Ferdinand NYC

I rode from New York to Philadelphia on Sunday. The total ride from my home in Woodhaven to my hotel in Northeast Philadelphia was 116 miles. This is the second longest ride that I have ever done, shy by one mile of the 117-mile ride I took to Seaside Heights two years ago.

I had been mulling over the possibility of doing this ride since the beginning of summer. But, because August was so depressingly cool, I never had the urge to actually do it. The fact that this week has better weather than any week in August made me feel like I couldn't waste this gift; so off I went.

I spent the day Monday riding in Philadelphia, doing 40 miles in almost all parts of town east of the Schuylkill River. I find the city to be a wonderful place for riding. There are many many bike lanes, and very few hills. And the signage is exemplary; every street sign indicates whether the street in question is an arterial, and shows the directions that the street runs.

(Though their directional designations can sometimes be a bit odd: Frankford Ave., which runs generally east-west through Northeast, is signed as north-south, as that is how it begins just east of Center City. Much more curious is the classification as east-west of Welsh Rd., which cuts a north-south path through Northeast.)

In addition, there's signage indicating a "Bicycle PA Route E", which coincided with my ride from the Calhoun St. Bridge to my hotel, and also with my ride towards downtown from Northeast on Torresdale Ave.

It's beautiful to see that bicycling has essentially been completely normalised in Philadelphia. I had no trouble bringing my bicycle into supermarkets, gift shops, delis, and fast food restaurants. I even took it into the Independence shop just north of the Liberty Bell and into the Bourse. I don't typically have any trouble with this in New York, either; but I wasn't sure whether this experience would be the same in Philadelphia as well.

One thing I noticed that was better than my experience at home is that drivers in Philadelphia are much more polite than New York drivers. People actually stop at stop signs; what's more, at those intersections where the red light stop line is far back from the intersection, they stop at the stop line.

The right-on-red rule exists there; and the drivers make a true stop before proceeding. I have seen drivers New York, where we don't have right-on-red, come to only a cursory stop at a red light before making a turn. And in those locations a just outside New York where right-on-red is the rule, such as Long Island, drivers tend to behave with a great deal of impatience. By contrast, there is much less aggression on the road in Philadelphia than in the New York area.

On a side note: I wonder whether there's some confusion amongst Philadelphians as to the origin of pizza! I saw several pizzerias with names such as "Old London Pizza" and "Old English Pizza". I wonder if they sell pizza topped with bangers and mash.

The intervening miles between New York and Philadelphia were much less thrilling. I am perfectly aware that the world needs rural and farm locations; and I enjoy Jersey tomatoes as much as or more than the next guy. But riding through such places really brings me down and saps my will to continue. It was very interesting hitting Trenton and having the sensation of relief. "Ahh, finally a city!", I thought, "a place in which I can feel comfortable".

After that, it was the bridge into a set of Long-Island-like Pennsylvania suburbs, and then back into the urban environment that I love so much.

Now I have to go to bed for the long trip back home all day Tuesday. I'll update this thread with maps and with further comment after I get home. Wish me luck!