Trip Across New York Challenge Routes Pick your route, mix up your routes, mix up your mode of travel; it’s your challenge! Imagine yourself in these places while you walk, run, bike, swim or roll the equivalent distances. See distance conversion charts at the end of this document. And who knows—you might want to visit some of these places in person! Route 1: Long Island Week 1: Let’s start at the world famous racetrack at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY, home of the "Belmont Stakes". One lap is 1.5 miles. Next, let’s paddle (in our imaginations) down the Connetquot River, which is 6 miles long. Total for the week: 7.5 miles. Week 2: Up for more paddling? Take a trip down Carman’s River (10 miles) and the Nissequogue River, which is 8.3 miles long. Did you know “Nissequogue” comes from the name of a Native American tribe that lived in the area? The Nissequag were a subgroup of the Algonquians that built their homes alongside the river. Total: 18.3 miles. Week 3: Even though Queens and Brooklyn are part of New York City, they are geographically located on Long Island, along with Nassau and Suffolk Counties. At its widest point, Long Island is 23 miles wide. Can you go that distance this week? Week 4: Famous for its pristine beaches, quaint communities and for having no cars, Fire Island consists of two barrier islands off the south shore of Long Island. It is approximately 31 miles long. Finish out the month with a trek from one end to the other! For extra credit, hike the Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail between Long Island's two main counties. It runs 20 miles between Massapequa Preserve and Cold Spring Harbor State Park. Fun Facts About Long Island • The Montauk Point Light is at the easternmost tip of Long Island. It was the first lighthouse built in the state of NY, and the 4th oldest active lighthouse in the U.S. Approved by the Second Continental Congress in 1792, and completed in November 1796, construction of the lighthouse was the first public works project of the new United States of America. • If geographical Long Island were its own state, it would be the 13th largest in the union, and would have the highest population density. • Long Island loves learning! It's home to over 120 public school districts with more than 650 individual schools. And there are 6 public universities and more than a dozen private colleges! Route 2: New York City Week 1: Start at the tip of Lower Manhattan where you can enjoy the view of the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park. Take a westerly route through the One World Trade Center area until you arrive at Little Island, the magical new park at Pier 55 near the Meatpacking District (2.6 miles). Then get on the elevated High Line for another 1.45 miles. Next, you’re off to Coney Island for 3 miles of beaches. Total: 7.05 miles. Week 2: Hopscotch from park to park along the length of Manhattan starting at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, stopping at Union Square (and its famous Greenmarket, if open), then Madison Square Park and end with a stroll through charming Bryant Park (1.7 miles). Now you're ready for the big one--Central Park! Three long distance routes are available: 6.1, 5.2 or 1.7 miles. Or do all three! (13 miles) Bonus trip--Marine Park Hiking Trails in Brooklyn, about 3 miles. Total: 17.7 miles. Week 3: Give your regards to Broadway by taking the diagonal route through Manhattan! Start at Lincoln Center and head south, checking out such NY classics such as Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building with a side trip through Greenwich Village on your way to Chinatown (5 miles). Then head out to the Bronx for a stroll around the NY Botanical Gardens, a 250-acre property with many different routes (approximately 3 miles total) and Van Cortlandt Park's hiking trails (7 trails, 12 miles total). Total: 20 miles. Week 4: Last trip through Manhattan starts at the 92nd St Y on the Upper East Side, swings by the Guggenheim and Frick Museums, back down Lexington Ave past Grand Central and the Chrysler Building, and though Little Italy on the way to South Street Seaport. (6.6 miles). On Staten Island, work is ongoing at Fresh Kills Park, which will be nearly three times the size of Central Park. Its 3.2 mile- greenway is now open to the public. Finally, walk, run, bike or roll the 18 miles—as the crow (or seagull!) flies—between Manhattan and Staten Island. Total: 27.8 miles. Fun Facts about New York City • Did you know that the original name of NYC was New Amsterdam? Dutch settlers were the first to arrive in the area around 1624 and named it after their home city. In 1664, the English took over and renamed the city in the Duke of York’s honor. • The Empire State Building soars to 1,454 feet (including the spire and antenna). It’s currently the 4th tallest building in New York City, the 6th tallest in the United States, and the 43rd tallest tower in the world. • In 1939 and again in 1964, the World’s Fair was held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The New York City pavilion at this huge international exhibition now houses the Queens Museum. And you can still walk by the iconic Unisphere, a 140-foot high stainless steel representation of the Earth. Route 3: Westchester County Week 1: Westchester County has 18,000 acres of parkland with miles of trails. At Cranberry Lake Preserve in North White Plains, you can walk the Purple Loop (2 miles), the Red Loop (2.4 miles), the Blue Loop (1 mile) and the Yellow Loop (1.1 mile). Total: 6.5 miles. Week 2: Westchester is also filled with historic sites. Visit Sunnyside, the Irvington home of—who else- - Washington Irving. From Sunnyside to the Rockefeller Estate, also known as Kykuit, is 3.4 miles. Continue on to Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton, another 8.5 miles. Total for the week: 11.9 miles. Week 3: The Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park is a linear trail that runs from Van Cortlandt Park at the Bronx/Yonkers border to the Croton Dam in Cortlandt. Walk or bike the whole thing and you’ll cover 26.5 miles! Week 4: The North-South County Trailway is a paved multi-use path that spans 36.2 miles from the NYC border to Putnam County. Go for the entire route! Week 4 extra credit: travel the length of the Bronx River Pathway for another 11.2 miles one way. Fun Facts about Westchester County • Westchester covers roughly 500 square miles, making it larger than more than 40 countries and territories, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Lichtenstein, and the Vatican City. • Westchester County is home to many firsts: the first elevator company (The Otis Elevator Company in Yonkers); the first self-made female millionaire (hair-care entrepreneur Madame C. J. Walker of Irvington); the first American golf club (St. Andrew’s Golf Club in Hastings); the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite (synthesized in 1909 by Leo Baekeland in Yonkers); and the first parkway (the Bronx River). • Rye Playland was the first and only government-planned amusement park in the country. It has been featured in many movies, including Fatal Attraction and Big. The Dragon Coaster is one of only seven pre-1930 roller coasters in the country that is still operating. Route 4: Hudson Valley Week 1: Let’s start with some short trips. First up, Walkway Over the Hudson, a former railway bridge that spans the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie. It’s 212 feet above the water and 2.56 miles across and back. Then hike up Anthony’s Nose near Peekskill, which is 2.8 miles roundtrip. Cap off Week One with a 3.8 mile loop on Bear Mountain, where you can climb the Perkins Fire Tower for great views! Total for all three: 9.6 miles. Week 2: The Military Academy at West Point is 21.5 nautical miles above the Mario M. Cuomo (formerly Tappan Zee) Bridge. Do you know the difference between a nautical mile and a regular mile? Watch for the answer in our fun facts and quizzes on our Trip Across NY Facebook page. Week 3: If you like grand historic homes with sweeping Hudson River views, you’ll love Lyndhurst in Tarrytown and Boscobel in Garrison. The distance between the two is 27.6 miles along Route 9/9D. Week 4: Harriman State Park in Rockland and Orange counties is the second-largest park in the NYS parks system, with 31 lakes and reservoirs and 200 miles of hiking trails. Let’s go for 50 of those trail miles this week! Fun Facts about the Hudson Valley • The Hudson River runs 315 miles from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondacks to New York Harbor. For 153 miles- from NY Harbor to Troy, it is a tidal estuary---an “arm of the sea”. • Long before Dutch and English settlers arrived, the native tribes called the river by other names. One of these was “Mahicantuck”, which meant "great waters in constant motion" or, more loosely, "river that flows two ways." • The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose paintings typically depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, including the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains.