33 Miles on a Scooter

33 Miles.
4 Dead Ends.
3 Times Thrown from my Scooter.
5 Hours.
1 Circuit of Manhattan.


Lyndon here. I want to start by saying that I love my scooter. Three years ago Cosette showed an interest in other kids' scooters at the playground, so we bought her one hoping that it would be a fun way for her to keep up with our walking excursions in New York. In Singapore we bought one for Henry as well, and our kids have loved them. (Raphael now has his as well, and is amazingly proficient.) So much so that we decided for Christmas last year that we should buy adult kick scooters for Christine and me as well. So glad we did. Christine picked them out and she choose a Xcootr for me and a GoPed for herself. The Xcootr is the sports car of scooters. Light, lean and fast. And you feel every bump on the road. In Singapore I would take the scooter out for a spin at all hours, exploring our neighborhood and nearby parks.


Since being back in New York, I decided I should make a circuit of Manhattan. I really had little idea of distances or difficulty, but I decided I would just start riding and I could always take the subway back down to our apartment if I ran out of steam.


Well, last Saturday I had some free time, and I decided to go for it. I started at four in the afternoon at One World Trade Center (close to where I am temporarily living). I headed to the East River and started riding up the River Parkway. I thought I would be able to ride along the river the whole way up to Inwood, but at about 30th Street I hit my first dead end: the park between the river and the FDR Drive just stopped, forcing me to back track a few blocks, cross underneath the FDR drive and start travelling up 1st Avenue. Thinking that the river parkway would pick back up, after a few blocks I headed back to the river and starting along entered another park that quickly ended. To make a long story short, I kept on trying to find a pathway along the river so I could enjoy the beautiful scenery without worrying about cars, and I kept finding good paths that all too soon would end, forcing me to back track and travel along the streets for a few blocks. By the time I hit 125th, the river paths ended completely and I took to the streets until I found Highbridge Park. This was the most beautiful part of the trip, with gorgeous bridges, a curving river and a well-kept park. After a couple miles, the park ended and I again took to the streets, now in Inwood. After three hours of traveling, I made it to the northernmost point of Manhattan at Inwood Hill Park. This was also the most beautiful part of the ride. After entering the park, I realized that there was no good way through it. I ended up spending about twenty minutes carrying my scooter up a steep and rocky path to get over Inwood Hill. Once over the hill, I only had a straight shot down along the Hudson river through the Hudson River Parkway, which is a stunning collection of parks stretching the length of the island. Another two hours brought me back down to One World Trade Center, completing the circuit.