The silence of the morning was shattered by a soft tap at my front door. It was Allison "Short on words, long on deeds" McGuire that knocked as I sat there pondering what the sunny yet 19 degree day would have in store. Allison, no stranger to long days in the saddle, was a veteran of two AIDS charity rides exceeding 300 miles and countless miles in training. She would be venturing into Manhattan's Central Park with us today to be our lead reviewer. I geared up into my usual winter riding kit with one exception, I would be testing the Rudy Project Kalyos glasses. Allison augmented her gear with a pair of Shebeest's Wind Pro tights and Rudy Project's Maskeryna glasses. We rode out into the cold morning air to begin our journey.
We would be taking the Long Island Rail Road to the city and then riding up from Pennsylvania Station to Central Park. As Allison and I stood on the platform waiting for the train, Gary came striding up in an unusually good mood. Maybe he was happy because he would be reviewing the Rudy Project Ketyum glasses. The three of us exchanged pleasantries and caught up on old times as we hopped the train and barreled into Gotham.
We were taking the 8:06am Westbound to Manhattan, which arrived a little after 8:15am. Our ride in was without incident. Penn Station disgorged us onto 8th Avenue squirting us into the slightly warmer Manhattan air as we pedaled uptown to Columbus Circle and the edge of the Park. There was saffron everywhere!
Christo and Jean-Claude had draped Central Park with their Gates and we had ridden in to experience it. Right about now, the words I had heard from other New York'ers were echoing in my head. During the past two weeks The Gates have been generating a tremendous buzz, with many people questioning... "Is this really art? Why is this here? Why now?" My first inclination is to think that something like this isn't art but that the event that surrounds it is. The artists created an almost biospheric presence in Central Park. They changed the perceptions of how a familiar space both looked and felt. In my opinion, the "event" is art. 23 miles of Central Park paths, 7500 gates, 5290 U.S. Tons of steel combined to create an installation literally of epic proportions, and we were there on bikes.
We thoroughly explored the Park in its new saffron form. Shooting off down sidepaths to gain alternate vantage points for taking in the exhibit. At one point it seemed appropriate to venture off down a path that led to the bronze statue of Balto. Balto was the lead sled dog of the finishing team of mushers who brought Diptheria serum from Anchorage, to Nome Alaska, saving hundreds from sickness and death. He is immortalized here, and although our journey was nothing in comparison we felt a certain kinship in the snow and chilled air.
While we paused to commune with Balto, Gary discussed the gates with Rose, one of the Gatekeepers. Gate keepers are folks charged with the task of maintaining the "cocoons" or billowing Saffron vinyl fabric, and they are equipped with long telescoping poles with tennis balls affixed to the end to prevent tears as they adjust the draping fabric. Rose was a total joy wrapped in her red knit scarf and cap. We left Balto and Rose as we remounted our two wheeled steeds to brave the wintry winds of the Park circuit.
As we pedaled on, it became immediately apparent how truly wonderful this Park really was. Beyond the Gates, there were - the joggers, the runners, the tourists, the mounted police, the roadies, and the Handsome cabs all projecting the energy and vitality of New York City and sharing in the unadulterated roadway access without vehicular conflict. New York Transportation Alternatives had just lobbied the right to a car free Park (during certain times of the day) so the roadway was all ours. There were no motor vehicles beyond the police and the Park Rangers to disturb our cool weather cruise.
As cyclists, we often find ourselves questing after the next best ride. In this particular case, we found it. All of the key elements requisite for a great ride were present. Company comprised of good riders and great friends, a new adventure with interesting sites, something intriguing to see, and safe car-free roads made this ride an excellent break from the every day. The Park was beautiful in its blanket of mostly white snow, the saffron Gates billowing from behind the white wisps of our condensing breath. The scene is painted in the colors of smiles and of great days.
Like all great things, the ride had to come to an end. We bolted out of the Park and back into the hustle of the Manhattan streets. We raced down seventh avenue toward Pennsylvania Station. As we carried our bikes down into the abyss of the LIRR waiting area we all agreed that we would be planning many more sojourns into the city for rides of exploration. The Christo Art n' Ride had whetted our appetites, which we must now keep fed.
The silence of the morning was shattered by a soft tap at my front door. It was Allison "Short on words, long on deeds" McGuire that knocked as I sat there pondering what the sunny yet 19 degree day would have in store. Allison, no stranger to long days in the saddle, was a veteran of two AIDS charity rides exceeding 300 miles and countless miles in training. She would be venturing into Manhattan's Central Park with us today to be our lead reviewer. I geared up into my usual winter riding kit with one exception, I would be testing the Rudy Project Kalyos glasses. Allison augmented her gear with a pair of Shebeest's Wind Pro tights and Rudy Project's Maskeryna glasses. We rode out into the cold morning air to begin our journey.
We would be taking the Long Island Rail Road to the city and then riding up from Pennsylvania Station to Central Park. As Allison and I stood on the platform waiting for the train, Gary came striding up in an unusually good mood. Maybe he was happy because he would be reviewing the Rudy Project Ketyum glasses. The three of us exchanged pleasantries and caught up on old times as we hopped the train and barreled into Gotham.
We were taking the 8:06am Westbound to Manhattan, which arrived a little after 8:15am. Our ride in was without incident. Penn Station disgorged us onto 8th Avenue squirting us into the slightly warmer Manhattan air as we pedaled uptown to Columbus Circle and the edge of the Park. There was saffron everywhere!
Christo and Jean-Claude had draped Central Park with their Gates and we had ridden in to experience it. Right about now, the words I had heard from other New York'ers were echoing in my head. During the past two weeks The Gates have been generating a tremendous buzz, with many people questioning... "Is this really art? Why is this here? Why now?" My first inclination is to think that something like this isn't art but that the event that surrounds it is. The artists created an almost biospheric presence in Central Park. They changed the perceptions of how a familiar space both looked and felt. In my opinion, the "event" is art. 23 miles of Central Park paths, 7500 gates, 5290 U.S. Tons of steel combined to create an installation literally of epic proportions, and we were there on bikes.
We thoroughly explored the Park in its new saffron form. Shooting off down sidepaths to gain alternate vantage points for taking in the exhibit. At one point it seemed appropriate to venture off down a path that led to the bronze statue of Balto. Balto was the lead sled dog of the finishing team of mushers who brought Diptheria serum from Anchorage, to Nome Alaska, saving hundreds from sickness and death. He is immortalized here, and although our journey was nothing in comparison we felt a certain kinship in the snow and chilled air.
While we paused to commune with Balto, Gary discussed the gates with Rose, one of the Gatekeepers. Gate keepers are folks charged with the task of maintaining the "cocoons" or billowing Saffron vinyl fabric, and they are equipped with long telescoping poles with tennis balls affixed to the end to prevent tears as they adjust the draping fabric. Rose was a total joy wrapped in her red knit scarf and cap. We left Balto and Rose as we remounted our two wheeled steeds to brave the wintry winds of the Park circuit.
As we pedaled on, it became immediately apparent how truly wonderful this Park really was. Beyond the Gates, there were - the joggers, the runners, the tourists, the mounted police, the roadies, and the Handsome cabs all projecting the energy and vitality of New York City and sharing in the unadulterated roadway access without vehicular conflict. New York Transportation Alternatives had just lobbied the right to a car free Park (during certain times of the day) so the roadway was all ours. There were no motor vehicles beyond the police and the Park Rangers to disturb our cool weather cruise.
As cyclists, we often find ourselves questing after the next best ride. In this particular case, we found it. All of the key elements requisite for a great ride were present. Company comprised of good riders and great friends, a new adventure with interesting sites, something intriguing to see, and safe car-free roads made this ride an excellent break from the every day. The Park was beautiful in its blanket of mostly white snow, the saffron Gates billowing from behind the white wisps of our condensing breath. The scene is painted in the colors of smiles and of great days.
Like all great things, the ride had to come to an end. We bolted out of the Park and back into the hustle of the Manhattan streets. We raced down seventh avenue toward Pennsylvania Station. As we carried our bikes down into the abyss of the LIRR waiting area we all agreed that we would be planning many more sojourns into the city for rides of exploration. The Christo Art n' Ride had whetted our appetites, which we must now keep fed.
