Category Archives: Human Rights

East Side, West Side …

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… all around the town.

Sheet music cover, 1894.

That’s where we cycled today.

Around the town. Around the world! We circled cultures and languages from everywhere. Nearly four in ten New York City residents were born abroad.
On the ramp from our street to the Hudson River bikeway.
The path splits in a heavily trafficked area, sending cyclists through woods and pedestrians along the river.
Near the 79th Street Boat Basin.
Approaching the George Washington Bridge.
The Jeffrey’s Hook Light, made famous by Swift and Ward’s 1942 children’s book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge.
The Rides didn’t change the world, but like the little lighthouse, we’ve had a role to play.
Sherman Creek park, along the Harlem River.
The Harlem River bike path is paved but rough. It slowed us, and rattled us to the core.

April called out to us from Frederick Douglas Boulevard.

L to R: Our calling card, Joey, April.

April encourages people to consider her religious beliefs, as we encourage them to consider our beliefs about human rights. Many of our principles are the same.

One aspect in which we differ is that we don’t blame external influences for the world’s evils. Human choices can be wrenchingly hard. But as Louis Armstrong said, “You don’t have to do a thing that’s bad unless you want to.”

View from a pedestrian/cyclist overpass by the Harlem River.
L to R: Jeffrey, Barrett. Cheerful Barrett has a knack for selfies. He has worked for NYC Parks for 19 years, keeping the city livable.

Barrett told us that the cycling path was closed to our south. He saved us from having to backtrack. Much of the path is under repair; we weren’t warned at other points and met with several dead ends.

The East River path looks nice. But the paving blocks shake cyclist bones … if you have bones.
The Brooklyn Bridge from under the South Street Viaduct.
South Street Seaport.
A few low (for Manhattan) buildings north of the Battery, where artillery once awaited invaders who haven’t come since the Redcoats landed.
Back on the smooth asphalt Hudson River bikeway. You can keep the East Side. The West Side rules!

We returned home after 34 miles of sights, sounds, conversations, waves and cheers (“Sixteen thousand miles! Wow!” “Cool ride, man!”).

Jeffrey’s gourmet friend Alan invited him to opening day lunch at a neighborhood bagel and bialy shop. Alan spotted our Congressman, who wandered in to have a look.

L to R: Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Jeffrey. Photo courtesy of Alan.

Jeffrey asked Mr. Nadler whether he was willing to talk business for a moment.

“Sure!”

Jeffrey brought up three matters.

One is confidential.

Another was to thank Mr. Nadler for a quiet personal kindness he performed for a mutual friend.

The third concerns the Ride.

We want to wrap up the Capstone Ride on Ellis Island, where one of Jeffrey’s grandmothers landed after the 1905 Russian pogroms.

The Ride for Human Rights is linked to what Ellis Island has come to represent.

A bridge to the island, still in official use, was built in 1986 for a construction project. The bridge is closed to the public.

Tourists reach Ellis Island by ferry.

We’ve biked all over the USA.

We want to bike to Ellis Island too.

Over the bridge.

We are exceptional characters in an exceptional story.

We want an exception to be made for us.

Congressman Nadler sees no reason why the Park Service should not let us bike to the island. He said to contact his staff.

We have.

Stay tuned.