I made mozzarella!!! It almost counts as bike-eating, as I rode to the Meat Hook to grab the ingredients (recipe link below)…Downfall to my new-found hobby: I already ate half of it, in the first 5 minutes. That’s about 72 grams of fat in my tummy, as I write this. I shouldn’t make a habit of cheese-making! Ok, next post will be a good bike-eat destination…no more home-cooking channel.. Recipe:(http://urbancheesecraft.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/simple-mozzarella/)
Does it count as “bike-eating”, if I bike two feet to the grocery store and then make food at home?? :) Yessss!!! MY FAVORITE HOMEMADE GRANOLA…Directions: (add as much as you like of each ingredient and taste as you go!!) In a pan, no butter or oil, brown your nuts (haha) - medium heat - I usually include almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds - Sauté until lightly brown. Turn down heat to simmer, then add coconut, goji berries, raisins, oats, raw honey and agave (to taste), take off heat, spread on wax paper to cool for 10min, and done!!!). So easy and healthy…Tomorrow, Hand-Rolled Fresh Mozzarella…not so easy, or healthy!!! :)
One of my favorite winter bike destinations…Beaner Bar, in Williamsburg (http://www.beanerbar.com/Beaner_Bar/Bienvenido.html), serves up an amazing Mexican Mocha - essentially, a “Mayan chocolate latte”, with a touch of cayenne to boot..warms you right up, before it’s back on the bike.
Head for the hills
They say that there are mice and men. My friend and fellow bike-food enthusiast Ron and I have always agreed that if New York City were ever to be hit by another terrorist attack, invaded by pirates, or the streets flooded with pillaging Viking hordes, we would do the mature thing, and run for the hills. The hills in this case being his summer residence in Sussex, New Jersey, and the ride, our two trusted bicycles.
But talk is cheap. Could we actually do it? Was it actually possible for a couple of amateur bikers like the two of us? To ride our mounts across the Hudson, and continue a daunting 65 consistently uphill miles, and find our way through the dark wilderness they call the Garden State? After two years of talking about it, we agreed that it was time to put our minds, legs and tires to the test. Our friend Bruce, who claims to be a member of the infamous Sussex Black Bear Bike Club promised to map out a route, and be the third musketeer.
And so, on the morning of September 11th, 2010 we set out from Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Our goal, to reach Sussex Bike Shop on route 23, before sundown. Our reward, if we made it there alive, a dinner at the Double S Diner across the street . For those unfamiliar with the Double S’s slow-smoked brisket and chicken, I’ll just note that it is an incentive of considerable proportions.
Accompanied by Ron’s lovely sidekick Renee and Head-Chiwauwa of the House, Juan Carlos, we headed for the lighthouse at the George Washington Bridge. Here we said goodbye to our entourage, learned via Iphone that there it was closer to 70 miles to Sussex, and headed for the bridge. From the GW there’s an amazing view of the Hudson River and the New York City. For inspiration we imagined it being overrun by axe-wielding Scandinavians in bearskin coats.
I don’t know what I had expected the actual trip through New Jersey to be like. Every time I’ve gone to Sussex, it has been by either car or bus, on fast but incredibly unattractive highways. If I had any doubts they were quickly put to shame. Bruce had (sort of) planned a lovely ride using mainly smaller country roads, and although few had actual bike paths, most had perfect little shoulders to ride on and little traffic, and we were never in major traffic.
Once off the George Washington we started heading west, down Main Street and through Leonia. We made a right onto Teaneck Rd. and passed the Armory building that used to hold guns and tanks, and headed towards Bergenfield. Hello, suburbia.
After Bergenfield and made a left on New Milford and sneaked towards Ridgewood Ave. Here we made a quick pit stop under the railroad tracks and shared a sandwich. We continued through Midland Park on Goodwin Avenue, made a left on Franklin, and hit Oakland Ave riding towards Pompton Lakes.
After Pompton Lakes the ride gets truly beautiful, and suburbia is suddenly replaced by spectacular forests, lakes and dams. Local teenagers tried to convince us to get our bikes washed on Ringwood Ave, but we opted for Snickers and Coke at a local Quick Check instead. We passed Raymond Dam, and continued on Greenwood Lake turnpike.
We made yet another stop at the beautiful Wanaque Reservoir and Monksville Dam, which Bruce pointed out used to be nothing more than a gravel pit, when he was a kid. Which is only a couple of years ago according to his timeline. Bruce also took us by say hello to Sue and Martin, who are the guardian angels on Long Pond Iron Work Museum which was founded in 1766.
This is where the legs started giving in, and it truly became an uphill battle. Greenwood Lake becomes Warwick Turnpike and then Upper Greenwood Lake. And that road is just up and up and up. And up and up. It honestly felt like biking up a 2000-foot ski jump. As Bruce so graciously pointed out somewhere not-even-halfway, no one he knew had ever been stupid enough to attempt this on a bicycle. Stupid is as stupid does.
After resting for quite a while on the top of the hill we made a left into the incredibly beautiful Waywayanda State Park, or as it is locally known, “The Jersey Jungle”. It is a rough and rugged park that starts somewhere in Pennsylvania and ends in Vermont’s Green Mountains. We didn’t go that far, but we did bike through it on a with a light wind in our backs on a beautifully paved road to the smell of pitch pine, laurel and pepper bushes.
When the road ended we took a secret dirt path out of the park, and hit the appropriately named Breakneck Road. Which feels like riding down a 2000-foot ski jump. Buckle your seatbelt, Dorothy, because Kansas is going bye-bye. I silently thanked Ron for checking my brakes before we left New York.
With a top speed of 34 mph we passed Vernon, Route 94 and the Mountain Creek ski resort. We knew this was the home stretch, and we hit Route 23 like seasoned Tour de France riders. Soon the Sussex Bike Shop was in sight – and our reward, The Double S Diner within reach. We rolled in to the parking lot side by side like the three musketeers. Jason from the bike shop came out to give the appropriate street cred, and our lovely ladies handed out celebratory kisses to each of us for a fight well-won.
I think we could have eaten wet cardboard at this point. But heading into the Double S felt for a slow-smoked feast felt like an all-American dream come true. A perfect treat for an amazing ride. In fact the slow-smoked brisket and chicken was so good, that we entirely forgot to take picture of the food. All we managed to capture, was these two pictures of our host, Eric, taking the chickens out of the smoker. I’ll let the chickens speak for themselves.
Total Trip: 77 miles. (Plus 2 for Bruce, who rode his bike home after dinner)
Total Time: 5 hrs. 50 min.
Average speed: 13 mph.
But who’s counting?
Here’s to Ron for an incredible idea. To Bruce for planning it (sorta). To Jason for something decent to ride on. To Eric for cooking an outstanding dinner. And to Heidi for all the kisses.
Coney Island Vietnamese? It’s Phở Real!
It’s been way too long since our last blog, but finally we’ve had a weekend in NYC to explore and to write about one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants. It’s in Bath Beach, believe it or not. But the ride there is amazing and takes you right by Coney Island, where you can enjoy the beach and all of the random charms that go along with the boardwalk.
Here’s our suggested route:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104219011093245346047.00048e052d9faa32cbc1d&ll=40.642094,-73.999786&spn=0.167247,0.282211&z=11
We started out our day at the Williamsburg bridge, and biked our usual route through the Navy Yard, making a quick pit stop in the Brooklyn Flea (Saturdays in Fort Greene) - which, as many know, is also filled with amazing food from local vendors. Try the dumplings from The Good Fork. One could spend an entire day just walking around there shopping and eating.
But, we needed to move on. Phở was calling….
We headed through Prospect Park, which hosts the Green Market every Saturday, year-round. As a side note to this blog…one could spend an entire weekend biking through Brooklyn, from market to market, and never get bored…
HEIDI IN PROSPECT PARK’S GREEN MARKET:
http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/places/greenmarket
After Prospect Park, we took Prospect Parkway the rest of the way, until we hit the boardwalk in Coney Island. It’s a great ride, with bike lanes almost the entire way down to the water. Half of our bike gang is featured below (Lars, Eric, Heidi - only Martin & Tobias are missing)…
HEIDI & MARTIN, CONEY ISLAND ON A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DAY:
AND THE TALENT SHOWWWWWWW….this could be the “Martin & Heidi Show” one day, if we’re lucky enough!
Finally, our hunger got the best of us, and we made our way off the boardwalk and weaved our way over to Pho Tay Ho Vietnamese Restaurant.
Here, we shared the best dishes. Of course, we ordered the Pho. But we ordered it with grilled pork chop, instead of beef. Delicious!
My favorite dish from our travels in Vietnam is Bo La-Lot (grilled minced beef rolled in la-lot leaves). You take wrapped salad leaves and create a lettuce roll with lots of amazing condiments inside (i.e., mint, peppers, sprouts, vermicelli, and basil). Similar to the Vietnamese spring-rolls, they just add another yummy layer to an already great thing! Speaking of, we also had the Vietnamese spring-rolls, which were delicious, as usual!
Another dish we got was Bun Cha Gio Bo Lui (grilled beef spring rolls over vermicelli). It’s a huge bowl of flavor, which you can pour Nuac Cham sauce onto. Soooo good!
Last of all, our favorite…Vietnamese Coffee (or iced, if it’s summer). Very strong coffee, which slowly drips your cup at the table as you wait, with sweetened condensed milk. Delicious…
ALL OUR EATS:
(and I’ve even found this restaurant on menupages)
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/pho-tay-ho/menu
On our way home, we biked a different route, on the water (Shore Parkway) almost the entire way back. It’s a beautiful ride, under the Verezano bridge, and has a beautiful bike lane.
And even sunbathers on the highway….
That wraps up another fun adventure. It won’t be so long, we promise, until we post the new one…stay-tuned!
ON A BROOKLYN LOBSTER ROLL
Dist.: App. 25 Miles (+5 with Prospect Park)
This one of our all-time favorite bike-and-eat rides in Brooklyn. It goes through Williamsburg, the Navy Yard, through Vinegar Hill and Dumbo, and continues through Brooklyn Heights to Caroll Gardens and ends in Red Hook. This time we returned via Park Slope, took a circle around Prospect Park, and headed through Fort Greene back to Williamsburg via Bedford Avenue.
See map. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104219011093245346047.0004876c53663cb1d423e&z=12
We meet under the Williamsburg Bridge as usual and stroll along the new blue bike path on Kent Avenue. We head south along the East River edge and make a right on Flushing, following the old US Navy Yard. Although it is no longer in use the decrepit old buildings are eerily beautiful.
We head down to Vinegar Hill House, which is an amazing restaurant mentioned elsewhere on this blog, just to say hi to friends. On Little Street (next street down) there is a strange old house we always pass. Looks like it could be Al Capone’s.
The trip down through DUMBO is a cobble stone street, so we ride on the sidewalk and enjoy all the beautiful little houses on Water Street. We pass the famed venue Galapagos Art Space, and check for evening shows. Unfortunately there’s no burlesque ladies tonight.
We pass the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (it’s hard) and make a pit stop on the Pier under Brooklyn Bridge. This area has developed tremendously over the last couple of years, and now there is an big park along the edge of the water. We park the bikes and share a bottle of water on the lawn.
We continue back through Brooklyn, and pass Grimaldi’s Pizza, as always there is a line of people waiting outside. We dismiss the idea waiting half an hour for a slice, as always. If you are hungry and at the end of Brooklyn Bridge, we recommend the Siggy’s Good Food on 76 Henry St. just a few blocks away, which boasts great organic food and both an combine wine and juice bar.
Henry Street is a great bike street as it essentially takes you straight through Brooklyn Hights, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens in one straight line. There is a bike path all the way, and the street is lined with brown stones houses and many trees.
And bam, you’re in Red Hook.
Red Hook is a fabulous place to chill around on a bike. Although there are few actual bike paths, the roads are wide and there is hardly any traffic out here. As shown on the map we like to head out to the tip of Fairway Market, from here you can see Lady Liberty clearly and South Manhattan if the weather is clear. One food option is to simply pick up a few things at the market and then head out to the tip of the pier and do your own little picnic.
We chose to head back to Van Brunt St. and our main destination: The Red Hook Lobster Pound. 284 Van Brunt Street. (12-7pm). The place is tiny and has no tables. But it does have two massive lobster pounds filled to the brim with goodies from Maine. Their mind-boggling great lobster rolls are $15 a piece and made freshly while you wait. And if you’ve got room for it on you bike, you can also bring home a whole lobsters – live or boiled.
Although the Pound do sell some excellent Whoopie Pies, and one of the best bakeries in NYC Baked, is right across the street, we chose to get back on the bike and make a little dessert detour. On 204 Van Dyke Street at the beginning of the pier you’ll find Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies. A bakery devoted to the Floridian art mixing lime juice and pie crust. Essentially you have two options at Steve’s. One is a regular Key Lime pie in mini-format. The other is the “Swingle” a froze mini-pie dipped in chocolate. Both are amazing and can be enjoyed with a cup of home-made Key Lime lemonade. Friends, let me just say this, it is worth the detour.
Team Scandalnavia gets back on the bikes and head to Van Brunt Street. If you are a foodie like us, this is a must-know street. Apart from the Lobster Pound and Baked, Van Brunt is also the home of restaurant The Good Fork (391 Van Brunt St.)famed for its dumplings. But the full menu is definitely worth the try if you are in Red Hook around dinner-time.
On the way of Red Hook we pass the Red Hook Yacht Club. I think the picture speaks for itself.
We head up Union and pass the strange Gowanus Canal, which is one of the few places to find house boats in New York. Berkley Pl. ends at The Grand Army Plaza. From here its an easy trip back to Williamsburg, but we decided we wanted a little more biking and made the beautiful loop around Prospect Park (app. 5 miles).
After a good ride through Prospect Park we head to Fort Greene, pick up a bottle of water at Farmer In The Deli, and aim for Bedford Avenue. This part of Bedford is quite a fun ride, although the traffic is bad, this neighborhood is the Orthodox Jewish District and unlike any you’ve ever seen. The really strange part is that the second you cross Broadway you are back in Hipster Town again.
We finish the day with a well deserved farm raised burger and Gibson at our all-time local favorite The Diner. Now that was an excellent lobster roll.
H+M
WALL STREET SCANDALINAVIA
Location: Wall Street, NYC.
Foods: Scandanavian
Distance Total: Approximately 8 miles
People get the oddest cravings. Martin’s is (on occasion) pickled herring. A much celebrated and frequently occurring dish at lunch tables around Scandinavia. But nearly impossible to find in New York….Nearly.
Thankfully, there’s the Swedish Smorgas Chef, which is where we went for brunch today. The Chef is a great Scandinavian restaurant with three locations in Manhattan (West Village, Wall Street and Scandinavia House). And one of the few places in New York which has pickled herring.
We biked across the Williamsburg Bridge, the one that, thanks to Marty Markovich says: “You’re now leaving Brooklyn, oy vey!” , through Soho on Rivington, and back on Prince. Then down Mott Street, to Stone Street and Smorgas Chef (Wall Street). By then, we were ready to eat!
The Smorgas Chef’s Herring Platter comes with four variations of Herring. One pickled in onion, another in mustard sauce, one in tomato, and one in a creamy dill sauce. In Scandinavia we’d have a Snaps or Aquavit with this, and they do serve shots of both here, but we opted for a couple of Bloody Mary’s, which is an excellent companion to raw fish. Sushi restaurants, take note.
After the herring, we shared the all-time classic Swedish Meatball with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. Just like my mother made it. Only mine, of course, made Danish meatballs with tyttebær – which is one and the same thing.
For coffee and dessert (yes, it was a very advanced brunch), we went across the street to another Scandinavian classic, Fika. Fika (in Swedish) essentially means taking a coffee break and socializing, and Fika NYC it is a great place for just that. (They have another location on 407 Park Ave South).
We had two foamy cappuccinos and two pieces of award winning chocolates balls. The liquorish-flavored ones are highly recommended.
Just as we were about to leave, a documentary on Lykke Li started playing and we were happily forced to stay and order a Swedish waffle with raspberry jam.
Tack så mycket!
53 Stone Street
New York, NY 10005
(212) 422-3500
66 Pearl Street
New York, NY 10004
(212) 832-0022
DAY OF MAN
Day Trip: From Williamsburg Bridge to Jamaica, on to Elmhurst and back to Greenpoint.
Foods: Caribbean, Surinamese, Chinese
Distance Total: App. 25 Miles
Time: 6 hrs.
Day Of Man is an annual bike trip arranged by our friend John who’s an avid biker, and passionate foodie. The trip is “boys only” and is usually involves eating our faces off, then eating some more – and attempt to bike home. This particular trip to the outskirts of Queens was no exception.
We met up by the Williamsburg Bridge and headed straight down Myrtle Avenue towards Jamaica, Queens. There’s no marked bike path on Myrtle but after a few miles the neighborhood turns residential, and the biking is great. At Forest Park the city stops abruptly and is replaced by beautiful trees on both sides. And the smell of Ford Explorer and Dunkin Donuts is replaced by an earthy breeze.
Our destination was Liberty Avenue in Queens where John had discovered a mindboggling selection of Caribbean and (Northern) South American restaurants. Our first stop was Mr. Singh’s Roti Shop & Bar. The place is packed with men of all ages and sizes munching on roti and watching cricket. We ordered two of the massive Caribbean curry pancakes, one with goat and one with conch, and a great selection of ginger beers and shandy’s – but the winning wild card was the 1 dollar “double”. A small, fluffy tortilla with a chickpea curry paste. Yumm, this does feel like Jamaica (the owners are actually from Tobago, but who’s counting?)
We parked the bikes, and headed a few blocks down the street to Warung Kario, which describes itself as Halall Surinamese Indonesian Cuisine (so obviously, the menu is in Dutch). We shared an order of stewed chicken over lo mein nodles. Decent, but nothing to write home about. The chicken satay and the fried plantains however, were great. They were served with both a crunchy peanut sauce and a thick, spicy soy sauce.
I believe there were a few more places on Liberty Avenue in John’s notebook, but we decided to head towards Elmhurst, and see if we couldn’t work up an appetite. The trip from Jamaica to Elmhurst wasn’t the greatest, but we made it there in one piece.
Elmhurst is apparently the home of New Yorks other Chinatown. And after a little bit of rummaging around on the net Eric found Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House. The restaurant is small, cramped, and has the condensation of a Turkish steam room. But the fried dumplings were amazing ($1.25 for 4 dumplings, $11 for a bag of 50). And we had an excellent bowl of hand-pulled noodles (pulled right in front of us) with shredded pork. We finished the day with a hot bubble tea at the tea house a few blocks down the road.
This is where food coma sets in, and there is nothing more to do but get on the bike, put your thighs on auto-pilot, and hope that the bike knows its way home. Eric and I found our way back to Williamsburg via Roosevelt Avenue which turns into Greenpoint Avenue. Happy, and just a few kilos heavier than when we set out.
Thank you, John for yet another excellent Day of Man.
Singh’s Roti Shop & Bar
13118 Liberty Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11419-3124
(718) 323-5990
12812 Liberty Avenue
South Richmond Hill, NY 11419-2218
(718) 322-4774
Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House
8608 Whitney Avenue
Elmhurst, NY 11373-3658
(718) 639-3996
O’CRÊPES! BLOODY MARY’S MANSION!
DESTINATION: O’CRÊPES & VINEGAR HILL HOUSE
WHY: Today was all about the biking experience, less about the food (although that was great, too)!!
LOCATIONS:
O’Crêpes (143 Front Street, Dumbo, btw Pearl & Jay Streets, Brooklyn)
Vinegar Hill House (72 Hudson Avenue, Vinegar Hill, btw Front & Water Streets, Brooklyn)
All pics below!!!
MYDAY:
The day started out with all intentions to bike through the Navy Yard (http://www.brooklynnavyyard.org/history.html) & Vinegar Hill, only. Final goal was to hit Vinegar Hill House for brunch (http://www.vinegarhillhouse.com/).
But it was so beautiful outside that I just kept going into Dumbo, until I finally got hungry and thought, “O’Crêpes, I’m right next to O’Crêpes”!
So the day took a turn, and that’s what I ended up eating. I love O’Crêpes. I love watching them make the crêpe in front of me, I love choosing the savory or sweet ingredients that it will be filled with! I especially love eating them.
I sat in the outdoor concrete park, next to the Manhattan Bridge, at Anchorage Place (corner of Pearl Street). The sun was shining, it was perfect.
I won’t go into too much detail about Dumbo, because everyone already knows about it, or can Google to find out more.
I will note that I stopped into a Vintage Danish Furniture warehouse that seems to have just opened up (“Baxter & Liebchen”, 33 Jay Street, corner of Plymouth & Jay Streets), which is worth taking a look through. A bit expensive, but it carries some unique designs. My Danish husband, Martin, will be so excited to see it!!!
My favorite part of the day, though, was heading through Vinegar Hill. Such a great, untouched neighborhood (http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/Vinegar%20Hill%20Page/vinegar.html), and it’s always fun to peek through the gates into the secret mansion…
http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=1559
At this point, I figured it was time for another stop! Vinegar Hill House (http://www.vinegarhillhouse.com/) is a fantastic place to eat. I would recommend it to anyone, although sometimes there is a wait.
Since I had just eaten, I opted for just a delicious Bloody Mary. The beans are pickled! (ps - I wasn’t by myself, so it’s not like I was drinking alone…but, yes, I was mildly “bike drinking” - I only had 1, I swear).
Afterward, it was great to take a quick ride through the Brooklyn Navy Yard (follow Hudson Avenue away from the water, which actually turns into Navy Street. Turn Left on Flushing Avenue, in order to enjoy the outskirts of the old Navy Yard, as you bike!)
As you’re biking North on Flushing, there’s actually one street that has a pretty fun recycle & design furniture shop, Re-Pop (http://www.repopny.com/). If you turn right (from Flushing onto Washington Avenue), the street is pretty small before you hit the BQE. Pop Shop is on the right-hand side (68 Washington Avenue).
Finally, I headed back towards Williamsburg, which is a whole other adventure FILLED with fun eats…not for today, though. I’m exhausted! Trish, thanks for coming with me! What an awesome day, eh?
O’Crêpes
THE LOVELY CHEF, MAKING THEM….
TO-GO…A GREAT, SUNNY PLACE TO EAT: ANCHORAGE PLACE
TAADAA…THAT’S ME AND THE NUTELLA CREPE WITH STRAWBERRIES/BANANA
SECRET MANSION (AKA: COMMANDANT’S HOUSE)
VINEGAR HILL NEIGHBORHOOD:
VINEGAR HILL HOUSE:http://www.vinegarhillhouse.com/
Hand Pulled Noodles, Shopping and Gelato for Dessert
DESTINATION: Kuai-An Hand Pull Noodles Restaurant
WHY: Amazing Hand-Pulled Noodles
LOCATION: 28 Forsythe Street, NY, NY (just next to base of manhattan bridge - just south of Canal).
All pics below!!!!
MY DAY:
First, I have to say that I’m cheating for my first article. This place is pretty easy to get to in Manhattan, so a bike isn’t a ‘must’, but it just makes it more fun.
I just wanted to start my blog here, because I woke up CRAVING hand pulled noodles!
This tiny little restaurant, owned by a young couple, is so much fun to check out. Each time I have visited this place, I’ve been the only Westerner in the restaurant (although it’s packed with locals)…a great sign that it’s good, and authentic!
This place has fantastic hand pulled noodle soups. Although the ‘types’ of soup (see menu below) can be a bit scary for some, I’m sure you can find something that satisfies your craving. Also, the soup bases are wonderful. If you want something relatively normal, the beef, pork and vegetable options will do the trick.
But the best part of coming here is that the owner of the shop pulls the serving of noodles by hand, each time you order. He does this in the opening of the kitchen so, if you ask, he’ll HAPPILY let you watch him. It’s so cool and only takes him about 30 seconds, before he tosses the noodles into the wok and soon after they’re thrown into the soup!
Delicious.
I ordered the Beef Hand Pulled Noodle ($4.75 for huge bowl). Beef is marinated, so good, but a bit fatty.
The only other thing worth trying on their menu is the dumplings. They’re great and much cheaper than the usual dumpling shops closer to Delancey ($3.50 for 12).
Here, we’re pretty deep into Chinatown. Although close to Canal street, it’s very east, which means mostly locals and much cheaper. So the area is worth biking through the streets, east of the Manhattan bridge. There are definitely some bike lanes here, but I just weave and explore, at this point! Cars aren’t going so fast - it’s more the pedestrians you have to watch out for.
OTHER THINGS TO SEE/DO IN THE HOOD:
If you’re looking for cheap produce while you’re there (I always do a bit of grocery shopping while I’m in Chinatown), there’s a huge area of fruit/vegetable stands, just under the Manhattan bridge (on Forsyth Street). Each day, the locals line up to get their fruits/vegetables here, and it’s packed.
Also, I usually stop by my favorite tiny grocery store, FuzHou Supermarket. It’s much less stressful than Hong Kong Grocery. There, I pick up my usual fav’s to bring home…Dried Chinese Peanuts (just like roasted peanuts in the shell, but much smaller/drier and have a naturally salty flavor).
I also love to pick up Golden Rabbits, just a tiny little white nouget candy that most chinese grocery stores have. They’re cheap and good.
This grocery store also has steamed sweet potatoes outside in their fruit/veggie section. I tried one, for 36 cents, and it was so simple (literally just a sweet potato that she puts in a baggie and you just bite into it), but SO good!
After you’re done here, bike up Orchard Street (parallel to and 3 blocks east of Forsyth). Btw Canal and Delancey, there are some great Galleries and Clothing shops (for both men and women), worth checking out!
Just when you’re about to leave the hood, there is a great Gelato place “il laboratorio del gelato” (95 Orchard, btw Delancey & Broome). Stop by.
If you haven’t checked it out, yet (for those non-nyc’ers), the Tenement Museum (91 Orchard, btw Delancey & Broome) is definitely worth seeing once. Also, the museum’s store has some fun stuff.
Well, that’s it for today. Biking to and from Brooklyn, as well as all the stopping/eating/seeing I did, I spent the entire afternoon entertaining myself with my bike! Now I’m exhausted..but already planning my next big BikeEatNYC adventure!
THE RESTAURANT:
THE MENU:
HAND-PULLING NOODLES:
DONE, AND READY TO COOK:
BEEF PULLED NOODLE SOUP! YUMMMMMM!
FRESH, CHEAP PRODUCE UNDER MANHATTAN BRIDGE:
FUZHOU SUPERMARKET:
LAST STOP, GELATO:
