NYC -2- ATL

Today we awoke in Edison, New Jersey to a forecast of constant rain. We made the call not to try to bike into Manhattan and as of this writing I can say with great certainty it was the right decision. The morning began with only mist and sprinkles, but as the day progressed, it became a pretty nasty downpour.

Instead, some of my dad’s good friends (from a previous bicycle tour) came and picked us up and took us to breakfast in Metuchen. I have met the Kruimers before and it was great to see them again. Breakfast was a rapid-fire retelling of so many incredible stories from bike journeys past. It definitely got me even more excited to make new stories of my own.

After breakfast, we walked a block over to the train station and bought two tickets to Penn Station. The train would arrive in another forty minutes, so we took a nice walk around the area while the rain stopped. Another forty-five minutes on the train and we came up the stairs under Madison Square Garden (the house that Phish built).

We had no real plans and no agenda, so after looking at the map on the train, I suggested we head over to the High Line. As we got there, we couldn’t help but take a quick peak at Hudson Yards and Vessel. We walked about a dozen blocks south on the High Line and exited at Chelsea Market. I’d never been there, but I’ve heard people say how Ponce City Market was modeled after it, and they seemed very similar. It being Cinco de Mayo we decided a few tacos were in order and they did not disappoint.

After that, it got pretty rainy as we walked up 7th Avenue doing touristy things. We stopped and got a souvenir pin for Mom. I stopped and got a hot dog. We walked up to Times Square and watched the other tourists. I even saw the Naked Cowboy.

My dad was texting another friend of his (also from a bicycle tour down the East Coast Greenway) and it was decided she would come on her bicycle to meet us nearby at the Harvard Club of New York City. We checked the map and made our way there.

I have also met Hilge before and I knew it was her the moment I saw her pedaling towards us from a distance. I could not believe that this woman has seemed to have avoided aging even a day since I last saw her seven years ago. We helped lock up her folding bicycle (one of many she uses in the city) and hoped our clothes would be enough for the dress code at her club. 

Once inside, she showed us around the very impressive building. I asked what her connection to Harvard was and she explained that her late husband and her daughter were both alumni of the business school. We sat in a huge ballroom under massive portraits of notable Harvard graduates including several U.S. Presidents, and I listened to various stories from her fifty years of biking. It was really cool to see these very different people that my dad has connected with, and indeed has become longtime friends with, all because of bicycle touring.

We wished her well until our paths cross again and waved as she rode off on the soaked midtown streets. We rode the subway and transferred back to a train in Penn Station and an hour later we were back in Edison. The Kruimers grand-daughter graciously delivered us from the station to our hotel and in another hour we met the entire family for dinner at Harold's New York Deli.

I have been wanting to try this place since my dad first told me about it over a decade ago. I had also seen it on TV so I knew what we were in for. The deli did not disappoint. I am certain it was the largest pastrami sandwich I’ve ever ordered and I am glad to have split it between four of us. The pickles were also very good! It was really nice to meet the Kruimers daughter and her kids and hear more biking stories. They told us about the route we’ll ride in the morning and some of the towns along the way.

So that’s most of today. We’re back in the same room from last night but this time we head South in the morning. I was a little sad that we caught the bad weather and weren’t able to truly pedal around and out of New York City, but I’m glad we didn’t try to bike the city in the rain. And the storm system seemed to have cleared everything out for us as we are forecasted to leave under sunny skies tomorrow— Day 1!