Biking at Riverside

I had hoped to reserve a tandem bike through Bike And Roll for Saturday morning. But they only do reservations for half day or full day rentals. So we headed to the city early hoping to get the only tandem available at the Riverside Park location. As luck would have it, the bike was waiting for us. First we rode North till the George Washington bridge was on sight, then headed back through the park and went down to around 40th street. The weather was perfect with a nice breeze on a bright sunny day. Though the paperwork indicated that there was a 2hr minimum, we were only charged for 1hr despite having used the bike for more than an hour. The customer service of Bike And Roll is exemplary. They have been so prompt and helpful with their email correspondence and I'm already looking forward to our next ride.

It was an ideal day to walk in the city. We headed uptown to a great brunch spot that I've been meaning to try for a long time. Cafe Lalo is a favorite among many and their all day brunch from around the world is delicious.I had the "French Kiss", a perfectly made quiche with mushrooms while Nelson had the savory "Moroccan Delight". His iced cappuccino was really good too. The cafe was a typical New York experience. We had no room for their great desserts but certainly plan to come back Cafe Lalo again.

After brunch we walked through the Park and met up with my mum and sis who were shopping in the 59th & Lex area. Then headed back west through Columbus Circle where an Indian wedding procession was taking place in grand scale. With blasting Bollywood songs and the groom arriving on horse back surrounded by people dressed in colorful traditional attire it was a scene from a Bollywood movie. On September 11th 2011, this was a great scene to celebrate the diversity of this great city.

The weather was gloomy on Sunday. Besides some shopping in White Plains it was a laid back day.