This Sunday we're going to take Rick Trager's advice and skate through southern
Westchester on the traffic-free Bronx River Parkway (BRP). This is a curvy,
rolling 7-mile stretch of a 4-lane parkway that is reserved for cycling and
skating for 4 hours (10-2) every Sunday through October. The road is smooth, the
bike traffic is light, and the hills are thrilling but NOT intimidating.

We're going to start at the Bronxville train station and skate through a park
for a couple of miles until we reach the beginning of the traffic-free zone.
Then we'll take the parkway to White Plains and back, and wind up back in
Bronxville for lunch. Total distance will be about 18 miles.

We'll meet at the Bronxville train station (Metro North - Harlem line) and plan
to get rolling at 11:15. If you're travelling by train, take the 10:23 from
Grand Central (get your ticket and meet up with fellow skaters at the
information booth at 10:10). It's a 35-minute ride, and round trip off-peak fare
is $11.50. You can also catch the train from 125th Street at 10:33. We'll
probably be done in time to catch the 2:22 or 3:22 back to NYC.

If you're driving, check maps.google.com for directions. Note that they usually
close off the Bronx River Parkway north of the Cross County Parkway for
everything but local traffic, so you may have to take some local roads to
Bronxville (see
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.932612,-73.829327&spn=0.017156,0.029273&hl=en)\
.

As usual, you should bring helmet and wrist guards, and you should probably
bring some water as well (or buy some in Bronxville before we take off).
Remember that you're skating at your own risk.

Check out the following link for some background on the BRP:
http://www.nycroads.com/roads/bronx-river/

Claudia and I will be going by car, so you'll be able to leave shoes and
backpacks in the trunk. Call me at 917-349-9739 if you have any questions. See
you Sunday!
Alan