safe evening running - NYC, near Columbia
I'm at a course near Columbia in early December. It looks like I'm equidistant to either Central Park or Riverside Drive. I'll run every night I'm there, prolly around 7-8pm. Is one route any better than the other? Is there a path along the river on the West side?
Sorry this is such a hick question ... my impression of NY is crystallized in 1970s movies like Taxi Driver, Network and Dirty Harry films, so I can use some updating in my intel.
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I'll take a stab at this. Central park most anytime of day is safe, seriously. I ran overnight from midnight to 6 am when my friend did his charity 200 miler a couple of years ago. But the hours you would go there, anywhere from 5am through to 10pm are going to be pretty well trafficked with runners. Way back in the mid 90s when I first trained for marathons I found the park eerily quiet from 8:30-9:30am between when people are heading to work and the young mom's come out with one kid in a running stroller. as for night running, the park is well lit, particularly on the main drive which is closed 24/7 to any traffic except runners, walkers, bladers & bikes. If you are going to do any speedwork, you can't beat the 1.6ish mile path around the reservoir. Dead flat & cinder track surface.
Running in CP is truly one of Life's great experiences especially after a fresh coating if snow should it cool off a bit when you are here.
I don't know the specifics on the riverside park paths. I know there is a path along the Hudson called the "riverside greenway" and when I drive into the city from Westchester I do see lots of people running & biking on it. I'd say a call into the the Super Runnner's shop UWS store should help you out - (212) 787-7665, I also found this bit of info on the Greenway - http://greatruns.com/hudson-river-greenway/
Hit me up ahead of time at sdinhofer@gmail.com. It would be great to grab a run and a coffee while you are in town if we can make it work!
Thanks for the great intel, @scott dinhofer. You’re on for some running while I’m there - I’ll drop you a note as the date approaches.
@Dave Tallo
I lived in Manhattan, specifically the Upper West Side (75 and West End) for roughly 15 years. The only thing you will have to watch out for are the Bugaboo Strollers and moms or nannies in LuluLemon pants.
With that said said, being smart trumps all. If it looks, sounds, feels a bit sketchy... it probably is. Remember NYC is (literally) the City that never sleeps, so no matter the time of day you run, you'll never really be by yourself.
Enjoy!
@Patrick Large raises a good point.. if you are mid run and someone tries to engage you who isn't a runner... probably sketchy... but you generally don't have to worry about drive bys or random acts of violence. That said, YOU are canadian😯 and this IS NYC🙄
off topic, but @scott dinhofer have you ever eaten at l' inizio? I believe it is somewhere near you. If so our good friends Scott and Heather (chef/owners) are good friends.
@Patrick Large - never heard of it, but it's actually in a spot where I am always looking for something that's easy for Jill to stop at on her way to pick up her kids from the ex... I will reach out to them and mention your name when I make a reservation! thanks!