dendawg

Downtown Boathouse offers free kayaking, and runs trips across the river and back.

vol

I was thinking maybe they could also offer trips along the river, as an alternative to other transportation, esp. if there is a road blockage, city-wide blackout...

Ferdinand NYC

According to this link, the kayaking from the Downtown Boathouse is only between Manhattan piers, not across the river:

Free Kayaking ? The Downtown Boathouse

I have seen kayaking in the Hudson River at the north end of Battery Park City and in Hoboken, and on the East River at Powell's Cove in Queens. All of these kayakers stay close to shore; none go across the river.

But if there is shore-to-shore kayaking somewhere, I'd like to know the details about it.

A side note: one thing that has always baffled me is the act of kayaking in waters in which swimming is not allowed. A kayak must occasionally tip over. So, if kayaking is allowed, then surely the water is OK for swimming, right?

zacster

I would say it is one thing to tip over in a kayak and get dunked, and another to allow swimming. You don't want to tip over, and the kayaking at the piers is meant for you to stay upright. I've seen kayaking in Newtown Creek, can you imagine diving into that muck? I wouldn't kayak in it either as it is so loaded with toxic waste.

There have been articles too of people moving into spaces that are directly on top of the toxic waste sites in industrial Brooklyn. There was a reason nobody lived there and these neighborhoods were deserted.

dendawg

The DTBH used to do trips across the river and back on weekend mornings if the current was right. Don't know if they still do or not. Swimming in the Hudson won't kill you. Ask the people who participate in the NYC Triathlon, or other swim races.

And what used to be the Downtown Boathouse at 56th Street is now the Manhattan Community Boathouse which also offer free kayaking.

Ferdinand NYC

Interesting! I know that the group called Riverkeeper monitors the river for fecal bacteria, and usually concludes that most of it is safe for swimming, except after rains. The percentage of Hudson River locations that fail the Riverkeeper tests in dry weather is no different than ocean beach locations.

There are some organised and even competitive swim events in the Hudson; but I am curious about ordinary recreational swimming. I don't have the desire or the skill to participate in organised events; but I can swim and I like to splash around. I just wonder if it is possible to jump into the Hudson and have a dunk or two just as I would in the Atlantic Ocean down at Coney Island or Rockaway.

This Sports Illustrated article claims that "contrary to popular belief, recreational swimming in the Hudson is not illegal"; yet I always see "No Swimming" signs posted at the waterfront. Doesn't this mean that the City has rules against it? I think about this mainly when I am on the Hudson River Greenway up in Harlem, where the bike path runs right next to the river lapping up on the rocks.

When I am near the water's edge, it typically looks and smells alright; but of course there is the matter of microbes that you cannot see. However, as I mentioned above, the tests run by Riverkeeper usually come back good.

Last week I was riding up and down the Hudson coast on the New Jersey side, and I passed a little corner in Hoboken where a couple were sitting with their two boxer dogs. One of the dogs just waded into the river and started paddling around. I thought: if he can do it, why can't I?



Is it? I don't want to be obtuse; but I don't see the difference. Once you're in the water, whether you've gone in of your own accord or as a result of having fallen out of a tipped kayak is quite beside the point. Either the water is safe to swim in or it is not.



The thought of kayaking on Newtown Creek horrifies me -- precisely because I wouldn't dream of swimming in that water. For me the water is good for kayaking only if it is safe for swimming. I struggle to imagine another standard.

dendawg

I think the no swimming signs are there because there are no lifeguards and it would be a liability issue. I have sometimes seen people in the water along the Cherry Walk and near the bridge. A couple of years ago a friend swam the Hudson from Edgewater to NYC for his 50th birthday. He had a friend following in a boat for support if there were any problems. All the event swims have boats for support and lifeguards.

vol

The Citi bikes are everywhere now up to 86th st.. Even some on 5th avenue next to the Central Park (72nd and 79th st.). The sight of so many Citi bikes makes me feel safer riding bike, knowing that drivers are becoming more aware of the cyclists sharing the road with them.

(To a much lesser degree, more people on the bikes may also mean less people driving for short trips, though I assume in Manhattan most riding the Citi bikes would have taken public transportation if there were no Citi bikes.)

flattie

Raises hand. I would be on the subway if it weren't for citibike. It's done wonders in terms of being able to relax - both heading to work and heading home. Something piling on an already crowded train doesn't allow for. Last year I managed to ride into the first week of January. After a hard fall on the Brooklyn Bridge 2 years ago I no longer venture out when there's snow on the ground. Last year the combination of snow and unrelenting cold kept me from the citibike until sometime in March. I hope we have a mild winter this year.

hotbike

I took a ride on Tuesday, 6 oct, and, deciding to try the new stations on the upper east side, I rode through Central Park. The bike (#10807) kept sticking in second gear, would Not downshift on the hills... so I go to the 90th street exit, a fellow there (on a road bike) offers me some advice "The nearest station is at Park and 84th, but it's full, and the next nearest is at Park ave. and 81st....
I returned the bike exactly on the 45 minute mark, scarcely avoiding an overtime fee...

I got back to Penn Station, and tok a train home to Long Island, again coming close to overtime fees at 43 minutes, all the docks were full...

vol

Nice roadie (Some cyclists are wonderful )

Not knowing where the nearest station is to return the bike seems to be a common problem. Just yesterday near the Battery Park I saw someone on Citi bike asking another one whether there will be more stations further down so she could continue to ride. Maybe they could provide some kind of screen with live map, say, every 10 or 20 blocks (not at stations but between stations), so riders could know where to return bikes.

I guess it's more problem returning the bike than picking up a bike.

dendawg

This is from their web site

Station Full?Select “Request Time Credit” on the start screen of the kiosk. You will have 15 minutes added to your time at no charge to find a nearby station with available docks.

dendawg

I have had problems both finding and returning bikes. I have their app on my smartphone which helps.\

hotbike

There was some mention of an idea to put way finding signs (as if Manhattan doesn't already have enough signs) between stations... But those are for people living in the 20th century...
The app would Not work on my new 7 inch Tablet , maybe I'll try it again. But I also can't bike with a 7" Tablet in the cargo pocket of my trouser leg...

Maybe I'll just try to memorize the locations of the stations.

dendawg

Most of Manhattan is easy to navigate. Lower manhattan is another story altogether. Once below 8th street they no longer follow a numbered grid system, and the streets themselves can twist and turn. I'm not even familiar with Brooklyn at all. The kiosks at the stations can show you nearby stations.

vol

In areas where there are buses running, the signs could share the same sign pole with bus stop sign. So a Citi bike rider just need to look for bus stop signs.

In areas without bus, maybe light poles? So the Citi bike direction signs will not really take any extra space.

Edit: Maybe the best place to place a Citi bike station-finding sign is the street sign pole at an intersection.

flattie

The station map on the citibikenyc website updates in near real time. No special app needed - just an internet connection which I imagine most people with a smartphone have.

https://member.citibikenyc.com/map/

If you have an account you can set your favorite stations. They show available bikes and available docks.

Otherwise scroll around the map to find a dock near you. My main issue lately is leaving from lower Manhattan in the evenings and finding a bike. There's 3 docks within a 5 or 10 minute walk. Between the 3 I find a bike without too much trouble. It's still preferable ( to me ) to standing on a crowded subway.

noglider 

Citi Bike is a success beyond all predictions in every metric but one. It was hoped to reduce car trips, and it hasn't. It has reduced only mass transit trips. In a way, it's just in time, because the subways are more crowded than before thanks to the city's increased population. But I hope the city does something to reduce motor vehicle traffic. It's awful.

vol

I'm not sure about that. I, for one, don't. Citi bike should be made as convenient as possible for as many people as possible, and shouldn't require internet connection or even smartphone, IMO.

zacster

You may be the only one without a smartphone on a citibike.

Ferdinand NYC

For a while I thought that I was going to be the last person without a smartphone. I didn't have one when I signed up for CitiBike; I got my first cell phone of any kind only last summer. (I am glad that I waited until the trend of larger devices came back around. I got in at the right time.)

vol

flattie's words were "an internet connection which I imagine most people with a smartphone have". I was mainly saying that not all people with smartphones have internet connections. I finally got my smartphone (about the same time as Ferdinand probably), but I don't have any internet coverage on my plan. I can only connect to internet through wifi.

Also I actually haven't ridden Citi bike myself, only rented it for visitors. But even if I don't use it at all, just the signt of many Citi bikes is enjoyable for me

wilfried

Citi Bike may not require a smartphone, but it'd be harder without one. Not only does it help you find stations, but I always check the start station and the end station, to make sure that there's a bike available, and a place to park. If a station looks like it might fill, I make contingency plans. If a station is full, a smartphone really helps, because nearby stations could be full as well. Happens all the time in the East Village. Balance issues aren't as bad as they used to be, but can still be a problem.

vol

Maybe more precisely (smartphone with Internet plan)...

wilfried

Stipulated. Too many words. What's an iplan? What if I don't have an iPhone?