New York: Bike rental for Manhattan & Brooklyn Bridge

3.94

(34 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the sound — not the usual honking or subway rumble, but that click of my bike gears as I pushed off from South Street Seaport. The air smelled faintly salty from the East River, mixed with something sweet drifting over from a bakery in Chinatown (I never did find out which one). The guy at the rental shop handed me a map and grinned when I asked if it was really okay to just go anywhere. “Yeah,” he said, “just lock up if you stop for pizza.” So I did.

I zigzagged through Little Italy, where old men were arguing in Italian outside a café, then coasted down to Battery Park. There was this moment near Wall Street where I almost got lost — too many turns — but honestly, getting a bit lost is half the fun on a day trip in Manhattan. My favorite part was rolling up onto the Brooklyn Bridge itself. The wooden planks rattled under my tires and there were tourists everywhere taking photos, but when you look up and see that skyline...well, it’s hard not to just stop and stare. I probably blocked traffic for a minute (sorry).

Once in Brooklyn, I locked up my bike near DUMBO and wandered into this tiny coffee shop where the barista called me “hon” without even looking up from her espresso machine. There’s something about seeing New York by bike — you notice stuff you’d miss underground or stuck in a cab. If you’ve got time (and legs), riding all the way up to Central Park is worth it too. My legs were jelly by then but I didn’t care; there’s something about coasting past joggers and street musicians that makes you feel like you belong here, even if it’s just for an afternoon.