New York! - Day 0

Thanks to Brianne, I had an adorable ride-themed notebook to make notes about each day. This was a big help!

On Friday, September 19 I spent the morning in Edison, New Jersey with Danielle's parents. I slept well and had a nice breakfast. Danielle's mom Lisa took me to the train station and I returned to Penn Station. I was able to transfer to the subway easily, but I had a little trouble confirming I was on the right side of the track. I got a day pass and took the E train to 53rd and Lexington, after first getting off at the wrong stop because I couldn't tell where we were. Oops. I switched to the 6 which was an easy transfer, and the train had a light up station list and made announcements - much easier!

I was a little nervous about the neighborhood the hostel was in - it is a mix of old and revamped places. But, I found the Bowery Whitehouse and dropped off my bag. I jumped back on the subway to Central Park. I really liked the park, but it was hard for me to relax. I saw the pond, lake/boathouse, and other areas I recognized from movies. I found it hard to navigate in New York because it's flat and I can't really recognize any landmarks off in the distance.

After the park I walked to the bike shop at 63rd and 1st AVE E. I walked down 5th AVE for a bit - I could tell it was nice because of all the doormen! My bike looked great and we threw it on a trainer to ensure the seat seemed right (it did). I was too scared with all the traffic to bike, so I took it on the subway. I had to take it through the emergency exit gate, but I found a fairly open car.

I got off at Lafayette and Spring, which I guess is getting to Little Italy. There were lots of bikes and a street fair. I found BLVD, which was super nice. The Climate Ride organizers weren't quite ready for us, but I dropped off my bike. Then I went back to the hostel to check in. The neighborhood looked better in that direction, and I even passed a Whole Foods and bought food for breakfast. It took forever to check in - they were really slow and do it all by hand. My room was not much bigger than a closet - and no, that's not a walk in. There was a little cot-type bed and enough floor for a tiny door and a place to put your bag. I got organized - pulling out my bike gear for Saturday. Danielle's bag worked great!

By then it was almost time to go back to BLVD. I stopped at Whole Foods again to have some pizza because I didn't want to feel obligated to buy food at BLVD. I got my sign label for my bike and put on the holder for my handlebar bag - I had to ziptie it. I took care of registration (emergency contacts, waiver), and then I went inside. I was one of the first, so I sort of wandered. Then I sat down with some girls who looked nice, and I'm so glad I did! I met Jennifer (from New Hampshire), Christa (from a different area in New Hampshire), and Chrissy (from Vermont, knew Christa from college). They were all super nice. We talked about training and they were actually impressed with how much I had done! None of them were experienced cyclists either, and they all had the same questions and concerns. We met some of the other riders, and almost everyone seemed to work on these issues professionally. I got my goodie bag and tried on my jersey and warm-up suit.

Then I went back to the hostel. I just relaxed while my cell phone charged at the front desk - no chargers in the "rooms." I went to bed around 10 because I had to be back at BLVD at 7:15 the next morning. I felt good going to bed, just missed Dave and remembered that it was almost my birthday and I wouldn't be in the 18-25 category any longer!

Unfortunately there was a loud group and I really didn't sleep well. :(

Here are some pictures from my trip to Central Park: