Underbelly of the Brooklyn Bridge		Me, a Bike, a Plane, Destination: NYC May 03, 2001 New York, New York. So good they had to name it twice. I set off today to visit this fine city, primarily to visit with my family. So you thought I'd skip out of training just for being out of town? What? And miss out on an opportunity to strut my California cycling stuff in the Big Apple? Are you kidding? Yes, dear friends. I packed up my bike and set off to the East. Ah, what the love of biking can do to a traveller who normally insists on travelling light. Schlepping (okay, rolling) a gigantic flight case four feet long and 30 inches high, convincing airline personnel that the giant suitcase will, in fact, fit through the cargo bay door of the plane is a change of pace. I've got two rides planned for the weekend. On Saturday, I'll be joining a group of New York and New Jersey based riders for a scheduled AIDSRide training ride. Sunday morning, I'll be participating in the annual Bike New York event, a massive (thousands of riders) bike tour that traverses all five boroughs of New York City. I flew a cool new airline, jetBlue, that offered non-stop service between Oakland and JFK for about the same price as the best fares offered by the other major airlines. Without gushing too much on behalf of the airline, risking the appearance of shamless endorsement -- this airline takes a cigar. Flights departed and arrived on time, with friendly service in the airport and in-flight. All seats in the all-coach class cabin were leather-surfaced and appointed with individual sattelite TV screens. The most significant drawbacks: only three lavatories for approximately 180 passengers and no meals are served. For the latter reason, jetBlue encourages passengers to bring their own grub on the plane even if snacks are served. A note on socially considerate jetBlue travelling: do not take hot Chinese food or fresh popcorn on board unless you're prepared to share with the entire cabin or be lynched. Following the advice of travelling cyclists with whom I've exchanged notes on websites and newsgroups, I managed -- narrowly -- to check my enormous bike flight case into the plane with minimal hassle and no extra cost. As I mentioned in this site's Rider Goods section, most commercial passenger airlines impose an excess luggage fee to travellers who want to check their bicycles on a flight (a fee which can range between $35 and $80). I avoided this by making no mention of the fact that I was travelling with a bicycle (claiming the contents of my large case were trade show materials). I also tipped the curbside check-in personnel quite handsomely. Better to pay a generous tip to an appreciative individual who'll see to it your bike gets on the plane safely than pay an airline a completely bogus fee which seems to specifically discriminate against travellers with bicycles. If it was enough of an ordeal to get my bike on the plane, what would getting into the city from the airport be like without the aid of friends who own trucks and kindly shuttle you to the airport? (Ahem... thank you, Chris!) I realized there was a good chance I'd be able to score one of those SUV of minivan medallion cabs at the airport. Much to my surprise, however, I discovered that my flight case fit snugly in the trunk of a standard issue Crown Victoria -- amazing. Yes, I took a taxi from a New York airport. Sounds sacrilegous? Thanks to my brother's expert advice on airport transportation, I found that it's actually the best way into the city from JFK Airport since the medallion cabs charge a fixed fare to Manhattan of $30 plus tolls -- none if you ask the driver to take a toll-free crossing like the Williamsburg Bridge. One important note: cabs do NOT charge fixed fare for a trip TO the airport from Manhattan. It's quite warm and muggy in New York City tonight. One of two airconditioners in my brother's apartment is busted -- and my brother's cursing the folks that claimed to repair it last week. The cab driver that shuttled me into Manhattan says I missed the worst of the heatwave, though, as temperatures soared into the 90s with Summer-like humidity to boot. I dread having to bike in this weather this weekend, but -- then again -- if it stays this way, it would be a true primer for cycling in the East Coast as I'll feel it during the actual AIDSRide this year, no? My bike -- now unpacked, reassembled and tuned -- leans against my brother's apartment wall, eager to meet the harsh streets of Manhattan. It'll have to wait until Saturday. I'm having some fun on the town tomorrow.
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