=right, L=left, BL=bear right, BR=bear right, X=cross, F=forward, TB=turn back All distances are very general estimates and may vary from your cyclocomputer. This one is pretty flat, except for the hills up to the Tibetan Museum. If you want to make a pretty long ride out of it, do the loop and then continue along the same route to the Bayonne Bridge a second time, when you'll take it to Bayonne, N.J. That route is about 87 mi. if you bike from a point in Manhattan to the Staten Island Ferry and bike all the way back to the same point.

After taking the Staten Island Ferry, on arrival in St. George's, R Richmond Terrace, follow for approximately 4-5 mi. Snug Harbor Cultural Center on left after about a mile; go under Bayonne Bridge after 3 mi.

L South Ave., under Staten Island Expressway and through Staten Island Park, a wetlands preserve. Will also pass Teleport. After about 2.5 mi., L Travis; Fresh Kills Landfill will be on your right, though you probably won't see it or smell it. Go through Davis Wildlife Refuge, then after 1 mi., R Richmond Ave. Staten Island Mall on left, good place for a bathroom break. Fresh Kills on right. After a mile or so, La Tourette Park on left.

R Arthur Kill Road, at four corners where La Tourette Park ends. Follow Arthur Kill about 4-5 mi. past Mobil Oil terminal and under Outerbridge Crossing into residential area. Staten Island Rapid Transit line runs through here (under Arthur Kill Rd. in residential area) if anyone needs to sag.

L Onto Main one block. Cross Amboy Rd., follow Main 4-5 blocks to

L Hylan, which you follow about 7 mi. past Great Kills Park on your right. There are a couple of delis along the way here if you want to pick up lunch. Then

L Guyon Ave.; R on Amboy; L on Richmond. When Richmond meets Rockland, L On Richmond, then uphill to Lighthouse Ave.; Tibetan Museum is on right. Also called Jacques Marchais Museum after woman whose collection started the place. They don't open until 1 p.m., so if we are early we can skip it. If they are open, find food and eat in garden. Retrace route back to Hylan Blvd.

L Hylan; after Miller Field, U.S. gov't. facility, make

R On Midland; bike path takes you down to water, then

L Father Capodanno Blvd. for 2-3 mi.; still on bike path. South Beach Psychiatric Center will be on left. Follow bike path along highway under Verrazano Narrows Bridge; you will come out on School St.

L Bay Ave.; follow back to ferry terminal.

For those continuing on the near-century, continue on Richmond Ave. to Bayonne Bridge. Go under bridge, then

L Morningstar; follow to bridge on-ramp at Hooker. Bridge pathway is fairly narrow but nicely paved. There are stairs at New Jersey side of bridge, so watch for them. Once you've come down the stairs, make a right one block, then

L Kennedy Blvd.; follow for ~15 mi. through Bayonne and Jersey City.

R Montgomery, downhill.

L Monmouth, unless you want to explore downtown Jersey City, which does have the esplanade at Exchange Place and a couple of nice blocks, such as Van Vorst Park. Taking Monmouth has the advantage of cutting underneath the approaches to the Holland Tunnel, though it's a bumpy trip. If you need to sag, the Grove St. and Pavonia St. PATH stations are nearby.

R After you're under both the approach and the exit from the Holland Tunnel, make right onto 15th St. or 16th St. for one block, then

L Jersey Ave. under the New Jersey Transit tracks.

R Observer Highway; Hoboken PATH Station is at the end of this road if you need it.

L Hudson Terrace; R on Newark, L on River Road; this is to avoid going up wrong-way streets. River Road takes you past Stevens Institute of Technology on the left; it's worth the detour to see the view of Manhattan from Castle Point behind the main administration building. You'll know you got there because there's a cannon pointing at Manhattan.

R Hudson; L on 15th St.; then R onto Park Ave. over railroad tracks and past the Lincoln Tunnel; becomes Boulevard East in Weehawken; big uphill.

R Hillside in West New York.

L River Road. Lots of new development down here. Follow through Edgewater then uphill to the George Washington Bridge. Welcome home!