Lovely Bike Ride from Bloomfield to William Paterson University (and back)

I have cycled from home (Bloomfield) to work (William Paterson University) and back several times lately and have taken a few pictures on the way. You'll see I've thrown in a few screen grabs too, but the pictures are mostly mine.

What surprised me most was how safe the route felt, how much there was to see, and how quick the journey was. About an hour. My average drive to WPUNJ is 25 minutes, but it can take 35 or more if there is heavy traffic. So cycling isn't a *great* deal slower. And I get a work-out!

As long as you plan your route and use common sense, you can spend over 90% of your journey in parks, empty side streets, bike lanes and bike paths.

I won't do it every day, but I'm glad to know that this very pleasant route is there!

Love this feature of MapMyRide!

The Route. Bloomfield - Montclair - Clifton - Paterson - Haledon - Wayne

Clark's Pond, Bloomfield

Brookdale Park

Brookdale Park Meadow

Brookdale Park Archery Field

Yantacaw Brook Park

Yantacaw Brook Park

Yantacaw Brook Road at the Park

Yantacaw Brook Road - seriously, it is always this quiet

Small Bridge over Weasel Brook, Grove St, Clifton

Middle School and Public Park, Grove Street, Clifton

Pylon Route over Grove Street. Would love to see some kind of bike path along this route.

Miserable Drivers going home on Highway 3 in the usual "Stockender Verkehr."

Bad picture (cheap phone), but New York City clearly visible from Grove Street.

Yes - it's a real farm!

. . . and here's some proof!

Grove Street quiet and roomy, with excellent bike lanes!

PATERSON

Bike Lanes well marked in Paterson

Bilingual Paterson

Marshall Street, Paterson. Very quiet; very safe for cyclists.

Under the Interstate (I-80). Again, almost no traffic.

Bustling Paterson. Feels sort of European.

Flags flying in Little Italy, Paterson

Lou Costello Memorial, Paterson

Who's on First?

Passaic River, Paterson. You can see it was a mill town. The old red-brick factories are being restored now . . .

Paterson Museum used to be a factory.

West Side Park, Paterson (footbridge from high school to McBride Avenue in background)

The most awful name for a mattress company ever.

Nice Little Bridge on Lee Avenue, Paterson (again, a very quiet road).

Nice Pedestrian and bike Bridge over Pompton Road gets you to the bus stop on the Hamburg Turnpike and onwards to the reasonably-safe Preakness Avenue route into Paterson.

Lake with fountains at William Paterson University.