[MelvinsArmy]

I wanted to start a photo-based topic to see what it looks like where people ride and show off some of the cool things I see on my rides. I ride my mountain bike daily to work from Bushwick Brooklyn to Chelsea in Manhattan. On the weekends and on some evenings I ride my bmx bikes all over Brooklyn and Manhattan, sometimes into Queens and occasionally into Jersey City and Hoboken. I'm in this hobby because I love riding bikes. Don't get me wrong, obviously I like to geek out about parts, history, and all that comes with this old bmx thing, but really those are kind of secondary loves for me. I've always enjoyed the big rides more than any show. When I'm not commuting, I almost always have a camera with me. I started taking my camera to take photos of garbage to use in my paintings. Then I just started taking photos of cool stuff I see on my rides.

Where do you ride? Take some pictures and show us!

Here are the bikes I take on these rides. A 2007 Kappa K24 and a 1985 JMC 24. Both get an equal amount of road time. I love cruisers, they're comfy for the long rides I like to take. I took this shot in Greenpoint Brooklyn on a rare time that I had them out together. A friend came over to visit and we went for a ride.




First, I have a regular default destination when I feel like going for a nice easy ride. It's a spot behind a warehouse on the East River in Greenpoint Brooklyn. It's probably a bit over two miles from my apartment. It's kind of desolate, it's gritty, there's lots of litter and usually at least one or two other people around, but not much more. It has a great view of the Manhattan skyline. I like to ride to it, sit on the Jersey barrier on the edge of the shore and just relax for a bit while looking at the skyline. Sometimes Geese swim around in the water, sometimes a water plane will land and take off again. Here's what it looks like. I didn't realize I didn't have any great pics of this great spot until I started this thread. I promise to try to catch some nicer shots.

Looking north:

Looking south, that's the Williamsburg bridge:


Along the way to my regular stop this past Sunday, I saw this nicely painted van and had to get a shot:


This past Sunday was Easter. I stopped by my little spot on the river on my ride and found this guy rummaging around looking for food. I promptly named him the Easter Rat.


After watching the Easter Rat for a bit I headed over the Williamsburg Bridge, into Manhattan, down (under) the FDR drive and back over the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn. On the ramp coming off the bridge I saw a regular summer sight, a motorcycle club of some sort. This time it was of the less common off road variety.


This I like. I'm not a huge fan of graffiti, but anything that makes me think, I like. I don't know what exactly the message is here, but I like it:


Then I road up into Vinegar Hill. It's a strange isolated place in Brooklyn that seems almost untouched by time. Cool old buildings, brick streets and all kinds of cool details not found anywhere else in the city.
Here is a large house that I thought looked like it might belong to one of the Corleons:


Next, perhaps the best example of patina I've ever seen. I wanted to throw my bike in the back of this Chevy and drive it home so bad. Good thing there was not a for sale sign in the window, or you'd probably see most of my bike stuff up on ebay right now.


The sun was starting to set, so I decided to head home. I rode up Flushing Ave past the Navy Yards. There is a stretch of Flushing Ave with a bunch of old run down, over grown buildings. Big, beautiful buildings. I don't know what their story is, I assume they are on city or government property. It's not a bad part of town, but for some reason these buildings sit totally abandoned and neglected. Whatever the case, they are usually almost totally obscured by foliage, but since it's spring and the leaves have not started, I got a good view for once. Here are two of the buildings. I'd love to go explore these grounds, if only I knew I wouldn't get busted for trespassing.



So that's it for right now. I'll add pics of other cool stuff I find on my rides, and I want you to do the same! Show me what you see on your rides.

[Kerry]

man...i love ny

when you have more free time just throw up as many as you can. Id like to explore vinegar hill...only a little over 3 hrs away!

[lboorse2]

Cool stuff. I need to get some updated ride pics.

Here's a few of a ride at a local park i took in early Spring 2008 (before anything was yet in bloom). You'll see some remnants of snow still on the ground. That's a very stark contrast to the current Spring in the Philly burbs where everything is already green (I may need to mow the lawn within the next 2 weeks) with temperatures hitting the 60's and 70's numerous times already this season and expected to hit a record of 90 tomorrow. Typically we're in the mid-50's at this point in the season.


While pumping up the tires for the first time that year, I broke my foot pump...



So, throw the bike in the back of the car and head over to the nearest gas station to fill up the tires



I finally got to cruise



By the bushes - snow still on the ground. Keep in mind this was early April, about the same time of year we're in now.



Bridge over a creek that feeds Lake Caroline (and I use the term "lake" very lightly).



Behind the storage house for the public pool adjacent to the park (this one is still my desktop background on my laptop at home)




Scott, given your propensity for photographing abandoned places, I wanted to share with you a photo I scanned and turned into an album cover for my old band last year. I took the photo during a photography workshop at Temple University's Tyler campus in 1995. I was attending with my sister who was preparing to attend Tyler in the fall. The photograph is of one sole building that was once part of the Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry. This building was in the section of the Byberry campus known as the "East Group". The "East Group" as I knew it in the 80's and 90's was now an industrial park. For some reason unknown to me, this single desolate building, once accompanied by 2 identical buildings and a number of others, was the only one left standing amongst the small factories, warehouses, and union halls in the current industrial complex. At the same time, practically all of the buildings on the west side of Roosevelt Blvd (some 30+ buildings) still stood in all of their abandoned glory. But to me, this lone building was the most haunting -- I still have all of the original negatives that I need to scan in one of these days...




If you wanna read some effed up shiite, google "Byberry" and read about some of the history of this place and about the state of psychiatric medicine in general during the early and mid 20th century.

[MelvinsArmy]

Very cool Lee.

Kerry, come down any time, I've got an extra bike waiting for you.

[lboorse2]

Pics up now...

[lboorse2]

Crap -- sorry for taking this thread way off-topic now, but I just had a effed up revelation that I need to share. Google maps is a scary tool... that's not the revelation though.

Someone done went and restored that creepy old building , once said to be used for satanic worship and other such urban legend and it appears that it is in use for something today. I need to take a drive down there soon to see what this is used for now.

I think this pic from Google Maps is even creepier than the one I took in 95.

[MelvinsArmy]

Weird, yeah it looks like a mental hospital now or something. That's cool. Hopefully this thread will help people think of places like that and get out and do some exploring, and hopefully do some picture taking too. You're right Lee, I am drawn to abandoned places, I don't know why. I like old stuff, it makes sense that Rome is my favorite place.

[Tite681]

That building reminds me of the first scene in the movie Prom Night where the girl fell out the window.

[GlennS]

For those of you that don't know Scott, he is an artist.
I have a large painting he did in my living room of JP ripping it on a looptail Redline at Saddleback racetrack.
I will try to post a picture of it later.
Scott are you coming to Cali this year?
glenn

This post has been edited by GlennS: 07 April 2010 - 09:57 AM

[GlennS]

Here is a painting Scott (MelvinsArmy) did for me.
Looks better in person and he painted it to suit my likings.This was a photo taken by Bob Osborne of John Palfryman riding a 1 of 3 made looptail Redline bikes.
Slow shutter speed made the picture in the ad a priceless memory.

This post has been edited by S.Brothers: 07 April 2010 - 12:15 PM

[COASTY]

I had a great ride for about 4 hours a couple of weekends back. We rode around Brisbane city along the waterfront and hit up a local inner city skatepark. Had the best ride in ages.
Locally I ride along the esplanade in Hervey Bay.

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[MelvinsArmy]

Great views Coasty!

Hey Glenn, it doesn't look like I'm going to make it to Cali this year. I've got a few too many trips planned already. We definitely need to get together for an NYC group ride this summer.

[quinonesm]

Scott - nice thread and great Pics. I can play along and will add to it soon! Vinegar Hill looks intriguing and in although I've lived in NYC all of my life, I'm not familiar with it. I gotta check it out one day.

Also, nice painting you did for Glenn!

Looking forward to seeing more pics from others.

[Alvin Mullins ospoolrider]

Cool thread, Love your avatars Kerry and Glenn

[MelvinsArmy]

A few pics from my commute.

In the center of the Williamsburg Bridge. This is the J train. I often race J, M and Z trains on my commute across the bridge. They usually win.



I saw this guy Saturday morning in a park in downtown Manhattan that I cut through on my way to work. I had heard him before, but this was the first time I saw him.




There is a high end car audio shop up the block from where I work. They've always got cool cars around. Saturday morning it was a Lamborghini and some kind of super Audi. Check the graffiti on top of the building next door, "you go girl" and "read more". I like it.



My 1994 Gary Fisher getting it's picture taken outside work. This is my "good" commuter.



Went for a two and a half hour ride today (Sunday).
I found this old Mongoose tied up outside a super market. It belonged to a 20 year old hipster chick. I should have taken a picture of her with her bike.



I couldn't believe this. Naturally I had to stop and get a pic.



I thought this was interesting. Laundry day in Bushwick.



This is a fairly common sight on the bike path side of the Manhattan bridge. The fence is pretty tall, maybe 8 feet, so you don't really notice unless you're looking around. I don't understand this phenomenon, but I see it frequently on that bridge.




Yep!
Under the Manhattan bridge in Brooklyn.

[Spur]

This is cool, I did this a thread like this as a contest in the old Mid-school forum. I really dig seeing how the other side lives. Although there isn't much glorious about where I ride in New Whiteland Indiana, I will get out and photograph it for this this thread.

[S.Brothers]

Good stuff. Scott, California - don't say no.

I like your Gary Fisher Mtn. Bike. I remember you mentioning that before, but are you original owner? I can't remember now.

[MelvinsArmy]

I want to see Indiana Jake!

Steve, I'd love to do California. I don't think I can swing it this year though. Most of my vacation time is already accounted for. Perhaps California 2011? If you head east on your trip to the US and want to visit NYC, you've got yourself a home and a bike waiting for you, just let me know.

The Gary Fisher. In 1994 I bought a black Gary Fisher Aquila. In 94 the Aquila was available in either black or green. It was the summer after my freshman year of college. I sold all my old r/c racing equipment to pay for it. I put more miles on that bike and loved it more than any bike I've ever owned. Did crazier stuff on it than I ever thought of when I was younger with a bmx bike. After I moved out east, I got a bug to get another bmx bike. Small apartment, turnstiles, etc helped make that decision. So, I sold old Gary to my best friend back in Iowa. He still has it. When I decided to get another mtb to commute on he wouldn't sell it back, I can't say I blame him. So I built a rigid steel mountain bike on a Soma Groove frame, basically trying to make an updated Aquila. It is a fine bike and I love it too, but I started looking on ebay periodically for 94 Aquilas out of nostalgia. Then some time in 08 this bike came up. It was nearly mint, like a solid 9 out of 10 condition wise. I bid on it figuring I'd never find a nicer example and I won. I changed the tires to a better tread for concrete, put on some higher rise (more comfy) bars, shorter stem and a Brooks B17. I love it. Black being my favorite color for bikes, cars, etc, I never thought it would be possible that I'd think green would look better, but in this case I think it does. Of course it can't replace my old black Gary, but it's close and in much better shape, and I'm glad it's green to distinguish it from my old bike. I always get to ride the old bike when I visit my friend in Iowa, and that is always a nice bonus on those trips. Whew, that was a long story about an old mountain bike, but I really like those two old mountain bikes.

[mcam]

I spent a day in NYC last September. Its a long long way from my home in Christchurch, New Zealand.

But I have to say, it is one of the coolest places I have ever been. I want to go back there, and experience more of it.

Great photos guys!

[Capt. Nemo]

Went for a little ride today, and snapped some pics along my usual route past Lake Michigan, along the beach, and thru the harbor...












And one last shot outside our city zoo. Which is only about 6 blocks from our house...