As I was preparing to go out for a run early last year, a friend, in a moment of infinite wisdom, turned to me: "The best part about running," he said, "is that you actually get somewhere when you do it."
How true it is. A treadmill may be convenient and an elliptical may be easy on the joints. But one of the best ways to explore the city is through exercise. With spring here, there's no reason to work out in the box-like gymnasium - you'll be amazed by the additional endorphins the cool breeze on your face will net you. You'll also see things you never would have otherwise. Running in New York in the spring is really almost too good to be true.
Central Park and the West Side Highway bike path are probably the two most logical places to run since they are set apart from city streets and they offer beauty and spectacular views. Just try to tell me otherwise after running around Central Park's reservoir, between 85th and 97th streets. But there are also plenty of off-the-beaten-path routes that are easy to miss and just as rewarding as the popular ones, if not more so. Here are my top three:
Greenwich to Greenwich: Love Apples to Apples? This route's title recalls the name of the eponymous party game - even more incentive to give it a try! Go north on Greenwich Avenue, a bustling two-way road beginning at Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street, make a left on Jane Street, and another left onto the quaint Greenwich Street.
It seems like you've escaped the city as you run down through the West Village and into TriBeCa, where office workers and high school students compete for space. You won't encounter problems competing with cars, though - one of the office parks on the west side of Greenwich Street has a sidewalk next to it that cars cannot cross, and on the upper part of the street there are almost no cars at all.
The street dead ends at the former site of the World Trade Center, which you can take a peek at. On the way back be sure to catch the heavenly smell coming from the Umanoff and Parsons Bakery, on the east side of the street between Watts and Desbrosses streets. Stop in, order a slice of pie for the road and be happy you're alive.
From Washington Square Park, the out-and-back distance is about 5.5 miles, but you can shorten it or take the subway back as you please.
Williamsburg Bridge: While the views from this Brooklyn-Manhattan link may not quite match those of the romantic Brooklyn Bridge, the people-watching here puts the view provided by all other suspended structures to shame. Instead of tourists, you get Orthodox Jews, hipsters and the occasional drag queen. You get everyone, basically, which makes it the most cosmopolitan bridge to cross.
From the very middle of the bridge, the views can actually be stunning, even though they're blocked somewhat by a gate on the side. You get all of midtown from a unique East River perspective, and straight ahead the bridges and skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan glower at you. It's the feeling of being very small, yet being elevated above extremely large buildings, that makes this run so special.
The bridge's path begins at the corner of Delancey and Clinton streets. Remember, if you're feeling adventurous, once you get to Brooklyn all of its neighborhoods are there for you to explore. Maybe you'll crave that carrot muffin you see in the window of a cute bakery, and inside, a slender-armed brunette will be eating that very same muffin. You'll lock eyes, and...
All right, maybe not. But run across the 1.5-mile long bridge. You'll be happy you did.
Prospect Park: It's not exactly an unknown to a faithful legion of Brooklynites, but Prospect Park is far from Washington Square Park, which puts it off the beaten path for us.
Essentially Central Park's neglected, pretty little sister, Prospect Park is smaller, yet has all the requisite features of a large New York City park (a lake, ball fields, miles of grass for laptop-wielding yuppies) without the buildings and the tourists. It also happens to have a wonderful jogging and bike path. Take the 3.35-mile path counterclockwise for long downhills and majestic views of Brooklyn's only lake (although you will have a significant uphill on the east side). There are also hillier (and shorter) paths around the lake on the south side and around the boathouse in the center of the park, if you like a more intense workout.
After you try these routes, make up your own favorites. There are 6,375 miles of streets in New York City - don't let them go to waste. Get outside, get moving, find a quaint street that suits you and release those endorphins. And when you see something unique while exercising, smile. You'll know that at that exact moment, you're accomplishing so much more than the majority of folks, sitting inside, watching reruns.
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