Pelham Bay Park
10 October 2025
On a random weekday, I biked from my apartment in Bed-Stuy to Orchard Beach, in Pelham Bay Park at the northeast corner of the Bronx. The ride was 21 miles and took me through Bushwick, Greenpoint, Long Island City, Astoria, and then up and over the Triboro Bridge. It’s scary! There’s not a real bike lane, you’re just flying way up over the East River with barely a guardrail between you and the open air.
On Randall’s Island under the Triboro Bridge
In the Bronx, an industrial area gave way to a beautiful greenway along the Bronx River. I stopped there and ate my almonds and dates. I biked up through Little Yemen which was bustling and looked like a fun place to wander around and end up eating a lot. I want to come back.
Pelham Bay Park was huge, empty, quiet on that brisk October afternoon. Roads cutting through dense forest. When I came out to the beach, I was the only person there—it was surreal. In the absence of humans the deer and shorebirds took over the land.
To get home, I took the 6 train from end to end.