1. Wear a helmet. I don't care what kind of bike you ride, protect your brain silly.

2. Stick to the bike lanes and green-ways. You can keep your ride somewhat vehicle free by checking the ride the city app.

3. Enjoy. The views from the green-ways are amazing as they run along the water, under the Brooklyn Bridge, and across boroughs.

Michele is a citi bike subscriber. I bought a beater bike last year that lives on the street. I ride to work occasionally. I enjoy the bike rides we take on the weekends the most as we make them mini day trips.

Today we rode from 20th street along the East River Park green-way down to the South Street Seaport. The mall is under construction, but there are shops and restaurants along the cobblestone streets. We grabbed some coffee and sat outside in the beer garden area run by Albatross that is set up for the summer. A great NYC mini trip that didn't break the bank. Of course If you don't count the $8 for two coffees that is.

A few weeks back we took the same route. We decided to head to Red Hook, Brooklyn for lunch. You can catch the Red Hook IKEA ferry at Pier 11 a short walk from The Seaport. The good news is that the ferry is free on the weekend. The bad news is there will be a line to board. Don't fret, the line moves pretty quickly so it is not a terribly long wait.

Once you're in Red Hook you get off at the first stop which is at the Fairway Supermarket. Red Hook is home to both a brewery, Six Point and a winery, Red Hook Winery. There are also restaurants and bars close to the ferry. This particular time, we headed to the winery for a wine tasting (cause why not) and then to Ice House for BBQ and Shiner Bocks. All in all a great afternoon on a beautiful summer day.

Update:

A week after I wrote this someone stole my wheels. Literally. I do not have a fancy bike by any means. It is a Schwinn Admiral, and the tires and rims are not expensive as well. Because it will cost more than I paid for the bike to replace everything I think it may be time to be join the Citi bikers. The most expensive thing to replace is the rear cluster. The rear cluster is that spiky looking gear thing on the back tire. I have always locked my biked and ran a Kryptonite cable through both tires. Whoever did this knew what they were doing and they cut right through the cable. I learned the hard way if you have a bike in NYC you should lock your bike through both the rear wheel and frame. The only good thing that will come out this is that I will donate my bike frame and all accessories to the non for profit recycleabicycle.org. All proceeds from their shop go to youth programs, including job training, environmental education, recycled arts, and Ride Club.

RIP Admiral :(

Flip Flops & Passports