Copenhageners in New York

Our very good friends Ole and Lærke from the company Purpose Makers headed to New York City last week for some work. Being Copenhageners, they immediately acquired bicycles - and from a cool local company, of course. All their transport was done on their bicycles. Here we have Lærke - six months pregnant, by the way, enjoying cycling in the city despite the -15 degree temperature.

A trip to New York is not complete without a photo of an NYPD vehicle parked in the bike lane. It's as New York as a hot dog stand.

A practical bike was necessary when you're riding around going to meetings all week.

Sometimes it was all Copenhagen-esque when riding around.

Sometimes, you're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Nevertheless, it was a brilliant trip by all accounts. And cycling whilst pregnant? Yeah, we've covered THAT before here on the blog. Have a look at the articles on the Bicycles and Pregnancy tag.

New York, New York

Living in Copenhagen, I've gotten quite confident about my urban skills.  Having mastered the metro system - all two lines; having learned to survive the headwinds and people swirling around on the cycle tracks - all nicely paved and signed; I was ready.

New York City, here we come.

It was not quite what I remembered.  Each subway station does not come fully equipped with subway maps or helpful personnel.  Distances on maps are not closer than they appear.

So, we did the natural thing for two Copenhageners in New York and rented bikes.  First trip was a tour of Brooklyn, from Park Slope to Downtown to Williamsburg with all sorts of foodie stops in between, with our friend Doug Gordon who runs Brooklyn Spoke.

The day we decided to rent bikes.

Fortunately, for the ride, and the sake of the outdoor ice cream festival pit stop, it stopped raining after approximately one cafe latte.

Brooklyn lanes on the left and surprisingly calm Manhattan street on the right.

Sure there are potholes deep enough to make a hangover from two days ago instantly reappear.  And sure the lanes are a bit reminiscent of playing hopscotch on two wheels, but I'll be damned if that wasn't the most absolutely wonderful way to get around and to experience New York City. 

According to my friend Anna, and go to for all things New York, it's also arguably now one of the fastest ways to get around.

Brooklyn Bridge

Word is this level of the Bridge is going to be widened to give more space to both pedestrians and cyclists.

Until next time, thanks for the ride New York.

Here's a video Mikael made back in 2009 - Bicycle Bridges in NYC:

Bicycle Bridges from Copenhagenize on Vimeo.

New York Cycle Chic

Sometimes we just miss places. Today it just happened to be New York. We're aiming on getting back in the new year with some cool Cycle Chic events. Not NYC but Janette Sadikh Khan on my Bullitt cargo bike in Copenhagen last year.
And here's a couple of films of Mikael riding in NYC.

Maid Marian Muffins on a Bicycle

We always love positive bicycle imagery here at Cycle Chic so we were rather pleased (and became quite hungry) when Jessica sent us an email about Maid Marian Muffins - a Brooklyn-themed children's book app.

Maid Marian Muffins is a light-hearted tale of a muffin fan's journey from mere muffin admirer to Brooklyn baking sensation. It's based on Jessica's real-life adventures as Brooklyn's one and only bicycling baker.

The book features 36 pages of beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations by Ana Benaroya, along with a rich storyline, vividly and lyrically told. The primary interactive feature of the app is a powerful and artfully constructed self-record mechanism, one designed (by two teachers -- one former, one current) for children to use, enjoy, and understand all by themselves.

Yummy.

Maid Marian Muffins:
Here's the website.
Here's the link to the app in the US iTunes store.

New York Cycle Chic / Bridges

On my recent visit to New York City I had the opportunity to ride around the city - not as much as I would have liked - but here are some photos from a couple of the bridges. Brooklyn Bridge above.

Manhattan Bridge in the morning light.

Ditto.