Rollerblading Peachy: Peachy Deegan makes a Smile Around Manhattan in her new Twister 80's for Women, if you look at it from an Aerial View!
How boring life would be if you always took the same route...but during the week, there is not a lot of time for route innovation as we close in on 6,000 posts! Rollerblading Peachy took a new route this weekend, and if you are Mover and Shaker Christian Deputy flying over Manhattan in the Challenger - you know, Liberty Jet-the best there is in private chartered aviation, you'd see Peachy Deegan making a smile on Manhattan. We think we saw Christian waving to us.
What is she taking about? A smile?
To put it simply, she laced up her Rollerblades on 57th and the west side and skated all the way down to Battery Park, and up the East side to 34th street. If you go straight and don't stop it should take you just over 2 hours. We hate to stop we are all about making a great time. If you are up in the sky this looks like a smile from above! A very fun route, we highly recommend it for all. Although we strongly prefer the East side on all other accounts, we have to say the West side overall is much better for rollerblading in terms of paved roadway...and of course Peachy wore her FABULOUS brand new Twister 80's for women that are the best style around for 2011. Catch her if you can!
When you begin on West 57th we suggest you sit on the cute park benches near the convention center area (we have been there for design shows) and lace up. When skating south, you can't go by the cruise ships closely (Peachy tried flirting with the guards; you really do need to be boarding a ship to go that way) which is a shame because you'd get a better view. So bear to the left. We always want to skate as close to the water as possible and as far away from cars as possible. You go through a nice stretch going down and as long as you can dodge the tourists (we also suggest you go at an unpopular daylight time like really early in the am to avoid them) it is a great trip. There is very little interaction with crossing streets and cars until you get to the Battery Park Area. Near Ground Zero there is a lot of construction so you'll need to be careful and pay attention; also there is a lot of street crossing. By the time you're past the Word Financial Centers and at the literal bottom, seeing the Statue of Liberty while you skate by is quite cool.
From the ferry of Governor's Island to just above the heliport is not a fun stretch, but before you know it you're up near the Brooklyn Bridge. Who knew there was a tiny little beach under it? Not us but when we aren't on skates we want to know how you get down there. The best part of the whole trip is from about the Williamsburg bride to 23rd street. This is a really wide area, really nicely paved, and uncrowded. We almost wish we didn't say that because we are giving away secrets; we love uncrowded! Let's only crowd it with Whom You Know readers. You know you can remember the order of the bridges with another great thing we love on wheels: BMW: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg.
You literally can go up to 37th but then you're stuck until the Queensboro bridge where you can again lace up. We hope a new initiative of the United Nations is to make a connection; it would be much easier for them than all their peacekeeping missions and it would keep peace with the residents rollerblading around Manhattan!
The next post is going to be a combined Rollerblading Peachy and Etiquette from Connecticut. Peachy had to nicely say "Excuse Me" to the multitude of clueless that don't understand in a skinny two-way path you must walk single file, or better yet, walk in the walk area which is separate from the wheeled area, and to the kiddo who was playing soccer in the path giving headers to the ball, where are your parents???? Look at the oncoming traffic and go to a patch of grass to play soccer dear. Also, you will run into two types of cyclists: the serious ones, who know to pass on the left (like the rest of life! driving!) and the ones out for a sunday ride who need to pay better attention; most of them ride as if they are in their own driveway.
