My Urban Sherpa

72 + Sunny + NYC = 72 + w1/2

Whether or not you can get away from the city — you can enjoy this glorious weather in New York’s greatest perk — Central Park.

The Loeb Boathouse, located mid-park at 72nd Street is an ideal destination whether or not you want a meal, a drink, a bike road, or a boat ride.

Enjoy.

Bike, Bed and Breakfast at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park

BIKE, BED & BREAKFAST

The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park is offering a Bike, Bed and Breakfast Special that coincides perfectly with New York’s best weather, and the NY400 Week / Holland on the Hudson — – a festival of Dutch design, fashion and architecture on New York’s Governors Island to that celebrate 400 years of Dutch-American friendship.

Governors Island is a haven for cyclists, offering more than 5-miles of car-free roads, including a 2.2 mile water front promenade with spectacular views of New York City.  Governor’s Island is accessed by ferry from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, one mile from the Ritz-Carlton.

The Ritz-Carlton is world-renowned for its outstanding waterfront location, panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New York Harbor, and excellent service.

The Bike, Bed & Breakfast package includes:

*  Overnight luxury accommodations in a Deluxe City-View Guest Room.
*  Full-day bike rentals for two includes convenient bike pick-up, Trek bicycles,  locks,    helmets, bottled waters and NYC bike maps.
*  American breakfast for two in the hotel’s 2 WEST restaurant.

The Bike, Bed & Breakfast Package is offered weekdays and weekends through
November 14, 2009.  Prices start at $460 USD per couple and require a 2-day
Advanced-reservation.  Supplemental cost for each additional person staying in the
room is $100.  This package is subject to availability and exclusive of taxes and gratuities.

For more information or reservations, please call 1-800- 241-3333 or 212-344-0800, visit the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park City web site.

For recommendations on where to shop, eat, stay and play, visit

My Urban Sherpa online, of MyUrbanSherpa.mobi on your handheld.

Governors Island - All Aboard!

From now until October 12, you can make a free visit (no charge for ferry or admission) to the 92 acre National Historic District on Governors Island. The Island is open from 10 AM to 5 PM on Fridays, and from 10 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays and Sundays…and offers bike riding, picnicking, concerts, art festivals, and more.

Event schedule here

Directions and ferry schedule here

Soulful spinning, social sipping, and Strawberry serenity

Who knew that Manhattan’s Upper West Side could offer rejuvenation and respite? Start your day at Soul Cycle where they promise: “45 minutes with us is all it will take to free your mind and work your body.” After all that spinning, you need only walk a few steps to Juice Generation where many of the refreshments are local farmer-friendly, organic, and vegan. With your Watermelon Lemon Drop juice in hand, it’s less than two blocks to the 72nd Street entrance to Central Park and that means: Strawberry Fields. Stretching from 71st to 74th streets, this 2.5-acre tear-drop-shaped parcel of park surrounds the famous Imagine mosaic (donated by the city of Naples). After you meditate and rejuvenate, be sure to check out the bronze plaque listing the 121 countries endorsing Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.

Have you been to Socrates Sculpture Park?

Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, Queens was an abandoned riverside landfill and illegal dumpsite until 1986 when a coalition of artists and community members transformed it into a free open studio and exhibition space for artists and a neighborhood park for local residents.

Outdoor cinema, special events, community outreach, and of course, massive art installations all make Socrates Sculpture Park worth the trip across the mighty East River. (Directions here)

(photo credit)

Bike During Wartime

David Byrne, according to the New York Times, is “an installation artist, author, blogger, recording executive, photographer, film director and PowerPoint enthusiast. He’s even been known to dabble in music.” New Yorkers can now happily add: “bike rack designer.”

Byrne’s blog describes his collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation and New York art gallery PaceWildenstein here.

You may ask yourself: “Well, how did I get here?”

File this under: Bicycles, pre-owned

In light of rising gas prices, it’s not surprising that many New Yorkers are choosing two wheels instead of four. Along those lines, every Wednesday night - in their DUMBO storefront (35 Pearl St., Brooklyn) - the good folks at Recycle-a-Bicycle (RAB) host a “volunteer night” from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Why not join RAB this Wednesday to learn “bicycle mechanic skills while working to refurbish used parts and bikes on hand in the store”?

Email: info@recycleabicycle.org

Phone: 718-858-2972

Veggie Pride Parade

On Sunday, May 18 - thanks to the VivaVegie Society - the Big Apple will play host to America’s first ever Veggie Pride Parade. Beginning at noon, the parade will wind its way through Greenwich Village - culminating in all-day veg lovefest at Washington Square Park.

In a sprout-friendly city like New York, there are many reasons to march or take part and some of the goals set forth by the organizers of the event can be shared by all. So grab your tofutti cutie and join the fun.

(Mickey Z. can be found here)

Get on your bikes and ride…

Just because New York had yet another relatively mild winter doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stretch our legs and celebrate the arrival of spring. In fact, this seems like the ideal time to navigate the island of Manhattan…on two wheels instead of four.

Fun City has a well-earned reputation for traffic, congestion, and a dearth of parking spots but obscured by all those honking horns, screeching tires, and kamikaze cabbies, New York just so happens to be a Bicycle Mecca. We have bikes to rent and bikes to race. Activist bikes, recycled bikes, and radical bikes. No matter what style of ride you choose, there’s a bike path for you (but don’t forget your helmet).

 

(Mickey Z. can be found here)