Crossing Baja Manhattan by bicycle

The directions below are the result of about 20 frustrating and/or harrowing trips trying to cross Lower Manahattan.

On The Map, a nice, clean green line appears (sometimes -- we get a bike lane view on an Android phone, but not on an Android tablet or Windows PC.). The green line shows a bike path along the tip of Manhattan, through Battery Park to the Hudson Esplanade and West St bike path or the East River Esplanade.

Reconstruction of Pier 1 is the culprit and Sharers attempting to follow the green line get bottlenecked with the Statue of Liberty  crowd.  Then a blocks long-portage is the only way out.

So here's how to get from here to there and back again.

Northwestbound (black line)

• Start at the Old Slip & Front St station
• Head northwest on Old Slip, which becomes Williams St

• Left off Williams onto Pine St

• 1 block, right onto Nassau St

• 1 block, left onto Cedar St

• Take Cedar across Broadway and down the slope.

• The second block is pedx only, but bikes are OK. At end of block you will have to cross crowd line for the 911 memorial.

• You have no choice but to make a left onto Greenwich St.

• At tiny Carlisle St, where there's a boxing gym on the corner, make a right.

• Carlisle ends at West St. Make right and manuever to outside of taxi stand.

• Cross West at Albany St.

• Albany to South End Ave. Make right and you're on the bike lane.

Southeastbound (red line)

• From South End Ave, make left onto Albany.
• Cross West St (somebody had a lot of nerve naming this expressway a "street."), stay on Albany  to its end at Greenwich. Make a right.
• Left onto little Edgar St. for one block and left again onto Trinity Pl
• In a half-block turn right onto Exchange Alley.
• Exchange will take you across the heavily seruitized Wall St district. Depending on crowds or cops you may have to dismount once or twice.
• Exchange ends at Hanover St. Make right
• Left onto Pearl St.
• Right onto Old Slip.
• Voila!