A spin around the park on a bike makes me feel good. One lap is about 6.13 miles. I've trained here for longer rides (including this London to Paris ride on a track bike that was 86 miles one day, rest on the second day, and 136 miles on the third day). I've sat there on a Sunday afternoon and have done as many as 10 laps (with rests in between). I switch in-between my carbon road bike and my steel track bike.

Rising up 130 feet above sea level, this new park occupies some of the highest ground in New York City and offers spectacular panoramic views of the Empire State Building to the northwest, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and New York Harbor to the west, and Jamaica Bay to the south.

Dumbo, which stands for 'Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass,' is a neat neighborhood in Brooklyn that is at an awesome vantage point of Manhattan. There are cool rocks on the shore of Brooklyn Bridge Park that are fun to relax on and sneak alcoholic beverages.

Nothing is more quintessentially New York than a diner. This eatery not only serves excellent, traditional diner fare, but does so in an eclectic environment that mixes Baroque decadence with Midtown grit.

This is my go-to spot in my neighborhood. The food is fantastic. They have an ever changing selection of beers and the staff is friendly, attentive and down to earth. Love this place.