Difficulty Rating:
3 out of 5
This route can be either 44 or 56 miles. The route as published here is 56.2 miles and starts at the Manhattan Bridge, Canal & Forsyth and ends in Manhattan via the Queensboro Bridge. For the 44 mile route, leave the route at mile 42.8. Take a left on 188th Street off of 73rd Ave, then right on Midland Parkway to Hillside Avenue and 179th Street, the last stop on the F train.
If you are an F. Scott Fitzgerald fan you may know that the West Egg is now called Great Neck. This ride is a mix of urban and suburban, trying to give you the best of both. After leaving the Manhattan Bridge we ride through Brooklyn neighborhoods like Bushwick and see the beautiful graffiti murals on the sides of buildings (google the Bushwick Art Collective), and then into Queens where we ride through Forest Park and Alley Pond Park and quiet residential streets in King’s Point and Great Neck. The Parkway Diner in Douglaston is a great lunch stop with a reasonably priced menu and excellent service. After lunch we ride through scenic residential areas near the waterfront to US Merchant Marine Academy. Most of the time the guard will let you into the academy, and if so there are nice photo ops on the waterfront and in front of The American Merchant Marine Museum on the hill. Look for the ship propeller the size of a two story building on its front lawn. We ride through spectacular residential areas of King’s Point and the West Egg before returning to Queens. The ride ends in Jamaica Estates, last stop F Train, with an optional run back to Manhattan for those who want more mileage.
An alternative to the Parkway Diner in Douglaston for lunch is the Douglaston Deli almost right next door. If you pick up food at the deli, you can then ride up to the pocket park Catherine Turner Richardson - about a block up, no bathrooms, and have an outdoor lunch there.
RMS 5/18/2020
