Biking Through Central Park
New York City is a bike-friendly city and one that offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy sights, fresh air and great company. While you can do that pretty much anywhere in the city, nothing beats cycling around Central Park. You don't even need a bike of your own, as some bike shops around the park, such as SBR Bike Shop, rent bikes for $65 a day. The rental comes complete with lock, helmet, poncho and even a map. If you're new to the city and would rather have somebody show you around, Central Park Bike Tours and several other private companies offer guided tours of the park, where you can bike around the 843 acres of this magnificent green space with somebody who can provide an insight into the history and cultural importance of the park.
SBR Multi-Sports Bike Shop
203 W 58th St.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 541- 8759
sbrshop.com
Central Park Bike Tours
(212) 541-8759
centralparkbiketours.com
Rock Climbing
Central Park may not seem like the place to try your rock-climbing skills, but the North Meadow Recreation Center, right in the middle of the city, will prove you wrong. For a mere $7, you can get a day pass to climb Central's Park outdoor climbing wall, located near 97th Street. For those who need some practice before braving the wall on their own, the Recreation Center offers an outdoor/indoor program for adults, where you can get instruction on how to use ropes, the pulley system and basic climbing equipment. The walls cater to individuals of all levels and offer steep angles as well as rest stops and an arête (U-shaped ridge).
North Meadow Recreation Center
830 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10029
(212) 348-4867
centralparknyc.org
Trapeze School New York
If you're ready to give your inner child a chance to play, the Trapeze School may be just what you need. The school's most popular class is the Flying Trapeze, where students hang 23 feet in the air and experience the feeling of flying and swinging from a thin metal bar. The classes include safety instruction, learning how to use the safety lines and the climbing ladder, falling techniques for when you land on the net, and practicing both hand and knee hanging. If you keep coming back, you will eventually learn catches, flying from one trapeze to the next, a double somersault in the air and much more. If flying is not your thing, the school also offers trampoline classes, silk and rope training (where you hang from ribbons, rather than a trapeze bar) and an aerial conditioning class, which includes Pilates-like exercises to help your balance and coordination.
Trapeze School New York
518 W. 30th St.
(212) 242-8769
newyork.trapezeschool.com
