Bath Beach is a small neighbourhood on the south-west shore of Brooklyn, facing Gravesend Bay, and it got its name in the nineteenth century, when it was a seaside resort for wealthy New Yorkers, modelled on the English spa town of Bath. The resort is long gone, but the bay is still there, with a promenade along the water and views of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, its great towers soaring over the entrance to New York Harbor.
The neighbourhood is part of the old Italian-American heart of Brooklyn, along with Bensonhurst next door, and you can still find old bakeries, pizzerias and social clubs, though today the area is also home to large Chinese and Russian communities. Eighty-sixth Street, under the elevated subway, is a busy shopping street with food from every corner of the world. A slice of pizza, a cannoli or a bowl of dumplings, all within a few blocks, make a good end to a ride.
Coney Island is just a few kilometres east, with its famous boardwalk, beach and amusement park, including the Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster built in 1927 and still running, and Nathan's Famous, where hot dogs have been sold since 1916. On a summer evening, the boardwalk is full of life, with music, food and crowds watching the sunset over the ocean.
The finish of a Bear Mountain and Harriman ride comes after a day in the hills of the Hudson Valley. Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks lie about an hour north of the city, with lakes, forests and winding roads like Seven Lakes Drive and the road to the summit of Bear Mountain, where Perkins Memorial Tower offers views over the Hudson. Coming back, you use the Palisades Interstate Parkway or the New York Thruway, and then the bridges and expressways into Brooklyn, which can be slow and expensive with tolls.
Bath Beach has fuel, food and services, and the Belt Parkway runs along the shore, giving access to the rest of the city. Ride to the waterfront at the end of the day, watch the lights come on along the Verrazzano Bridge and listen to the waves of the bay. It is a peaceful moment after the noise and traffic of the city.