The New York City ride was honored by perfect weather. Nine riders met at the
Riverside park boat basin. Many types of riding were represented including
beginner, hockey, tricks and muni.
After a brief warm up, we made our way through throngs of ogling pedestrians to
Central Park. We rode past Sheep’s Meadow which was packed with sunbathers and
Frisbee players, then past the rollerskate circle where skaters have gathered
religiously every weekend for close to a quarter of a century to dance on wheels
in a mesmerizing tribal ring. Some time was spent riding around the area in
front of the band shell. This is a large flat area where people congregate to
hang out, ride board and skate (and uni). A Brazilian group was gathered to
practice Capuera, a fighting art disguised as a dance set to music. Next we
headed north past Bethesda Fountain and into The Ramble. This area of only a few
acres consists if a network of twisting trails and paths, streams, big rocks,
(the little ones were removed a long time ago to keep people from throwing them
at each other…remember, this is New York) logs and other “interesting”
obstacles that added to the challenge. The ride finished at Belvedere Castle, a
miniature medieval castle on a cliff with a great view that contains the Central
Park weather station. A crowd gathered to watch us before our final photo-op.
After the ride we left the park and ate outside at E.J.s Luncheonette, A popular
westside restaurant with big portions. The meet was a huge success. I believe
that Scott the Muniac might be hosting the event next weekend or soon after in
the wilds of New Jersey. Check his site at <A
HREF=“http://www.muniac.com./index.html”>Muniac Manor</A> for details. Thanks to
all who showed up. I had a great time. …Andrew