We’re excited to announce that most of us have arrived in New York and are ready to kick off an amazing ride. After a super early flight, we arrived at Laguardia airport ready to conquer the day – many of us were sleep deprived. Despite the early morning wake-up call, we all took full advantage of our first day in New York!
RIDE OVERVIEW
Mileage: 750 miles via plane
Elevation: 35,000 ft (Cruising altitude)
Points of Interest: Chinatown, Little Italy, Central Park, The High Line, Hudson Yards
Tales of the Trail (NY Edition)
Day -1 started with most of the team meeting at Midway Airport in Chicago at 5:00 a.m. to catch a plane to our starting point in New York! Everyone arrived fairly on time, and checking in was a breeze. Some set forth to explore the airport, while others chose to get some shut-eye. Once we got on board, it was as if Maleficent cast a spell on the entire team, putting them all into a deep slumber, only to be awoken by the landing at LaGuardia airport. We all took the M60 bus to our first stayover, Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in North Harlem, and dropped off our bags before exploring the city.
11/17 of us arriving at Midway Airport!!
Plane squad (first row - Nicole, Veronica, and Willam, second row - Eli, Harbin, and Micah)
We couldn’t unpack or reassemble our bikes at the time of our arrival, so we all decided to spend time enjoying the city. We got a large group to take the subway downtown, and we walked around Chinatown and Little Italy – most of us were starving and trying to find something to eat. We split off into different groups, with some of us getting bagel sandwiches and others going for Chinese.
Stephanie and Sophia totally eating a giant rainbow bagel
Squad in Chinatown!
We found a big pigeon! (Dev, Eli, Stephanie, Katie, Sophia)
After venturing downtown, we returned to our stayover and got to unpacking our bags and reassembling bikes, with most of us being reunited. Everyone was pretty beat, and we all got some well-needed rest before dinner. Most of us and some I4K alumni – shoutout Joey and Rose – got food at Dado’s Pizza, where we enjoyed a great meal and were met with some enthusiastic Knicks fans. After dinner, some of us enjoyed a night ride through Manhattan, and we got to enjoy the sights of Central Park, Times Square, and the Rockefeller Center.
Times Square! So many lights!
Thanks for reading today’s journal! We appreciate all of your comments and hope you enjoy keeping up with the team!