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Citi Bike's Phase II expansion plans are well underway, bringing the now-familiar blue bicycles and their battleship-gray docks to dozens of new neighborhoods. In the last month, new stations have popped up in Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, Greenpoint, North Williamsburg and Long Island City (here's the full map). Once Phase II is completed (in 2017), you'll be able to dock a Citi Bike everywhere from Red Hook to Astoria. So to celebrate the rollout of the first stations, we've pulled together a list of a dozen places that, as of today, are within roughly one block of a freshly-opened Citi Bike dock.
Rockaway Brewing Co. (Nearest station: 46th Ave between 5th Street and Vernon Boulevard)
You can pick up Rockaway Brewing's beers around the city—but now that the brewery is Citi Bike-adjacent, why not head straight to the source? Their LIC HQ has a strong roster of beers on tap (pro tip: the farmhouse saison is a great post-bike ride choice), and offers the chance to buy or fill growlers.
Hunters Point South Park (Nearest station: Center Blvd and Borden Ave)
Ride a bike right up to the water's edge to take in the spectacular views of Manhattan—but don't be so distracted by the view that you miss out on the park itself, a recent addition to the Parks Department portfolio that's replete with modern design and cool features like—yup, bicycle-friendly greenways. Once you're done sightseeing, you can pop over to LIC Landing, the adjacent outdoor cafe—or hop a ferry for a quick ride across the East River.
MoMA PS1 (Nearest station: Jackson Ave and 46th Rd)
Get your daily dose of exercise and modern art with a bike ride to this outpost for experimental works. But do it quickly—there're only a few days left to catch the current swath of exhibitions, such as Samara Golden's immersive "six-dimensional" installations (closing August 30th) and Math Bass's ambiguous optical illusions (closing September 7th). Looks like those bike docks arrived in the nick of time.
Karczma (Nearest station: Greenpoint Ave and Manhattan Ave)
Before Williamsburg become upscale-hipster (upster?), Greenpoint was a Polish enclave—and thankfully, the bulldozer of gentrification hasn't smashed all evidence of that past. Case in point: Karczma, an outstanding old-school Polish restaurant serving up delicious borscht, pierogis and kielbasa. How O.G. G.P. is it? Their website is in Polish and English—and it defaults to the former.
The Water Table (Nearest station: Indian Street and the East River)
If you're biking through Brooklyn, you can't dock your Citi Bike any farther west without getting very wet. Stash your bike and clamber aboard The Water Table, a World War II-era ship transformed into a New England-inspired sailing restaurant. It can run a little pricey (Sunday supper goes for $50 a head, not including drinks), but you score delicious Northeastern cuisine and close-up views of everything from the Greenpoint to Lady Liberty.
Torst (Nearest station: Bedford Ave and Nassau Ave)
To paraphrase Homer Simpson, beer is the cause of and solution to all of life's problems—but drinking really good beer definitely pushes the needle closer to "solution." Torst has some of the most unique and esoteric brews in Brooklyn (which is saying something), all served up in a minimalist, Danish-chic atmosphere. If you need some fuel, they also offer small plates.
Turkey's Nest (Nearest station: North 12th St and Bedford Ave)
And then there's Turkey's Nest, long notorious for serving beer in giant styrofoam to-go cups for surreptitious public drinking. This weathered dive bar is still serving up beer at Clinton-era prices, and don't worry—though styrofoam is now banned, they intend to keep selling 32 oz. beers in cups made from something else.
Pie Corps (Nearest station: Driggs Ave and North Henry Street)
Carbo-loading is key before strenuous cardiovascular activity, such as cycling. Okay, that's total B.S., but it's the kind of B.S. that allows us to justify chowing down on sweet, sweet pies. And they don't come much sweeter than the ones at Pie Corps, which offers flavors like bittersweet chocolate bourbon pecan, minty chocolate with chocolate sea salt crust, and lemon basil custard. They also offer a selection of savory pies and other treats...but c'mon, you're not paying attention right now, you're thinking about pie.
Rocka Rolla (Nearest station: Metropolitan Ave and Meeker Ave)
One of the newer additions to the Williamsburg dive bar scene, this BQE-hugging drinking establishment is the public house equivalent of that gravelly-voiced radio announcer declaring his station plays "classic rock that really rocks!" With inexpensive drinks, a dimly-lit basement feel and a jukebox as loaded as its patrons, it's a great place to rock out after rolling through Brooklyn on a big blue bike.
Noorman's Kil (Nearest station: Leonard St and Grand St)
Four words: Whiskey and grilled cheese. They have 400(!) kinds of the former and seven types of the latter, including sandwiches made with apricot jam or mushrooms. There's also a selection of draft beers, crafty cocktails, and a lush backyard garden, but let's reiterate: Whiskey. And. Grilled. Cheese.
Brooklyn Stoops (Nearest station: Nostrand Ave and Myrtle Ave)
This Bed-Stuy eatery is more than just an amusing name—it's also a great place to grab brunch or dinner, with options like BBQ sandwiches, burgers, wings and the often under-appreciated waffle fries. Plus, happy hour runs every day from 2pm until 9pm, so you can drink cheap until well after the sun sets.
The annoying part of the G train. (Nearest station: all over, baby!)
Never again will you be forced to make the awful choice between waiting 30 minutes for the G or spending $20 on an Uber to go halfway across one borough. There are now Citi Bike docks close to every single G train station between Court Street and Hoyt-Schemerhorn—paralleling the entire stretch where the G train runs solo. Whether or not you want to ride a bike home at 2am on a Sunday...well, that's up to you. But at least you have the choice.