Professor Kenneth Jackson reminds me of myself. I would love to pedal through Manhattan with him.
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When Kenneth T. Jackson began teaching his course, "The History of the City of New York," 37 years ago, he decided to take his students out of the classroom to grasp the full impact of the urban environment. He first thought of daylight walking tours, but the streets were too crowded. So he settled on a nighttime bike ride with 10 to 15 students, the better to see New York in all its glory.
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'I Knew I Had...to Take This Class'
Wall Street Journal
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Hundreds of bicycle riders in white shirts barreled through a blazing Times Square at midnight last Thursday, singing and cheering as they whizzed through intersections while forcing cars to stop short.
"Is this some kind of rally?," a police officer called out.
Actually, no, a rider answered sheepishly. It was history class.
Professor Kenneth Jackson's all-night bike ride has become a tradition at Columbia University, and the hallmark of his class on the history of New York City.
"Once I was here I knew I had to find a way to take this class, take this ride," said José Giralt, 51, who is in his fourth year as a student at Columbia. "It's kind of famous on campus."
Early in his teaching career, Mr. Jackson, who also edited "The Encyclopedia of New York City," said he tried bus and walking tours through the city, but he became frustrated by the challenges of navigating Manhattan during daylight hours.
He decided to attempt a night-time bike tour, when cars and crowds had thinned out. His youth provided a benefit other than stamina, he said, because he "didn't worry much about litigation at the time. It sort of became a tradition before people began to say, 'Are you crazy?'"
At first, in the late 1970s, just a handful of students biked through battered streets, changing course on collective whims.
Last week, hundreds of riders followed a meticulously plotted route and were accompanied by an entourage of support, including an ambulance, mechanics and an SUV.
The lectures at city landmarks have become harder to hear and are now shouted through a bullhorn; 3 a.m. bathroom stops are scouted for more than 200 people.
"To be frank with you, the main thing they get out of it is just the experience of riding through the city," said Mr. Jackson, now in his 70s. "I do think they'll remember it for all of their lives.
Others who have completed the ride in previous years agreed. "It's like going on a carnival ride and you think you're going to die, like a really bad roller coaster," said Valerie Paley, a former teaching assistant to Mr. Jackson. "When it's over, it's like, 'Wow, that was great!' It has that exhilarating feeling."
The Wall Street Journal accompanied students on this year's ride. By 11 p.m., riders had begun gathering in the center of the Columbia campus. The cluster of bikes expanded, until the school's central walkway was packed with hundreds of students donning white shirts, fiddling with helmets and adjusting seat heights. Mr. Jackson strode around in Spandex shorts, making last-minute checks.
By 11:30 p.m., the column was heaving forward, rumbling out of campus toward Riverside Park, the stream of metal bikes glinting in the street lights. Some students exchanged grins, while others gritted their teeth and tried to avoid smashing into the bikes darting around them on all sides.
Some were unsteady at first, weaving and wobbling in and out of lanes, yelping apologies after numerous near-collisions.
As the train of riders slowly stretched out down Broadway, a giddiness surged through the group. The city was still coursing with life at midnight, lighted by windows and street lamps. As the students cycled into Central Park, some were astonished to still see dog walkers and strolling couples.
After a series of challenging hills, the group arrived at a ghostly Bethesda Fountain, their faces flushed.
In Times Square, the pockets of conversation ceased as the group glided through the center of streets that were as bright as daylight. As cars parted to let them through, a sense of awe swept through the group and the riders, as one, began to whoop, singing Columbia songs and correcting each other's cheers. ("It's 'Roar lion,' not 'Lions!'")
They didn't have much practice, some said. "This is the first time I feel school camaraderie," said 21-year-old senior Shreya Agarwal.
The course swerved down past Gramercy Park and Madison Square Park before stopping in Greenwich Village for an hour-long break. Students dispersed to grab greasy falafels, ill-considered vats of macaroni and cheese and sugary crepes.
"This is the first time I feel like I'm really living in the city," said 21-year old senior Lisa Lian, sitting in a macaroni shop.
As the hour-long break ended, riders mounted their bikes a little more slowly. Tiredness—and the realization that it was 2 a.m. and the ride was barely half over—began to sink in. Pedaling became a little harder, feet a little heavier.
The ride zoomed down to Wall Street, past the stock exchange and a deserted stretch of barricaded blocks, where a giant statue of George Washington loomed out of the darkness.
The bikes zipped through Battery Park City as an orange-tinged mist draped over the tips of buildings on the New Jersey shoreline.
The group walked wearily across the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline glittering in the pre-dawn darkness and illuminating the riders' sheens of sweat. Then the group trekked to its final destination—the promenade—just after 5 a.m.
A low, tired cheer went up as Mr. Jackson delivered his final lecture. Then it was time to bike back to the subway and startle the handful of early-morning commuters. Students laid their heads on their bikes as the train rumbled back uptown, the night finally over.
The route has changed over the years, participants said, adapting to the shifting city, the expanding ridership and the advancing age of its leader. "As I get older, I begin to think where the hills are," Mr. Jackson said.
Some stops no longer exist: The Fulton Fish market was a regular destination until it closed in 2005. "It was a very colorful place to go and very dirty," said Ms. Paley, 50 years old, who opted out of the ride this year. "You would see lots of men running around with bloody shirts."
And some experiments proved ill-fated; a trip over to Staten Island on the ferry provided just enough resting time for adrenaline to ebb and sleepiness to rush in. And a rest stop at the Ear Inn on Spring Street was lost when the group grew too large.
Still, for many the ride provides a perspective on the city they never imagined, and will likely never experience again. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said senior Laura Ly, 20.
Fellow senior Joanna Phillips chipped in: "Except for Professor Jackson."
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One man with courage is a majority - Thomas Jefferson
Last edited by THE BIG APPLE; Jan 5, 2015 at 9:03 AM.
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