Today is the day. I'm finding it hard to remember a day when I was this excited about riding on a motorcycle and that probably sounds weird. New York City is a bit of a challenge and that is  where the excitement comes in. On top of that there is going to be an almost unlimited number of sites. The weather is perfect, the sun is rising and I'm heading over the bridge.

This part of Brooklyn has some neatly kept homes and beautiful tree covered streets. The price has to be in keeping with the proximity to the city. I manage to catch every traffic light and finally am ready to cross the East River into the city. Ideally, I would like to take the Brooklyn Bridge, but I've heard that it's pedestrian only. To my surprise I'm wrong and the bridge is open. Getting a picture while moving is not easy and it's not a good picture, but the real image is in my memory. I was expecting some big tolls on this day, but the only one I paid was in Staten Island. Maybe their are no other tolls on Sunday.

In Manhattan I immediately learn that it is going to take time to be on the correct side of the block. It has just turned 7 am and that is helping with the problem. Outside of a lot of taxis and people out for walks, traffic is almost non-existent. The City That Never Sleeps is sleeping. Today I will see: Ground zero, several churches, City Hall, Flat Iron Building, Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, Times Square, Intrepid, Grand Central Station, Soho, Greenwich Village, United Nations, Radio City and Central Park among others. My head is on a swivel as I drive through the canyons.
	City Hall	Chrysler Building
United Nations	Saying on wall across from United Nations	Grand Central Station

Easily my favorite building so far is the Flatiron Building. Thanks to some locals I was finally able to locate it. I guess that's what locals are for. Coming down the street the sun was hitting the building perfectly and illuminating all the architecture. The carved suns on the face of the building were glowing in the morning light and the location was perfect for this proud building. With a small park across the street the setting was almost perfect.

Near Times Square I realize I've missed Ground Zero. The GPS has been wonderful. The only difficulty has been that it sometimes puts on route on top of another. When this happens it assumes you've already done the first track and continues with the second. That's no big deal and will give me a chance to run by Madison Square Garden and catch the Intrepid.

I'm beginning to make sense of the roads. The avenues run north and south while the streets run east and west. So, Madison Square Garden is on 7th Avenue and W 32nd St. Easy once you have the code. A quick run down 11th avenue will get me back.

Ground zero is very humbling. I'm both struck by the vastness of the destruction and embarrassed by the lack of progress in the construction. Throughout the day I would interact with the local policemen and women. To a person, they were helpful, professional and pleasant. When I think back 8 years and wonder what it was like to be one of these guys I can't imagine. For some reason the Intrepid doesn't seem right nor does the road. The last time I was here I remember the Intrepid almost hanging over the road. I know the ship has been out for restoration and I'm guessing the road has been widened since then.

Back on Times Square the advantage of riding a motorcycle again presents itself. As you can imagine, there are no places to stop. With the bike I was able to squeeze against some barricades out of the flow of traffic. There were more police here than I have ever seen gathered in one area. I wonder if someone famous is coming later. They don't bat an eye at me while I'm stopped gawking at the lights and sites. Even the Lilliputian-size police station is a site.

The Empire State Building is impressive and Radio City Music Hall is right around the corner. My biggest surprise was Rockefeller Center. My image is based on Christmas. No, I don't expect to see people skating, but the scale is based on the open ice rink and the large Christmas tree. Both sides of the building have tables where the ice should be and it looks small.

The last site for this part of the trip is the area around Central Park. Central Park West and 5th Avenue are clearly the places to live if you have the bucks. I might be able to sleep in a box on the sidewalk until I'm 'relocated,' but that is as close as I'll ever come.

Unbeknownst to me, the park roads close on Sunday and only foot, bicycle and skate traffic is allowed. On Central Park South the Park Dr. North looks open and in I go. Immediately something is wrong. There are no cars and the pedestrians are all over the road. Man, did I screw up, but since 'traffic' is flowing one direction, I can't turn around. The looks I'm getting are priceless and deservedly so. Fortunately everyone is laid back and don't yell any obscenities. I need to get out. At the first exit I make for the city and hope the policeman sitting there doesn't notice me.

Traveling around the park, I notice that every other entrance is clearly marked as being closed. I drive by the Park Dr. N. entrance and don't see any signs. Oh well, this clearly wasn't the first and won't be the last time I screwed up. The east/west tunnels do stay open.

Columbus Circle

Along Central Park West

Museum

After having been in the city about 4 hours and watching the traffic start to build it's time to head out. For some reason I can never be on the top platform of the George Washington Bridge which I'm sure would provide a better view. On the Jersey side Palisades State Park provides some stunning views of the bridge and the city. It's amazing how steep it is down to the river.

Rider magazine had a nice route along the Hudson River and I plan on duplicating that route. The first stop is Harriman State Park and Seven Lakes Drive which is a pleasant and unhurried ride to Bear Mountain Park. At the top of Bear Mountain is a tower. Inside each level of the tower are historical pictures of the construction made out of tiles. Once you get to the top the views are fantastic and you can see the skyline of New York City. On this picture perfect day it is quite visible. This is a popular ride for motorcyclists and the top of the mountain has over 50 in the parking area.

Leaving Bear Mountain Park I again follow the Hudson River north to West Point and it's immaculate lawns and museums. West Point is bigger than it looks and I feels like I'm following the edge of the Academy for many miles. The roads along the Hudson provide great vistas.

I have one more stop planned for the day. It is the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Why it was called Woodstock when it was held in Bethel, NY is something I cannot answer. It is difficult to find anything saying Woodstock around and I'm not sure I'm in the right place. Woodstock has been replaced with the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts which seems somewhat appropriate if not for the questionable name. The performing arts center has an outdoor amphitheater and museum. There is an exhibit downstairs which chronicles John and Yoko's Bed-ins. We've all seen pictures of this time in history. The pictures at the exhibit pull the camera back and show what else was going on in the room at the time, including all the visitors. Perhaps the most humorous picture was of the cleaning crew in the room afterwards. The museum takes you through all the aspects of the time around Woodstock and shows the social, political and economic atmosphere of the era. Both areas are nice, but I'm not sure they are $13.00 nice. In the gift shop you'll have to guess what you can still get on site: Peace, Love or Guitar-shaped Flyswatters.

Finding a relatively inexpensive motel room in the area is not easy and most are in the $150.00 range. The ones I visit are empty, but still have that high price. I'm going to head over to Newburgh where the prices are lower. Hwy 55 north will take me to Hwy 52 east and Newburgh. Traffic is heavy along these two lanes but the scenery is decent. It's time to decide whether I'm heading to Maine or elsewhere. There are a couple of weather fronts heading to that area.

A section of the track log for the day.