You'd never be able to tell that the Belt Parkway was 100 feet away...
Though I was certainly in the minority, I wore my helmet with pride!
Windsurfing on Plumb Beach (less than a mile from the Knapp St. entrance to the bike trail)
Sand travels....
One of the entrances to the beautiful, somewhat secluded and delightfully un-crowded Plumb Beach.
The view from the overpass.This post is dedicated to Joe, who bought me a bicycle for my birthday, after MONTHS of my hint-dropping. I'd heard from other Brooklynites how wonderful it was to have a bike here, and I can now say, from experience, that I agree completely!
I entered the bike path at the Knapp St. entrance in Sheepshead Bay, and headed east. The trail was in decent condition for the most part, and not terribly busy for a holiday weekend. I quickly came upon Plumb Beach- a close cousin to Manhattan and Brighton beaches, but smaller. MUCH smaller- downright cozy, in fact... But very inviting. There's a parking area and picnic tables, along with what seemed to be a small restroom/ changing facility. It looked like a great place to picnic!
I continued down the trail, which runs right along the waterfront, and came to a bridge with a BEAUTIFUL view of the beach and ocean (photo #6). The bridge crossed into Marine Park, where the already lush scenery got even greener! It was surprisingly easy to ignore the Belt Parkway, which parallels the bike trail.
I took a little detour through Marine Park, passed Floyd Bennett Field, and then stopped just short of the first bridge over Jamaica Bay. The ride back seemed a bit quicker, maybe because I had seen the scenery once already... Probably because most of the way back is downhill...
Things I learned on my trip:
-By and large, my fellow borough bike riders DO NOT wear helmets. Yes, they look dorky, but they're a lot cooler than severe head-trauma, so strap one on, Brooklyn!
-I know absolutely nothing about bikes, besides the fact that they're fun to ride. Evidently, mountain bike tires grip the ground, and make your ride brutally slow, no matter what gear you're in.
-There are A LOT of really skilled windsurfers on Plumb Beach- next on my list of fun sports to learn!
I entered the bike path at the Knapp St. entrance in Sheepshead Bay, and headed east. The trail was in decent condition for the most part, and not terribly busy for a holiday weekend. I quickly came upon Plumb Beach- a close cousin to Manhattan and Brighton beaches, but smaller. MUCH smaller- downright cozy, in fact... But very inviting. There's a parking area and picnic tables, along with what seemed to be a small restroom/ changing facility. It looked like a great place to picnic!
I continued down the trail, which runs right along the waterfront, and came to a bridge with a BEAUTIFUL view of the beach and ocean (photo #6). The bridge crossed into Marine Park, where the already lush scenery got even greener! It was surprisingly easy to ignore the Belt Parkway, which parallels the bike trail.
I took a little detour through Marine Park, passed Floyd Bennett Field, and then stopped just short of the first bridge over Jamaica Bay. The ride back seemed a bit quicker, maybe because I had seen the scenery once already... Probably because most of the way back is downhill...
Things I learned on my trip:
-By and large, my fellow borough bike riders DO NOT wear helmets. Yes, they look dorky, but they're a lot cooler than severe head-trauma, so strap one on, Brooklyn!
-I know absolutely nothing about bikes, besides the fact that they're fun to ride. Evidently, mountain bike tires grip the ground, and make your ride brutally slow, no matter what gear you're in.
-There are A LOT of really skilled windsurfers on Plumb Beach- next on my list of fun sports to learn!
-I love bike riding! I want to try out the Ocean Ave Bike Path next, and maybe ride up to Prospect Park for the farmers market!
Happy Summer!
Best,
Keelie
P.S. My front tire is now flat as a pancake and will not hold air when I try to re-inflate it. I'm taking it to Roy's Sheepshead Cycle- I'll let you know how it goes!
