http://player.vimeo.com/video/18280328

UNDERCITY from Andrew Wonder on Vimeo.

Hey, Pepper!

Here’s some pics for you from my recent trip. Maybe one day I can take you to Paris! I made some of the places into links so you can check them out more if you want. Pretty interesting stuff. We were in Paris for a week while Chay worked on a movie with friends of ours from Singapore.

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Our hotel is the reddish one on the right. Our room was on the second floor from the top in the middle!

This is from the top of the Centre Pompidou (check out the link), the modern art museum in the Marais district of Paris. It has amazing art in it that I think you would love. And the museum is all glass so you have a great view of Paris from the top. In this pic, you can see Chay’s finger pointing to the Sacre Couer (well, almost!)

On Halloween, we went to Pere Lachaise. (Check out http://www.pere-lachaise.com/perelachaise.php?lang=en. Cool virtual tour of it!) It’s a huge cemetery and I go there almost every time I’m in Paris cuz I love just hanging out there. Tons of famous people buried there. This is me at the grave of Chopin.

This is the grave of Oscar Wilde. For some reason, people put lipstick on and then kiss the gravestone (even tho there’s a sign that says not to!). I also like to check out the graves of Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison and Proust, but really it’s just a cool place to hang. It was especially cool to be there on Halloween.

On the Seine river. That’s the Louvre museum on the right.

Turkey

After Paris, we decided to fly to Istanbul in Turkey for a week, cuz Chay always wanted to go shopping at the Grand Bazaar and I always wanted to take a boat up the Bosphorous.

You have to check out this map of Istanbul.

The Bosphorous separates the city into two halves. But the amazing thing is that the half on the left is in Europe, and the half on the right is in Asia!! It’s the point where the two continents come together.

This is the Hagia Sophia. It’s a museum now, but it has been one of the most important churches during Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Maybe you read about it when you were studying Persian art.

Inside of the Hagia Sophia.

Chay at the entrance to the Grand Bazaar. ANYTHING you want is inside.

Me buying saffron at the Spice Market.

Mostly Muslims live in Istanbul. They are TOTALLY cool people, really funny and super nice. There’s a lot of rules when you go inside the mosques. You hafta take off your shoes and women have to put scarves on their heads.

Me eating balik ekmek (fish on bread). They catch it on the Golden Horn river and cook it right there on a boat. It’s total yum.

One day we took a boat up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. It was strange because on the other side (the north side) of the Black Sea from where I was is Ukraine, which is where Grandma was born. This is the bridge across the Bosphorous. The only bridge that takes you from one continent to another (Europe to Asia).

 
Headed down Second Ave from my apartment on 9th St to Chinatown.
Crossed Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn.
Looped around and got on Brooklyn Bridge headed back into Manhattan.
Crossed City Hall Park and went down to see World Trade Center site.
Over to Hudson River and went south until Battery Park.
Headed north up East River.
Headed back to my apartment on 9th Street.

Down Second Ave from my house

Manhattan Bridge

Tourists on Brooklyn Bridge

World Trade Center site

 
Statue from the Battery

To celebrate 70 degree weather, we take our bike off the island today and travel to Brooklyn on what we call the Bridges Loop, cuz we go over bridges!

We begin, as always, hauling our beastly bike down to street level. This time we head south on 2nd Ave, toward Chinatown.

 
2nd Ave heading south

In the distance, we can see Confucius Plaza, a huge apartment building that is the heart of Chinatown.

 
Confucius Plaza and entry to Manhattan Bridge

The Plaza is right at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, which connects Manhattan to Brooklyn. It is the only bridge that is used by NYC subway trains. All the other subways go through tunnels under the rivers.

 
Jing Fong Dim Sum Palace

Before we get on the bridge, we look longingly across the street to Jing Fong. This is where we go for DIM SUM! The entire top floor of the building is a huge, open restaurant full of dim sum peddlers and hungry people, like US!

 
Manhattan Bridge bike path

As you start across the bridge, a big sign says “No bikes!!” We ignore that.

 
Chinatown from the bridge

There are great views of Chinatown and the downtown towers from the bridge. The interesting building to the left is part of the Civic Center. We end up there later.

 
View of Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan Bridge

Here’s the view from the middle of the Manhattan Bridge.  From here, we descend into Brooklyn. The bike path loops around for a couple of blocks before you find yourself on the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. Thank goodness we only have to be in Brooklyn for a few minutes!

 
Heading onto the Brooklyn Bridge

The weekend crowds on the Brooklyn Bridge are INTENSE! And the people, in their awe, always wander obliviously into the bike lane. But it’s pretty spectacular.

 
View of Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn Bridge

There’s where we came from, the Manhattan Bridge, with the city behind it. We love this view.

 
Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge bike path

Not too many tourists today cuz it’s Friday afternoon.

 
City Hall Park

After you land back in Manhattan, you are plop in the middle of the Civic Center. The bike path here goes through City Hall Park, right behind City Hall (naturally).

 
World Trade Center site

As we trundle carefully through the streets of Tribeca, we pass the construction site where the World Trade Centers used to be. And soon we reach the Hudson River. Ahhh.

 
Hudson River looking north

At the River, we are back on the bike path that we’ve been on before and head north.

 
Bike path on the Hudson River

Today, things aren’t so green cuz last week was winter and snow, so everything’s dead. But it should be green and verdant once you guys are here.

 
Heading into Greenwich Village

When we hit 10th St, we turn into Greenwich Village and head east until we get home.

(I made a Flip movie of this trip, but it was too big to post and I can’t figure out how to make it smaller.)

The Harlem Loop starts from my apartment (the red “X”) and goes north up 2nd Avenue. The bike path going north along the East River is closed between 34th and 58th Streets, so I just take 2nd Ave up until I hit the river at 58th St.

Very good bike path from here heading up the River to Harlem. When the bike path on the river ends at 120th St, you head east through Harlem toward the Hudson River. It gets weird here at one place with traffic, but once you hit the Hudson, the path is gorgeous.

Head south down the Hudson, past the Marina, the Upper West Side, Midtown, til you get to Greenwich Village. There, you head east on 10th Street til you get back to the apartment.

Click the image to watch a day where I live. You can even see the bike paths in certain places.

This bike ride loops from my apartment to the tip of Manhattan and back. Here’s a map, with the “X” marking where I start. Ninth Street has a one-way bike path heading west to the Hudson. Tenth Street has one heading east toward the East River. Today, I headed west.

(You can click on any image for a larger version.)

Jefferson Market Library

Crossing the Avenues on Ninth Street, the border of the East Village and Greenwich Village is Sixth Avenue, where I pass my library. Very handy to drop off overdue books (always!) and pick up a DVD. One day a year, sometime in the spring, they open up the clock tower. I haven’t gone up yet, but they say it’s a cool view of the Village from up there, with all its winding streets and alleys and oddball buildings.

West Side Highway and Hudson River

After cruising through the Village, you cross the West Side Highway and are on the Hudson River. This is near where that airplane went into the river.

Hudson River Parkway

They’ve really built a great park all along the Hudson River here. Lots of places to site by the river or go out on parks that are on the piers. This is the best bike path in town.

Statue in the Hudson

From here, you follow the river and keep heading toward the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

No towers

As you get down to the Battery, you pass the location where the Towers used to be. You can’t see the actual site because you’re on the river, but you can ride in a block or two and bike around the construction site.

Statue and Island

The bike path here goes through a really fancy, gorgeous park, from where you get good views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Gotta watch out for pedestrians here, cuz they get kinda distracted and don’t pay attention to YOU!

Battery Park

The bike path gets kinda lost here at the tip of Manhattan, and you have to do a little tricky biking through some pretty hairy traffic for a block or two. Also, it’s Tourist Central!! Here’s where they all catch the boat to the Statue. The park has the sculpture of the globe that was in the plaza of the World Trade Center. They pulled it out of the rubble and put it up here, rips and holes and all.

Brooklyn

Once you find the path again, you head up the East River. Brooklyn is right across the river from here. Barbra was born in Brooklyn. That’s the only thing I like about it.

South Seaport

The bike path goes past the South Seaport, sort of like that Pier 49(?) in San Francisco.

Brooklyn Bridge

The first bridge you come to is the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s pretty amazing to ride under it. There is a bike path that goes across it, which is VERY cool, but that’s another trip.

FDR

THe FDR freeway is above you for awhile, as you ride along the river. After the Brooklyn Bridge, you pass under the Manhattan Bridge. Beyond that sits the Williamsburg Bridge.

East Village side

The path is pretty rough here, and there are lots of parks and playing fields along this section. Feels more park-like than the Hudson side.

Bike bridge

When you hit Ninth Street, you get to cross a bridge over the FDR, which drops you out in the Alphabet City part of the East Village.

Alphabet City

Avenue D has great Latino markets with cheap produce. I always stop and load up, then ride home with my stuff balanced on my handle bars. It makes for some treacherous riding, but it’s worth it! Here’s my bike in front of one of the neighborhood parks in Alphabet City. The apartment building behind is where Anna James and I once looked at an apartment for her, in case she was gonna be moving here.

Thompson Square Park

The Ninth Street bike path crosses through Thompson Square park. This statue is called “Temperance,” which is ironic once you see the kind of people that are in this park!

Brave squirrel

These rodents have no fear.

Home

Here’s my apartment building with the front stoop. We live in the back, so you can’t see our window, but we’re on the third floor.

The streets are dry today, and the temperature is in the 30’s. Snow is predicted for tomorrow, so I thought I’d better hop on my bike for a ride up to Central Park.

My bike across the street from my front door

My bike lives behind the couch in my third floor walkup, so after carrying it down to the street, I’m ready to take off. 9th Street has a handy bike lane that conveniently goes west.

West on 9th Street

It’s only a few blocks west on 9th until I come to Broadway.

North on Broadway, with the back of the Flatiron Building on the left.

Unfortunately, the bike lane on Broadway goes south, but I need to go north. There are really no other options except to go the wrong way, so bravely head into battle.

Heading up Broadway toward the Empire State

It’s a pretty dramatic ride up Broadway. But you can’t let your guard down too much or you’ll be road kill.

Broadway with Times Square ahead where the tall buildings are

Even when the bike lane goes the same way you are going,  biking in town can be a tricky piece of business. The taxis are the worst. They’re always mad at you.

Cruising past Macy’s

At Macy’s, Broadway becomes a pedestrian walkway—no cars! Sounds good, but still too many people to ride without having to pay attention.

Times Square

It’s the day before New Year’s Eve, so in addition to throngs of tourists, Times Square is also getting ready for the party. You basically have to walk your bike here, even with the streets blocked off from traffic. New Yorkers tend to be annoyed by bikers, but the tourists are exceedingly polite and deferential as you whiz by and startle them. They think it’s “so New Yorky!”

Columbus Circle, at the entrance to Central Park

And then comes the moment you’ve battled the vicious city for—Central Park! Now you can relax, let down your defenses a bit, and CRUISE.

Southern edge of Central Park

Entering from Broadway at Columbus Circle, you find yourself in the most well-known section of the park,–with the most tourists. In winter, the towers of the city pop out through the leafless trees.

North on the Central Park loop

The Park is jammed in the summer with joggers and strollers, pedi-cabs and horse-drawn carriages. In the winter, though, fewer people are around. But, dang, it’s COLD!

The Metropolitan Museum

Heading north on the eastern edge, you pass the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan. This isn’t a great picture of it, but you can see Roxy Paine’s Maelstrom  sculpture in the middle of the roof of the Met. It’s a silver sculpture of tree branches that, today, blended in comically with the bare trees of the park.If you look through the large glass wall in the back of the museum when you ride by, you can see the Temple of Dendur, built by the last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt and shipped to Manhattan stone by stone.

North Central Park

The more north you go, the more deserted the Park gets. Up here, it actually looks like a regular city park in any town, except for the distant towers of apartments on Central Park West.

Harlem

On the northern edge, the road turns west where Harlem begins on 110th Street.

Heading south

Once you start heading south on the loop, you can carry on back down the length of the Park on the west side. I decide, though, to exit at 91stStreet and go to the Hudson River.

West on 91st Street

I use the NYC Bike Map to find streets with dedicated bike lanes. Actually, they’re pretty much “suggestions” of bike lanes, since drivers use them as parking spaces and delivery zones and extra street. But it’s still a comforting feeling to ride between the lines.

Hudson River Parkway

The bike path along the Hudson River Parkway is where the best biking happens in the city. If you can figure out how to get to it!

The Hudson

I got to the river at around 2:30 p.m. The winter light made things look moody and desolate.

Under the West Side Highway

At the Trump condo towers,  the bike path goes under the West Side Highway for awhile.

Bike path on the west side of Manhattan

The city views from the Hudson River are pretty majestic. As you ride past the streets, you can see through the alleys of buildings to the other side of the city.

Chelsea

Right before leaving the river to go back to my apartment, I get a final view of the bay and a quick glimpse of the Ellis Island and the statue in the distance.

Greenwich Village

I take 10th Street east, which passes through the Village. This part of the street actually has a GREEN bike lane. Isn’t that special!

Home again

After all that, now I have to hoist my bike up the front steps to the third floor. Usually, there are hipsters hanging out on my front porch who eagerly help me  manipulate my bike through the thin front door. But in winter, I’m on my own.

So that’s what I call the Central Park Bike Loop. I figure it’s about 15 miles of biking.