I have just returned from a lovely vacation in New York City with my son. The rest of the family stayed at home and we had some well-deserved one-on-one time. We stayed with some friends who live in Manhattan and had the unique experience of biking to many of our destinations. They live only a few bl

ocks from Central Park, so we could use the trails there to bike and then just lock up our bikes to go into a museum. (The photo shows our bikes locked up in front of the Natural History Museum on the west side of the park.) We could take the trail that skirts Manhattan all the way to the Intrepid, too.

I think it made our trip so much more enjoyable to be biking outdoors, instead of underground in the subways. I told my son that most people would be surprised to hear the way he experienced Manhattan because most tourists don't have such great access to bikes and the know-how to find the right paths.

When we weren't on bikes, he rode a scooter to easily keep up with my walking, which he thought was a lot more fun. I actually found it easier to bike in Manhattan than my home town of Austin.