New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-28
DRAWBACKS TO THE BICYCLE.
AT LEAST AZ A MEANS OF GOING To Bust
NESS IN NETWORK CITY.

There are two drawbacks TO riding bicycle Gown
town when 4 New-Yorker Is on his way 20 business
In tho forenoon hours. There is hSph"' ~" W.,
way-or practically all the way-but In ofucr ~ ''''o
with any feeling of satisfaction one must ""No
fairly clear course In front of him. Sthrt.ng from
anywhere In the vicinity OF Central PRrK' tie 'iuo.
may take his choice between the East sac ana
the West Side and whchevar he chooses proVloen
both are equally convenient for him. the chahces
are that he will regret not having taken 'he other'
Suppose he turns into Madson-avc He VIII nave
little If any trouble until he gets 10 hotstoh-sr'
which If he knows the asphalt route on that side OF
the city he will reach at Sccond-ave paving ridden
through Madlson-ave.. Twenty-sixth-st.. Lexington
ave where of course. a sharp lookout must ne Kept
for the cable-cars especially when crossing twenty
third-stD and Twenty-second-st. to reach second
ave At Houson-st. the proper thing Is to turn one
block to the left 10 Forsyth-st, which mas an
asphalt pavement all the way down TO Divlslon-st.
Forsyth-st Is narrow. in the first place. and. be-
sides it has a railroad track. on which the cars OF
the Second-avc. line move uptown. In places II IS
found crowded with vehicles on both sides. ana IL
Is noticeable that the further one goes downtown
the greater Is the number OF men. women ana chI-
dren making use OF the pavement for all sorts OF
purposes The asphalt, indeed seems to be the
great tho-oughfare for pedestrians and FOR boys
and girls at play. Slow riding a bicycle is
necessary II one would avoid collision with those on
foot and a constant watch IS Indispensable. There
is little opportunity 20 look at the SCENERY but
perhaps II Is lust well not to observe too closely
the squalid appearance OF the crowded tenement
houses
One who knows tho ropes does not follow For
syth-st to Dvison-st., although Chatham Square
may be approached that way on smooth pavement:
but to come down Park Row from the Square 10
the City Hall is rather hard shedding" Tho hard
riding may be reduced by turning into Hcster-st.
going to either Mott Mulberry and then swing
ing around the Five Points and following Park-st.
to Centre and Duane SITS. But II Forsyth-st was
crowded what shall be said OF Mulberry and tho
immediate vicinity of Mulberry Park? It certain
" was no chilGs play ride there yesterday fore
noon. For two or three blocks above the park Null
berry-st. was packed with people doing their Sat-
urday morning marketing. and the narrow ways
around tho park were filled with moving wagons
and pushcarts. well as human beings IL re-
qulred steady grip on the handles and strong
nerve TO thread ones way successfully through the
So much for coming down on the East Side. Sup
pose the rider takes Eighth-ave, instead OF Madi-
son. and then follows the asphalt strips in Hudson
st. on Sunday he will have no trouble. but on
ordinary days there are entirely TOO many wagons
number Increases below canal-st. and In places 1t
is necessary to ride "A whole block at time on the
stone pavement When the rider mas turned out on
the stones hundred times he Will begin TO THINK
Ghambers-st.' in West broadway. there is asphalt
the entire roadway as far as Dey-st, and there,
of course, riding Is more toleraple isut tneie Is
little reason 10 believe that many NEWCOMERS
can be tempted to use bicycles in going 10 or re-
turning from business on a large scale In the near
future.
1t is surprising to one familiar with the streets
Of this city TO the editors Of cycling columns
in some Of the newspapers OF Greater New-York
Informing their readers that the best way OF riding
from the Battery uptown IL to follow Broadway
and Park Row as far Chatham Square. As
matter OF fact, the asphalt pavements In Broad
and Nassau SITS. bring one comfortably almost to
the City Hail. md then on the East Side, as has
been said above. there is asphalt leading out Of
~ how md Hr "A
the way to Central Park with the exception of one
block in Houston-st. while on the West Side the
asphalt Is continuous from Dey-st. 10 the Grand
Circle and thence up the Boulevard until one
reaches Columbia College.