Coney Island Bike Ride

At the beginning of the summer, The Carpenter and I said, "One day, we're gonna ride our bikes all the way out to Coney Island," like it was some crazy, distant dream. I mean, seriously, how long must it take to ride your bike to Coney Island from Red Hook, when it takes at least an hour to get there one the train? Especially when your bikes are the heaviest pair of rusty schwinns you can get.
One day, we packed up our bags, a hearty lunch, a bike map, and a ton of water; and decided to make the trip. We were fortified with supplies and ready for whatever kind of ridiculous trek it might be.
First leg: Home to Prospect Park. This seems like it would be the easiest part. All the streets are familiar, we know where to get coffee if we need it, and there are two bike shops on the way (in case anything happens). But dang, that is a long hill through Park Slope. And it is hard. The Carpenter is pretty tough about the hill, but by the end of it, I'm desperate for a donut. Fact: There aren't that many donuts at Grand Army Plaza. Another fact: On weekends, there is a winery there at the farmers market that will let you taste their peach/candy flavored wine for free.
Second leg: Prospect Park. It is a beautiful ride through the park. Beautiful. I always get nervous and want to exit before our exit comes. The right place to exit the park is "Ocean Parkway". The exit before Ocean Parkway is just going to get you lost.
Third leg: Getting lost while trying to find Ocean Parkway. So, even if you take the right exit, you're probably going to get lost, but only a little.
The Ocean Parkway Exit put us out on a huge round-about (is that what it's called? a rotary?). There's a sign that points to Ocean Parkway, but it's pretty impossible to figure out which way it is pointing. Take you're best guess, you'll still probably end up going the wrong way. Now that we know that, we know to ask for directions sooner rather than later.
Fourth leg: Ocean Parkway to Coney Island. Ocean Parkway may be one of Brooklyn's best secret places. It's a wide, tree-lined street with a separated bike path. It's completely flat (except for the major cracks and bumps in the road that start around Avenue J) and goes straight from Prospect Park to Coney Island. Next to the bike path is a people path, one might call it a promenade. On a summer weekend it's like taking a world tour, with all the local residents out enjoying the path and the park benches in native costume.
Ocean Parkway finishes up right on the boardwalk at Coney Island. The Carpenter and I were smart enough not to go in the water at Coney island, but we did enjoy some hot dogs; fresh clams (shucked by the toughest hands this secretary has ever seen); sweet, sweet, strawberry shortcake; and a nice walk on the pier.

We ended up riding our bikes to Coney Island at least four more times over the course of the summer. And really, the hardest part of the bike ride is getting to Prospect Park. The easiest part is eating all the Coney Island food when you get there.



So, how long must it take to ride your bike to Coney Island from Red Hook, when it takes at least an hour to get there one the train?
About an hour.

And how long was the bike ride home?
We took the subway.