New York · see the sights
Explore this modelled ride. Check the route and current conditions before riding.
Rides are joined where they pass nearest you.
Your whole outing, with time for stops. All rides start and finish at Merchants' Gate, Central Park.
Rides for you
The sights
Allow about 3 h 00: 1 h 20 of riding at an easy 7 mph, and 20 min at each of the 5 sights.
Columbus Circle
Christopher Columbus stands on the granite column in the middle of the circle.
The city put up the statue in 1892, 400 years after his first voyage.
Checked against lincolnsquarebid.org Columbus Circle; landmarkwest.org; Untapped Cities.
Bethesda Terrace
The bronze angel on the fountain is the Angel of the Waters.
Emma Stebbins made it, and the city unveiled it in 1873.
She was the first woman to get a public art commission from New York City.
Walk the bikes down the steps to the fountain.
No bike parking is mapped near here. Lock the bikes to a public rack or railing.
Checked against centralparknyc.org Bethesda Fountain; Wikipedia Emma Stebbins; green-wood.com Emma Stebbins.
Strawberry Fields
This garden is a memorial to John Lennon.
Find the round black and white mosaic with the word "Imagine" in the path.
Lennon lived in the Dakota, the building across Central Park West.
Lock the bikes on the drive and walk in. Bikes ride only on the park drives.
Bike parking about 0.1 mi away (5 places).
Checked against tclf.org Central Park – Strawberry Fields; centralpark.org Imagine Mosaic; NYC Parks monument page.
Intrepid Museum, Pier 86
The aircraft carrier Intrepid fought in World War II.
It is a museum of the sea, the air and space since 1982.
Look for the Space Shuttle Enterprise in the pavilion on its deck.
Bike parking about 230 ft away (2 places).
Checked against hudsonriverpark.org Pier 86; space.com and NBC News (Enterprise, June 2012); Intrepid Museum.
Little Island
This park stands on 132 concrete "tulips" above the Hudson River.
It opened in May 2021.
Bikes are not permitted on the island. Use the racks on the path north or south of it.
Bike parking about 65 ft away (10 places).
Checked against littleisland.org rules; Wikipedia Little Island at Pier 55; 6sqft (2021).
The words at each stop were written for this ride and checked against the sources named. Bike parking is from OpenStreetMap; it is not checked on the ground. Museums and churches have their own opening hours.
Along the way
- Frick Collection (museum), Gapstow Bridge (sight), Central Park Carousel (sight) · drinking water
- Bethesda Terrace
- Bow Bridge (sight), Bethesda Fountain (sight), The Dakota (sight) · drinking water, toilets
- Strawberry Fields
- Premier Deli Café (café), Spitfire Cheese & Sundry (café), The Oasis Cafe (café) · bike shop
- Intrepid Museum, Pier 86
- Intrepid Museum (museum), USS Intrepid (sight), Circle Line (sight) · café, drinking water, toilets, repair stand, bike shop
- Fireboat John J. Harvey (sight), Lightship Frying Pan (sight), Hudson Yards Vista Point (viewpoint) · café, drinking water, toiletsGood place to stop
- Whitney Museum of American Art (museum), Little Island (sight) · drinking water
- Little Island
- Gagosian (museum), National Academy of Design (museum), Eataly Caffè (café) · drinking water, toilets
- Church of Saints Cyril & Methodius and Saint Raphael (church), Rustic Table (café), SigSpace (café)
- American Folk Art Museum (museum), USS Maine Monument (monument), Spyscape (sight) · church, café, bakery, ice cream, market, drinking water, toilets
Drinking water is mapped at 16 points; the longest stretch without is 1.6 mi (mile 1.4–3.0).
Places are from OpenStreetMap within 60 m of the route (0.2 mi for a landmark such as a château or museum), and climbs from the modelled profile. Nothing here is checked on the ground and opening hours are not known. A good place to stop has food and water or toilets together, nearest the middle of the ride.
Ride from New York City
9.1 mi · 110 ft climbing · 110 ft descending.
Busier roads (model stress 3–4): 3% of the distance. Steepest modelled 0.3 mi: 1.5%. Unknown surface: 0%.
Modelled route, not a verified itinerary or a rider-specific recommendation. Check current road access and conditions.
Download the exact GPX · Browse all New York City rides
Route data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Elevation: Mapzen Terrarium; 3DEP data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Rides are modelled from OpenStreetMap and terrain data and are not field-checked yet. Times here are estimates at a sporty pace. Catalogue access does not mean a ride fits your ability or available time. Low traffic stress includes quiet/shared streets, not just separated paths. Check current conditions before you go. Central Park's drives are one way, counterclockwise, for bikes, and the park is closed from 1 am to 6 am. The East River Greenway is closed between Montgomery Street and Stuyvesant Cove for construction, and no ride here uses it. Bikes are not permitted on Little Island. The park drives and the Greenway are shared with runners and walkers: ride slowly near crowds.
Renting? Rent a bike, bike shops and bike share
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Basemap OpenFreeMap · Terrain: Mapzen Terrarium on AWS; 3DEP data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey · Shade: NYC Parks Forestry Tree Points, from NYC Open Data, living trees only (modified) · About · Privacy
Profile colours show approximate slopes; short pitches may differ.