I am
a relatively new resident to Queens, a year and a half to be exact. A long-term Queens resident and aficionado suggested we
start riding to the city during the summer weekends and I found myself more than just "going along for the ride,"
seeing a Queens I never would have. What I learned was enlightening, engrossing, and at times eye opening.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park like all borough parks,
is a living history of what Queens has been famous for, the worlds fair, the Hall of Science, Shea Stadium (now replaced by
Citi Field), and of course the US Open. Above all this is the park use by the multi national cultures that populate Queens.
Unfortunately park users don't always "go green" and leave the park disdainfully trash ridden. Only during the US
Open does the park become like a movie set - cleaned up, pristine and an enclave for the wealthy visitors.
Outside the boundaries of the park there are hawkers
on the corner selling baseball tickets and the sound of loud music and cars. It is like weaving through an obstacle course
as we bike through Corona and move into Jackson Heights. Jackson Heights is an amazing united nations of restaurants and cultures.
As a cyclist, you have to decide which car is going to move from their double parked status at any minute, who is going to
jaywalk and who is going to get too close to you as they decide you have no rights of the road and pass you.
Once out of the congestion and traffic we move
onto Northern Boulevard and into Long Island City, we realize the city await in the distance. Classic views of the iconic
Chrysler Building and the skyline become our focus instead of focusing on trying not to get hit and run over. As we fly toward
the bridge childhood joy kicks in - the wind on our faces, the rush of the speed that was denied as a child, the urge to hear
cards in your spokes, ride without using hands, and the great heat of the sun shining down upon us.
From the minute we ride off the 59th Street bridge we are greeted by Scores
the infamous strip club of choice for athletes and celebrities. We enter the city. Whether you are a native or transplant
to be on the streets of Manhattan is a rush as this mega metropolis takes hold of all your senses. I feel like an ant in an
anthill as the looming buildings of midtown draw close. We cruise the east side passing the United Nations building, morning
joggers and coffee drinkers out for their Sunday morning jolt.
At Central Park it's a combination of quiet and green; music in the background and snippets
of conversation zooming by in a blur. Our final destination is the west side and Riverside Park - a New York cyclist's dream
and potential nightmare - especially with the face lift given to almost every section of the west side along the Hudson River,
from the George Washington Bridge to Battery Park City. The true test of cycling patience is when you are with fellow cyclists
of every level. Its almost like being in the gym with muscle heads, weight losers, and string beans. It's also coincidentally
like society with people who zoom by you focused only on themselves and not the world around them. There are tortoises mixed
with hares. In my case as a hare with humanity I pace myself with slower movements. For the most part I see a world of self-contained
riders who share the road with others but are mostly focused on their own journey. It is a world of cooperative existence
even when one person is intent on getting ahead and the others are just enjoying the ride. So okay, maybe it's more like what
we would envision the world to be like and not where it quite is yet.
As the day progresses a Zen like serenity takes over the entire experience. I realize that
the road so far traveled involves the trip back from Manhattan to Queens, another adventure in itself prone to metaphors and
analogies, retracing the journey and creating new paths that are more efficient and faster than the ones traveled. Finding
a way to tolerate the difficulties of dealing with others on the road and off the road while respecting their right to be
there. And finally reaching home and being thankful that I can still create a world of adventure on my own and have time stand
still for a short time while the crazy world goes on around me.
In addition to writing for Queens Karma, Dane Miller is a licensed massage therapist and nutritional counselor. Email Miller at dnenyc@yahoo.com.
