Tag Archives: new york city

The Best Scenic Runs for Tourists in New York City

Heading to the Big Apple? Sure, there are the must-see for any tourist, from The Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty to the Museum of Modern Art and Central Park.

But perhaps there are some even cooler things to see not only by foot, but by stride. Whether training for a marathon (marathon season is coming up, after all) or simply looking to get some exercise in after all those slices of New York pizza, check out these running routes around the city to see the sights in a completely new way.

Manhattan

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Hudson River Run

This route is great for runners looking to run one mile or 10. The Hudson River Greenway is a path that runs from Battery Park in Manhattan all the way up to the Bronx, and is paired pretty perfectly with a sunset. Along the route, runners will see (depending on mileage) the USS Intreprid, the Statue of Liberty, the George Washington Bridge, and great waterfront restaurants perfect for a post-run meal. The path is on the west side of Manhattan, so the best option is get off at any ACE or 123 train stop, and then walk west until the Hudson River is in sight! After the run, check out the Highline hotel, which is also on the west side of Manhattan, for a well-deserved drink in their garden.

Brooklyn

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Coney Island

Coney Island is part beach, part seaside resort, and part amusement park. In other words, it’s awesome. Visitors can also run the length of its boardwalk, which is just shy of six miles run. The best part? Jump in the ocean right after to cool off. To get there, hop on the D, Q, N or F train all the way to  Stillwell Avenue. Just remember to wear sneakers (and bring a bathingsuit)!

The Five Bridges Run

Forget one of those tour buses and hit three of New York’s boroughs—Manhattan, Queens, and Williamsburg— by fast foot. Note: This route is easier for those more familiar with the city, or is at least with someone who is! For a killer 17 mile run, start at the 59th street bridge in Manhattan, cross to Queens, jump on the Pulaski Bridge to connect into Brooklyn, and then run over the Williamsburg Bridge to return back to Manhattan. From there, head towards and over the Manhattan Bridge, then finish the run over the Brooklyn Bridge. Phew! Here’s a map that will be helpful, too. When starting at the 59th Bridge, take the NQR trains to the 59th/Lexington Stop. To start at the Brooklyn Bridge, take the 456 train to, what else, but the Brooklyn Bridge stop. Bonus points for grabbing a room at the NU Hotel, a chic hotel that will make any tourist feel like a New Yorker.

Queens

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Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Forget Central Park and check out this city greenspace in Queens. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park offers a great 2.5 mile loop so anyone can see the best things Queens has to offer: the Unisphere, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, The Queens Museum, and Citi Field (go Mets!). People can access the park by car (parking is pretty easy) or take the 7 train to Willets Point/Mets Stadium. Consider staying at Red Roof in Queens to cut down on travel time.

Astoria Park

This park is well known for having the largest pool in the city, but it also comes with much more: tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, and many trails for runners. There’s also a gorgeous shoreline along the East River for a great running route that comes with a nice breeze. The best option is to take the Q train to Astoria Park, then walk (or run!) less than a mile to the park’s entrance.

Bronx

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Van Cortlandt Park

For a taste of New York that’s feel anything like a city, head on the 1 train to 242nd street and explore the trails at Van Cortlandt. It’s a bit of a hike, but is totally worth it for the committed runner. The famous route is the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, which can be up to seven miles long. Fun fact: Van Cortlandt is the third largest park in New York City, behind Pelham Bay Park and Staten Island Greenbelt, and is also home to the oldest building in the bronx: Van Cortlandt House Museum.

 

 

Headed to New York City, and A Bit of History

I’m headed to the Big Apple this coming Sunday night on a redeye to spend a week. I specifically chose a redeye so that I didn’t miss the Seahawks play-off game this coming Sunday in the event they beat the Redskins. Turns out I made a wise choice, as they did indeed beat the Redskins and on Sunday thus are playing the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Why am I going to New York?

Aside from the fact that I still want to move there, I’m going to see some old real estate friends (& a few new ones) in town for the Real Estate Connect conference, attend RE BarCamp NY, meet a few travel bloggers & an up-and-coming consultant/blogger, and talk to a several potential investors for Oh Hey World. I’ll be in town until at least the 22nd, so let me know if you’ll be passing through the city that week!

For those interested parties, here’s a bit of a history lesson about New York with video footage from 1949. Enjoy!

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[Video H/T to Nicole Beauchamp on Facebook]

Drew Meyers

Drew Meyers is the co-founder of Horizon & Oh Hey World. He worked for Zillow from September of 2005 to January of 2010 on the marketing team managing Zillow’s API program and various online partnerships. Founder of Geek Estate Blog, a multi-author blog focused on real estate technology for real estate professionals, and myKRO.org, a blog devoted to exploring the world of microfinance. As passionate as you get about travel.

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Serendipity on my East Coast Trip

We all know serendipity is amazing.

As some of you may know, I’m on a east coast business trip that has already spanned Boston and New York City, with the next stop being Philadelphia and Washington DC. There have been a few serendipitous components to the trip, and some missed serendipity.

1. My best friend in the world happened to be in Boston the same weekend I was. As a result, I got to hang out with her for two days which was of course a huge unexpected bonus (who doesn’t like hanging out with their best friend?). Yet if that scenario were to happen to anyone outside of my 4 or 5 closest friends, we likely never would have realized we were to be in the same city at the same time. I trade emails and texts with my close friends all the time. Not so with everyone in my network — even though I’d love to spend time with many of my more distant friends in another city.

2. On the bus to the airport in Boston to pick up my friend, I saw a girl at the back of the bus who looked almost exactly like one of my close friends from high school. Since I couldn’t quite be sure from the front of the bus and didn’t want to make a scene by approaching her all the way from the other end, I texted my old high school friend who now lives in Los Angeles, “Are you in Boston right now?” I got a text a few minutes later that said, “Nope, but will be in NYC on Sunday.” Holy crap I thought — that’s crazy, since I was headed to New York on Monday. Turns out we didn’t end up meeting up since she was just in and out for a client meeting, but we tried.

3. A fraternity brother of mine, who I last saw in Santorini in the summer of 2010, was in Boston for the weekend as well. We randomly saw that we were both going to be in Boston ahead of time based on random Facebook status updates and planned to meet up. We both completely spaced and missed each other.

More on serendipity to come…

Drew Meyers

Drew Meyers is the co-founder of Horizon & Oh Hey World. He worked for Zillow from September of 2005 to January of 2010 on the marketing team managing Zillow’s API program and various online partnerships. Founder of Geek Estate Blog, a multi-author blog focused on real estate technology for real estate professionals, and myKRO.org, a blog devoted to exploring the world of microfinance. As passionate as you get about travel.

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Follow Me:
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