Riverdale sits at the northern tip of the Bronx, where New York City presses up against the Hudson and the Palisades rise across the water, and it is probably the greenest and quietest corner of the borough. Big old houses sit on a ridge above the river, and the Henry Hudson Parkway runs along the shore, an elegant, curving road from the 1930s built to give city families a pleasant drive.
The area has a long literary and artistic history. Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural centre on an old estate above the river, has hosted guests including Mark Twain, who rented it in the early 1900s, and Theodore Roosevelt, who spent summers there as a boy. The gardens, with their long views across to the Palisades, are among the best in the city. A short way south, Spuyten Duyvil, where the Harlem River meets the Hudson, is a handsome bit of water with a railway bridge and an old Dutch name that translates, so the story goes, as spitting devil.
For the rider, the thing to know is that this is the gateway. The Henry Hudson Parkway north leads onto the Saw Mill and then the roads into Westchester, and the way across the George Washington Bridge to the Palisades Parkway is a short ride south. Traffic in this part of the Bronx can be heavy, and the parkway has low bridges and tight curves that are no place for hurry. Early on a weekend morning, though, the river light is wonderful.
Fuel is easy to find on Riverdale Avenue and in nearby Yonkers, and the neighbourhood has a good supply of delis and bakeries. Parking is simple, and the streets are quiet. Autumn brings gold and red to the park trees, while summer afternoons are humid and hazy. Take a few minutes at the river overlook before you set off.