CT to Philadelphia

The stretch from Newtown CT to Philadelphia via New Jersey is rich in history and a look at some of the stark racial and economic inequalities we have.  In route to Tenalfy NJ the roads and trails through Westchester and Rockland counties of NY are mostly beautiful and well maintained.  Old railways have been converted to well used bike baths around NY reservoirs and expansive vistas are frequent along the Hudson.   Roads are mostly biker friendly, especially around Nyack and Piermont where there are many well manicured and restored homes, train stations, bridges and factories from the 19th century.  I spent a nice afternoon hanging around Nyack NY, a seemingly friendly, hip and affluent community, which I learned is the hometown of Edward Hopper.

Me, Cousin Nancy and the Guinea Pigs in their mostly empty house in Croton on Hudson NY.  Nancy & family are moving to FL so they will likely get two visits from me! Anybody interested in adopting some guinea pigs?

Me and Milo at Aunt Mona and Uncle Michael's in Tenafly NJ.  

On my ride from Tenafly NJ to Princeton the scenery was quite different.  I rode through Newark and a number of towns to the north and south that included industrial areas and ghettos.  The air in these areas is filled with unpleasant smells: black top, car and truck exhaust, road kill, garbage and sewage.  The roads are littered with pot holes, glass, and trash.  Homes and buildings are in various states of disrepair, many of which have graffiti filled boards over the windows and doorways.  Stores have bars covering every point of entry.  I was the only white person I saw in these neighborhoods, so the racial segregation is impossible not to notice.

For lunch I stopped in a park south of Newark for a good helping of PB and bananas.  The park was nice and was well utilized.  Groups of very muscular black men congregated around the various pull up style exercise stations that dotted a single lane track around a central lake.  I was the only white person in the park I saw.  I found a nice shade tree to sit under but the ground was littered with broken glass and an old syringe.  I sought out a clean patch of grass and finished my jar of PB.  I had no company at lunch except for one woman that hobbled up to me muttering gibberish.  She asked if there was a bathroom across the field.  I could see a porta-potty a few hundred feet away, I pointed and nodded, and she went on her way, talking to herself.

About 20 miles north of Princeton NJ I turned onto the Delaware and Raritan Canal trail.  I rode this gravel bike path for 16 miles through beautiful woodlands and countryside.  A dramatically different landscape, wonderfully refreshing air, and no cars to worry about.  The gravel trail is mostly very smooth, though some of the canal spillways are cobblestone and make for treacherous riding.   The only downside to the unpaved trails was being covered in dust, but I found it enjoyable to be off the pavement and I think there will be some off road bike touring in my future.

The Delaware Raritan Canal Trail.  Built in 1830 for transporting materials (mostly eastern PA coal) between Philadelphia and New York City.  It is 66 miles long along the Delaware and Raritan rivers.  Most of the canal is 75' wide and 7' deep.  The sign on the trail said Irish immigrants dug most of it by hand!  Before steam ships were available mules would pull cargo ships along the canals.  Once railroads became more common the use of the canal declined and by the 1930s it was no longer operational.  I think the Irish immigrants that dug the canal would be pleased to know that the canal is still being used and enjoyed by thousands of cyclists and hikers.  

Riding into Princeton was an admittedly welcome change.  My first stop was a natural food market on the east side of town called the Whole Earth Center.  They have a great selection of prepared foods, baked goods, breads, chocolate bars, and produce so I stocked up and had a nice dinner.  As I was paying I asked if there was a place around town to camp.  Before I got an answer a woman behind me asked me if I needed a place to stay.  After a quick conversation about what I was doing she gave me her address and offered me a place to spend the night.

Feeling pleased to have a had a good healthy meal and a place to stay I took a ride around town.  The contrast between Princeton and the Newark area was dramatic.  Mostly white well dressed people walked around the streets lined with fancy shops and restaurants.  I got myself a $6 vegan ice cream treat at The Bent Spoon and sat down on a polished granite bench in Palmer Square to listen to some live bluegrass music.

My stay at Eliane's house, the woman from the market, was great.  She had a french post-doc, Florent, studying linguistics living with her so I got to learn a little bit about language acquisition.  Eliane was out for the evening but we had a brief conversation over a blow of oatmeal in the morning.  She had been a dietitian, and now works with Non-Violent Communication.  My assumption was this implied physical violence, but this turns out not to be the case.  The subject has piqued my interest and Eliane gave me the name of a book to read so that is next on my list of books to read.

Before leaving for Philadelphia I took a ride around campus, stopping at the art museum and at the Princeton Battle Monument to learn about how George Washington bravely ran the British out of southern NJ in the Battle of Princeton.   At the Battle Monument a group  was staging a march against the slaughter of elephants and the ivory trade.  Certainly a cause which I would support, but the scene made me wonder what some of the people I saw in Newark would think of an Elephant protest in NJ, or a guy riding around the country on his bicycle for no particular reason.  On my way out of town via Mercer St. I rode by Einstein's unmarked house, which Eliane told me about, and made my way to Philadelphia.

The ride from Princeton to Philly was not a particularly nice one.  I rode through Trenton, which was largely the same experience as riding through Newark, and then on Route 13/Torresdale Ave on the PA side of the Delaware River into Philadelphia. There was lots of traffic and the same bad air quality, rough roads, tough looking neighborhoods, and dirty industrial areas.  There was a constant hot dirty headwind with temperatures in the upper 80s.  This is not the kind of weather I was expecting in October.  The closer I got to Philadelphia the more biker friendly the roads became, eventually with bike lanes everywhere.

The area of NE Philly that I rode through was noticeably more integrated racially and economically than in NJ, and that seems to hold true for most of what I've seen in Philadelphia so far. I'm sure there are wealthier and poorer neighborhoods with varying levels of crime, but there seems to be a good amount of overlap and integration of people.  I'll be spending a few more days in Philly, hanging out with Faez, resting, eating good food, and planning the next segment to DC and Raleigh.