Bike Love NY
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • BFold
  • Zen Bikes

The Rockaways...

6/26/2014

1 Comment

 
You know how sometimes you wake up and you just feel Spring in the air? It’s not in any official forecast, still there's a very distinct longing that's suddenly front and center. Yesterday, I awoke with the primal urge to be near the Atlantic. There is nothing like it, and the draw of it was strong.

It could have been the imagined fragrance of the harbor wafting through my windows that seemed to beckon. Or it could have been the opposite - a reaction, five minutes later, to the smoke from a fire a block away, as I heard the fire trucks wailing then coming to that sudden, definitive (and if it’s on your block, bone-chilling) stop.

The last time I remember having that thrilling shore sensation, was near Belle Harbor. S
o it seemed a good day to visit a place Lucille and I had actually come upon by accident on our trip to Jamaica Bay. I grabbed quick picnic snacks at Fairway (chopped pineapple, a chicken salad, a pair of chop sticks), filled up a water bottle, and boarded the A train at noon, bound for Far Rockaway.

On the train, we experienced the usual stares of fascination and curiosity at Lucille’s compact chassis: peoples' expressions calculating just how it unfolds; whether it’s affordable or, in some cases perhaps, even plotting a kidnapping (Lucille’s cute factor is pretty strong and she’s more than a little flirtatious when she’s folded).

As the subway emerged to elevated level, I saw this amazing sight:

Picture
Picture
To live like this seems the height of hubris, even in the best of times. And yet, like the notion of living on a houseboat, don’t you just love the idea of it? A tree house on the water!

The question is: are these houses habitable anymore? The Rockaways got slammed by Sandy; many of its residents who lived far less precariously, still deal daily with homelessness, and anxieties I can’t even imagine. As a tourist in the midst of such suffering. I determined to be a respectful and gracious guest wherever I went.

Emerging at Mott Avemue, I took the elevator down and, not knowing if there were still a usable boardwalk, was soon directed to the beach, where I found the original still in tact:

Picture
Great for walking, not so great for riding (those planks). But as a stalwart survivor of a mighty storm, it was a welcome sight. Then completely unexpectedly, I came upon this:
Picture
The location set for HBO’s series, “Boardwalk Empire." There were some techs, and a few young extras milling about in period clothing. No one seemed to mind that I took photos.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Ultimately, this stretch of original boardwalk narrowed...
Picture
Then came to an end.
Picture
I followed a side street until the next boardwalk entry, but these newer boardwalks – mostly concrete – never extended for very long before turning me out into the street again.
Picture
As I rode, I saw more and more of these:
Picture
At first, I naively thought these were really cool, modern California-like beach dwellings - until I saw the crosses on the back. Then with deep embarrassment, I realized: these are FEMA Trailers. These are what are replacing homes for the people who can even get them - nearly two years after Sandy left thousands homeless in The Rockaways.
There were many brave signs of new beginnings, like this:
Picture
But there were also empty lots. And scenes of portent like these:
Picture
A symbol of uneasiness that Sandy was perhaps not a one-time event; that by reinforcing with sand and dunes, it might be possible to stay safe from the sea’s fury, and the loudly unspoken thoughts of what could happen next time.    

The further south I rode, the more sadness became a part of the ride. It wasn't just the trailers and the courageous new housing. It was somehow an accumulation of all of it, and knowing that the struggles are still not over. Then I came upon this, the saddest sight of all:

Picture
A memorial to the victims of flight 587 which went down in Belle Harbor two months and one day after 9/11. 260 people on board died, and 5 on the ground. Their names are engraved in the stone at the far end.

At this point, I lost the heart to journey any further into The Rockaways, but I'd come too far to turn back. Fortunately, I recognized Belle Harbor from my former trip; I knew that just a few blocks away was the Gil Hodges* Memorial Bridge, and ultimately the Brighton Beach subway station. Remembering a more joyful visit to Jamaica Bay, I decided to push on ahead and go for the B train home.

The bridge was as wondrous to ride over as ever - and I knew just how to get there! 
Picture
The Bay was crystalline clear.
Picture
And this time, Lucille and I did not shrink when other cyclists came thrumming towards us, but held our ground and pedaled through with a clearance of mere inches. I did stop for this one photo (Manhattan in the distance):
Picture
I worked my way towards Sheepshead Bay, instinctively finding paths that had been a mystery to me the first time out. I was feeling completely confident of my navigating skills – until I suddenly found myself heading towards a strange drawbridge, heading back to The Rockaways - and out to Kennedy Airport. 

Huh?

I was on a steady climb in hot and humid weather, going in the wrong direction, when I realized I was lost with no idea how to get home; and my fall-back, Lucille’s unique ability to fold into a taxi, would not help me on a bike path along the Belt Parkway. There are plenty of taxis there, but they're all going 60mph. More importantly, they all have fares; they're not stopping. I hailed a cyclist on the path and between the two of us – with maps and GPS – we figured out where we thought I should be (though neither of us really knew how to get there).

Retracing my steps I found my mistake – which turned out not to be my mistake: construction for the dreaded gas pipeline, which for some insane reason the gas industry thinks should be located in New York’s most vulnerable geographical location, whose population is still in recovery from the last disaster (http://carpny.org/), had obscured the intersection where I would have crossed. Once I put that together, I was on my way home.

But the stress of that final confusion had really taken the wind out of my sails. By the time Lucille and I boarded the B Train (fielding many questions from curious passengers about her structure, function and folding bikes in general), we were both exhausted: her with a click in her right pedal, me on my last legs.

In the end I realized that, although I had been at the beach for hours, I had never once had the physical sensation of being at the shore. What was missing? What had I really been longing for? 

Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to find it here. I was glad to have finally traveled to The Rockaways (and regretful I had not been there earlier to help out), because it’s a part of New York, and I’m a New Yorker; what happens in The Rockaways matters to me.

But I think to really connect with what I'm searching for, I’ll have to go to the source: I’ll have to take Lucille out to Bay Head. That’s where I first encountered the enchantment of the Atlantic shore. It’s strong out there. Once a year, it would be good to experience it.

--------------------

To see previous entries on this blog, please click on the title. Entries will be on the right.

*Gil Hodges: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Hodges
1 Comment
browse around this site link
9/16/2015 06:08:18 am

Take Your Infants For A Bike Ride In San Francisco 100% Safely With Our Infant Trailer! Blazing Saddles Bike Rental And Tours In San Francisco Since 1985.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Enter your Email:
    Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

    Author

    Melodie Bryant is a resident of NYC and avid cycler of a folding Brompton bike named Lucille and a Scott road bike, Lola.

    Follow @bikeloveny

    RSS Feed

    Maintenance (for cyclists only)

    Archives

    April 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    August 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    December 2015
    Hollylights Ride 2015 (Part 1)
    Hollylights Ride 2015 (Part 2)
    A Vision For Staten Island
    January 2018
    Unrequited Love
    Painkillers
    November 2017
    What I Didn't Know (Part 1)
    January 2016
    California Dreamin (mostly photos)
    Activist in a Strange Land
    Northvale
    Appointment in Samarra
    Disasters (and near disasters)
    March 2016
    Chopped Liver
    May 2016
    Uber
    June 2016
    City of Hope
    I Disobey
    The Ratched Effect
    Rehab
    July 2016
    Discoveries
    Naked Bike Ride
    August 2016
    Summer Streets 2016
    The Politics of Joy
    September 2016
    We Ride Together
    A Good Friend
    Blind Spots
    August 2015
    Ireland
       Day One (no biking)
       Day Two (some history)
       Day Three (meet the bikes)
       Day Four (The Burren)
       Day Five (The Hill)
       Day Five and Three Quarters
       Riding the High Road
       Day Seven (our luck runs out)
       Day Six (Inishmore)
       Day Eight (Kylemore Abbey)
       Day Eight (The Dancing Irish)
       Day Nine (last day)
    July 2015
    You 'n Yer Fancy Bike
    Guilty Glass (quick tip for all cyclists)
    June 2015
    Yorktown Heights
    Maintenance (for cyclists only)
    Coney Island Fireworks
    The Katy Trail
       Meeting Katy
       Show Me
       Art and History
    May 2015
    The Blessings Of The Bikes
    The Five Boro Bike Tour
    Montauk (The Ride)
    Montauk (The Afterglow)
    Change
    April 2015
    Back in the Saddle
    Bad Behavior
    City Island (Travelogue)
    No Ordinary Rides
    Frustration
    January 2015
    LA Wheelmen Pt 1
    LA Wheelmen Pt II
    First Bike
    Simplify
    Red Light
    The Bleak Mid Winter
    February 2015
    Staten Island
    Reaching The Limits
    Healing
    The Heartbreak of Winter
    A Slippery Slope
    May 2014
    A Folding Bike
    First Ride
    Second Ride
    My Big Fat Bike Adventure
    Central Park II
    In Which All Is Not As It Seems
    A Tale of Three Islands
    Introducing Lucille
    Brooklyn!
    Minneapolis Biking!
    One World Trade
    June 2014
    Spring in New York
    Breakdown!
    Loss
    Jamaica Bay!
    Hoboken
    Lucille Goes Shopping
    Moonlight Ride!
    Bike Love
    City Grit
    Stormy Weather
    Friday the 13th
    Joining 'Em
    Riverdale!
    Bells and Whistles
    The Rockaways
    Red Hook!
    July 2014
    Governors Island!
    July Fourth!
    The Loire Valley
       A Bumpy Landing
       Loire - First Day
       Loire - Second Day
       Loire - Third Day
       Loire - Fourth Day
    August 2014
    First Rides Home
    A New York Day
    The Madness - And Sadness - 
           Of Fashion Week
    September 2014
    Park Alarm
    Rosh Hashanah
    Flaternalia
    A Cool Ride Up The East Side
    October 2014
    Confessions of a Cheater
    50 Miles in Annandale
    Theft
    Marathon!
    Bike Weight
    A Change of Seasons
    November 2014
    George Washington Bridge
    George Washington Bridge/
       Alternate Route
    The Palisades
    Why I Wear A Helmet Camera
    Nyack
    Return from Nyack
    Lola
    December 2014
    A Bike for Life
    Weather Permitting
    A Wintery Ride
    Some Christmas Doggerel
            (Duckerel?)
    Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights!
    BikeloveLA/First Ride
    BikeloveLA/Cheviot Hills
    BikeloveLA/A Wash
    Videos
    Queens Velodrome
    Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan
    Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn
    A Cool Ride Up The East Side
            (time lapse)
    Biking the loop in Central Park
            (time lapse)
    Navigating the Battery
           (time lapse)
    Bronx River Parkway
           (time lapse)
    Cool Ride to Roosevelt Island
    Via Queensboro (Ed Koch) Bridge
           (time lapse)
    Cheviot Hills
    Patricia Avenue
Proudly powered by Weebly
Proudly powered by Weebly