NYC: Electric Scooter Rental by Central Park & Brooklyn Bridge

4.88

(184 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to feel this free zipping through Manhattan on an electric scooter. The first few minutes were honestly a little wobbly — there’s something about the hum of traffic mixing with that faint smell of roasted nuts from a cart nearby. I picked up my scooter right by Central Park (the rental spot was easy to find), and the guy at the counter handed me a helmet without even blinking when I asked if my head looked weird in it. He showed me how to lock it up and pointed out his favorite coffee spot for later. It felt casual but not careless, you know?

The Ninebot Max scooters are way sturdier than those flimsy ones you see abandoned on sidewalks. Mine had a phone holder, which saved me from juggling Google Maps like usual, and there was even space for my water bottle — small thing, but I noticed when I got thirsty halfway down 5th Ave. I passed families with strollers and kids gawking at the scooters; one little girl waved at me like I was in a parade. Crossing over toward Brooklyn Bridge, the wind picked up and suddenly everything smelled like river air and hot pretzels. That’s when it hit me how much ground you can cover on these things — 40 miles is no joke.

There was this moment near the bridge where I just stopped for a second to watch some street performers drumming on buckets — their rhythm echoing off the concrete, people pausing to listen. Nobody rushed me or tried to upsell anything; it felt like being part of the city for an afternoon instead of just passing through. The map they gave me wasn’t fancy but did the job, and locking up the scooter at drop-off took maybe two seconds (I always get nervous about that stuff). Honestly, I still think about that feeling of weaving between yellow cabs with nothing but city noise in my ears.