Red Hook

Something to keep in mind: riding 10 miles through a city is not the same as riding 10 miles in the country. Constantly alert, avoiding car doors, weaving taxis, traffic lights, Hasidic Jews (a dangerous distraction), bad drivers and bad bikers. What saved me was the Amsterdam-style bike lane -- a full lane, two-way, separated from the traffic by a row of parked cars -- than ran from the Pulaski Bridge to Downtown Brooklyn. I made it, finally, to IKEA -- my absurd destination for that day -- located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, an inconsistently quaint neighborhood that, despite its lack of subway access, maintains its respectable reputation due to the sick view:

Weird that there are parts of the city where cars are more popular than public transit.

Trusty bike, trusty bike.