Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 142 Location: sotto la collina
Sun Mar 12, 06 12:04 am EST
I have a Brooklyn bike map that shows a bike path all the way around the cemetary. Does anyone know if bikes are allowed on the inside paths?
JoshB Regular
Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 152 Location: Park Place
Sun Mar 12, 06 11:41 am EST
Wishful thinking bub, but no. Park those two wheels and exercise those legs; bikes are banned. Or at least they were last year. And the year before.
pitu Fake Buddhist
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 6489 Location: Utopian Park Slope
Sun Mar 12, 06 11:59 am EST
JoshB wrote:
Wishful thinking bub, but no. Park those two wheels and exercise those legs; bikes are banned. Or at least they were last year. And the year before.
yup, it's an active cemetary, not a park around a historic cemetary
sweet tea Cooler Ham
Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 4960 Location: the jewish
Sun Mar 12, 06 1:09 pm EST
...although why cars and feet are okay and bikes are not is beyond me. i used to bike to and within cemetaries to visit family graves in other places....
communitybuilder Newbie
Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 27
Sun Mar 12, 06 7:25 pm EST
Oh man, don't get me started. The "no bikes" rule in Green-Wood Cemetary is bizarre, nonsensical and most of all, a real shame. Why can't I go with my old Brookyn cousin by bike to visit his parents graves? That was our plan a couple of summers ago but we weren't allowed. Green-Wood management didn't think biking to the grave site was "compatible with the decorum" of the cemetary. Rather, they preferred us to visit the cemetary in an exhaust-spewing, loud, broken down '87 Toyota pick-up. Rolling up in that piece o crap vehicle, we were given carte blanche to drive anywhere we wanted on the grounds. Rolling up on bikes we were treated like criminals.
I think this rule is so ridiculous that I actually wrote Green-Wood's management a letter a few years ago urging them to change the rule. I hope other people might write them too. Their response to me was that they view bicycles "as recreational in nature." Try telling that to the 130,000 New Yorkers who now use bikes to commute to work at various times during the year. BTW -- our part of Brooklyn happens to have the largest % of bike commuters. Bikes are most definitely transportation for a lot of Green-Wood's neighbors.
I know it seems weird to some people to get exercised about not being able to ride a bike around a graveyard. But it's actually a common thing in other cities. I've done bike rides through the old historic cemetaries in other big cities and it's fantastic. It's really the best way to see take in the full expanse of the grounds in a day. And if you don't think that's appropriate for a cemetary note that sight-seeing is totally encouraged in G-W. At 478 acres there's no way you can do it on foot in a day. These cemetaries also provide some of the nicest urban biking you can find. Windy roads and hills and trees and grass. It's clearly not a place to do laps or race. But it's a great place for a chill ride around the grounds.
As to this idea that Green-Wood is all about decorum, the cemetary was originally conceived as a recreational area as well as a place to bury the dead. In 1850 G-W was one of the largest tourist attractions in America after Niagra Falls. People used to eat picnic lunches on the grass and go for horse-drawn carriage rides and stop at the gravestones of the local celebrities. I think it's time for management to open it back up to the public. It's one of Brooklyn's greatest assets afterall.
Brooklyn has the least park space per person and per acre than any of the five boroughs. The streets are still way too dangerous for kids to ride by themselves. It's absolutely pathetic that I can't visit my cousin's parents graves by bike and that my kids won't be able to ride there either.
If you want this rule to change, shoot this guy an e-mail. It'd be good for him to hear from more people:
Kenneth A. Taylor
Vice President for Operations
Green-Wood
New York's Historic Cemetery
500 25th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11232
phone: 718-768-7300
fax: 718-788-1101
e-mail: kentaylor@green-wood.com
vanilla Carneviento Devotee
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 1434
Sun Mar 12, 06 7:53 pm EST
you can drive a car around there but no cycling. stupid rules.
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Mon Mar 13, 06 11:04 am EST
the cemetary is beautiful to walk around in. it was built like a park. anyway yeah no bikes, its kinda stupid you can have a car, like the other said. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 142 Location: sotto la collina
Mon Mar 13, 06 12:19 pm EST
communitybuilder wrote:
If you want this rule to change, shoot this guy an e-mail. It'd be good for him to hear from more people.
Wow. Thanks so much for the information. Not only is this rule, in my opinion, seriously unfortunate, but it seems rather unfounded as well. I will certainly be in touch with Mr. Taylor. Perhaps if there is enough interest on this board we can get this rule changed? Its happened before...
vanilla Carneviento Devotee
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 1434
Mon Mar 13, 06 12:22 pm EST
it's funny b/c we were just talking about this before the post came up - about no cycling in greenwood cemetary. what we speculated is that some idiot took to off road biking over the grass and gaves and thus the rules were made... i would be curious to know the real reason for this rule and further more, why not BIKES and NOT CARS?! that would rule.
pitu Fake Buddhist
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 6489 Location: Utopian Park Slope
Mon Mar 13, 06 2:59 pm EST
vanilla wrote:
i would be curious to know the real reason for this rule and further more, why not BIKES and NOT CARS?! that would rule.
I'm gonna go out on a limb with this one and guess that the cars are there for funerals, or little old ladies visiting graves. It's not as if there is a road going *through* the place that people not having cemetary business use -- no recreational driving by default. I always thought a. there's just the one entrance b. they check people at the gate. But it's not like I go in there often.
I do know 2 people buried there. I think they should let people ride bikes as transportation to a grave site, but I can see why they (we?) wouldn't want people using it recreationally, and how that would be hard to enforce. It seems fair enough to keep the road races in nearby Prospect Park . . .
vanilla Carneviento Devotee
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 1434
Mon Mar 13, 06 3:32 pm EST
i agree with you pitu, but i also know that cars drive through there recreationally, too. i mean, people like to stroll through there as well. just seems strange that there is a no bike rule.
sebhavers Newbie
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17
Mon Mar 13, 06 3:42 pm EST
pitu wrote:
I'm gonna go out on a limb with this one and guess that the cars are there for funerals, or little old ladies visiting graves. It's not as if there is a road going *through* the place that people not having cemetary business use -- no recreational driving by default. I always thought a. there's just the one entrance b. they check people at the gate. But it's not like I go in there often.
I do know 2 people buried there. I think they should let people ride bikes as transportation to a grave site, but I can see why they (we?) wouldn't want people using it recreationally, and how that would be hard to enforce. It seems fair enough to keep the road races in nearby Prospect Park . . .
I believe Pitu has the answer. Driving in Green-Wood is ok, b/c most of the cars are there for funerals or site visits. While Green-Wood welcomes people to come in and walk around, they don't want to promote themselves as a place of primary recreation. Then you get rollerbladers, bike racers, etc.
Personally, I think some of those hills would be grueling for bikers.
steve Cylon
Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 1263
Mon Mar 13, 06 5:25 pm EST
they won't let you jog in there either. I would have liked to do that once or twice, but no biggie.
vanilla Carneviento Devotee
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 1434
Mon Mar 13, 06 10:59 pm EST
steve wrote:
they won't let you jog in there either. I would have liked to do that once or twice, but no biggie.
wow, is there a dress code?!
sweet tea Cooler Ham
Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 4960 Location: the jewish
Tue Mar 14, 06 12:32 pm EST
i understand that they want to keep some dignity to the place, and that bike races might detract, but greenwood does position itself as a recreational place, at least as far as sight-seeing goes. witness the maps they sell with graves of famous people marked on them.
the cemetery is a lovely place to stroll around -- in fact, i've read that it was the recreational experience of strolling around greenwood that led manhattanites to lobby for the creation of central park. i bet it's a lovely place to go for a drive, too, and that a lot of those cars are not in fact carrying mourners. personally, i think it's wonderful to imagine a cemetary being visited and enjoyed for reasons beyond personal connection to the dead. i think that is, in a way, the best thing we can hope for: that people will continue to look at our names and dates and wonder who we were and what we were like, that they will think about us long after everyone who has known us personally is gone.
that said, what the "no bikes" rule effectively does is prevent people without cars from visiting specific grave sites that are far from the entrances. (that place is BIG and HILLY.) it's only a minor inconvenience for recreational walkers, since there is still plenty to see close to the gates, but it would be a major problem for a car-less person whose grandmother was buried farther away.
at graceland cemetery in chicago, similarly old and active and centrally located, they have no problem with bikes, and so i used to hop on mine and go visit my great-grandmother and others. i didn't notice anyone behaving disrespecfully or leading a peleton. and i think my people were/would have been happy for the visit.
Yavel Regular
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 168 Location: The Boneyard
Wed Jul 19, 06 12:58 am EST
I just saw this overview for a condo going up on 23rd street that encourages picnicing and jogging in the cemetery. Have they relaxed the rules over there?
"...Closer still is Greenwood Cemetery – built in 1838 it is a New York City historic landmark and a verdant park-like setting that is the final resting place of such notables as Margaret Sanger, Horace Greeley and the infamous “Boss†Tweed. Both are perfect for a morning jog, a romantic picnic, or even just a casual weekend stroll."
i nthink the implication is that PP is good for the jog and picnic, but you best only stroll in GW
Drano Meow Wars Veteran
Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1559
Wed Jul 19, 06 10:48 am EST
vanilla wrote:
it's funny b/c we were just talking about this before the post came up - about no cycling in greenwood cemetary. what we speculated is that some idiot took to off road biking over the grass and gaves and thus the rules were made... i would be curious to know the real reason for this rule and further more, why not BIKES and NOT CARS?! that would rule.
I was going to post something similar, but you beat me to it - I would guess that morons tearing all over the place in mountain bikes or fear of same is the largest reason for the rule. And you know that while 99% of people would act in a responsible manner were bikes allowed in the cemetary, the temptation would prove too much for a few people.
Part 2 is that in life the line has to be drawn somewhere, and it's not always logical or reasonable - I for one wouldn't mind seeing people ride bikes in a cemetary (not off-road) but skateboards and those little motorized scooters would annoy me. I guess for the managers of the cemetary, bikes are the line.
Boygabriel G Train Devotee
Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Posts: 2353 Location: Somewhere between Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg and Bushwick
Wed Jul 19, 06 12:28 pm EST
communitybuilder wrote:
Kenneth A. Taylor
Vice President for Operations
Green-Wood
New York's Historic Cemetery
500 25th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11232
phone: 718-768-7300
fax: 718-788-1101
e-mail: kentaylor@green-wood.com
Brilliantly said.
I just wrote him an email. _________________ Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org
Yavel Regular
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 168 Location: The Boneyard
Wed Jul 19, 06 2:55 pm EST
I think the condo people clearly state that both Prospect Park and Green-wood are great for picnicing, jogging and casual strolling. I did forward the link to Green-wood, btw.
I can see where Green-wood would draw the line at bicycles. I'm not sure that I would want to see people biking through the cemetery, and basically treating it as a park, if I were there visiting a grave or attending a funeral. Ditto, if a car went by that was blaring loud music from it's stereo.
sweet tea Cooler Ham
Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 4960 Location: the jewish
Wed Jul 19, 06 3:45 pm EST
Yavel wrote:
I can see where Green-wood would draw the line at bicycles. I'm not sure that I would want to see people biking through the cemetery, and basically treating it as a park, if I were there visiting a grave or attending a funeral.
given the high proportion of new yorkers who don't own cars, i think it really, really stinks -- without a car it is very difficult to get around the place, which would make it pretty tough to visit a grave that wasn't right by the entrance without, what, renting a uhaul?
the cemetary intentionally positions itself -- and long has -- as a recreational spot. i think it's lousy that no kind of biking is allowed at all, although of course i agree that off-roading and racing and the like would be out of line.
pitu lillet This is just a test.
Joined: 19 May 2006 Posts: 101
Wed Jul 19, 06 6:31 pm EST
sweet tea wrote:
Yavel wrote:
I can see where Green-wood would draw the line at bicycles. I'm not sure that I would want to see people biking through the cemetery, and basically treating it as a park, if I were there visiting a grave or attending a funeral.
given the high proportion of new yorkers who don't own cars, i think it really, really stinks -- without a car it is very difficult to get around the place, which would make it pretty tough to visit a grave that wasn't right by the entrance without, what, renting a uhaul?
the cemetary intentionally positions itself -- and long has -- as a recreational spot. i think it's lousy that no kind of biking is allowed at all, although of course i agree that off-roading and racing and the like would be out of line.
A close friend of mine was buried in Greenwood last month. It would be lovely to ride my bike in to see her, but I sure would have HATED it if recreational bikers had looped by the Saturday morning I was attending the funeral.
See the "Prospect Park Is Not The Tour de France" thread for more on recreational biking behavioural issues...
http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3701
Greenwood has events, but obviously doesn't allow 'recreation' throughout the place or we wouldn't be talking about this here.
Yavel Regular
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 168 Location: The Boneyard
Wed Jul 19, 06 7:46 pm EST
If you're hale enough to get around on a bike, it seems to me that you ought to be able to make it to any point in the cemetery on foot? There are several entrances around the perimeter of Green-wood, so you can choose the entrance that is closest to where you need to be. My two year old and my octagenarian grandmother seem to be able to hoof it around the cemetery just fine.
Boygabriel G Train Devotee
Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Posts: 2353 Location: Somewhere between Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg and Bushwick
Thu Jul 20, 06 12:43 am EST
Here's the email I got in response from Kenneth A. Taylor:
Thank you for your inquiry and comments regarding the Cemetery's policy
prohibiting bicycling. Our main concern has always been to please our
lot owners while still allowing others to enjoy the beauty of Green-Wood
to the extent possible without putting their needs before those of our
lot owners. Recreational bicycling is not within the decorum expected
in a place dedicated to the memorialization of the departed and given
the topography of Green-Wood could be dangerous the cyclist and others.
We thank you for your cooperation and understanding in this matter.
Sincerely,
Kenneth A. Taylor
Vice President for Operations
Green-Wood
New York's Historic Cemetery
500 25th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11232
phone: 718-768-7300
fax: 718-788-1101
e-mail: kentaylor@green-wood.com _________________ Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org
sweet tea Cooler Ham
Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 4960 Location: the jewish
Thu Jul 20, 06 9:58 am EST
Yavel wrote:
If you're hale enough to get around on a bike, it seems to me that you ought to be able to make it to any point in the cemetery on foot? There are several entrances around the perimeter of Green-wood, so you can choose the entrance that is closest to where you need to be. My two year old and my octagenarian grandmother seem to be able to hoof it around the cemetery just fine.
i don't have a personal problem with getting around the cemetary -- since my interest is to look around in general, not at a particular spot, the places closest to the entrance suit me fine. and i have plenty of places to tool around on my bike, at speeds that would never approach winning the tour de my block.
i'm just suprised by the absolute restriction, and don't find bicycles more disturbing than cars, that's all. and, as i said above, i have nice memories of biking to visit family graves in chicago.
8thandPrez Stroller Person
Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Posts: 1130 Location: No longer at 8th and Prez
Thu Jul 20, 06 1:14 pm EST
I've always thought this was the most idiotic rule imaginable. I completely understand why cars are permitted to ferry people in and out for funerals and visitation, but the cemetery is also seen (and has always been seen) as a tourist destination and recreational park. For example, take a look at this page from All Car Rent-a-car, which states:
Quote:
Take your NYC Discount Car Rentals vehicle to see this full-service non-sectarian, not-for-profit cemetery...., if you drive to the cemetery in your NYC Discount Car Rentals vehicle, you’ll find an arboretum, wildlife sanctuary, sculpture garden, history and beautiful architecture and landscape design.
Pretty funny stuff to think that someone could rent a car just to go tooling around, parking and hopping out at every notable gravesite while bicyclists are forbidden.
I also thought it funny that someone said they wouldn't want to see people biking by while attending a funeral... I don't see what's so intrusive about a cemetery doing double duty as an open space and a place of rest (and mourning)... to me, it adds life to the cemetery and provides another opportunity for reflection.
Smokin' Joe Synonymous Quest
Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 523
Fri Jul 21, 06 12:24 pm EST
kenneth taylor's point about decorum is well taken. tourist attraction or not, it's still a cemetery after all.
so why not prohibit the inappropriate behavior rather than a type of vehicle? you wouldn't want cars racing through the cemetery either, or blasting their stereos.
something like this should do:
"please respect this place. no noise, no speeding. thank you."
mr. taylor?
steveo Regular
Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 151 Location: St. Johns & Underhill
Mon Jul 24, 06 5:33 pm EST
Boygabriel wrote:
Here's the email I got in response from Kenneth A. Taylor:
Recreational bicycling is not within the decorum expected
in a place dedicated to the memorialization of the departed
Okay, perfect. He said recreational biking isn't allowed. So when you get there, just explain that you're biking for transportation, and show the guards a printout of the email. Seems easy enough.
:/
Boygabriel G Train Devotee
Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Posts: 2353 Location: Somewhere between Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg and Bushwick
Mon Jul 24, 06 8:34 pm EST
I strongly agree with each of the last two posts. _________________ Spend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org
pensodyssey It's only springtime.
Joined: 23 May 2005 Posts: 593
Wed Aug 02, 06 12:20 pm EST
This thread makes me sick to my stomach. You people are complaining because you can't ride your goddamn bikes around in a cemetary? Good god. Talk about a misplaced sense of entitlement. _________________ Smacks of affectation.
Carnivore Brooklyn Snark
Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 13566 Location: St Johns Pl and Underhill
Wed Aug 02, 06 2:02 pm EST
pensodyssey wrote:
This thread makes me sick to my stomach. You people are complaining because you can't ride your goddamn bikes around in a cemetary? Good god. Talk about a misplaced sense of entitlement.
Oh Snap!
you've just been NECROCONFRONTED!
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Wed Aug 02, 06 2:11 pm EST
Carnivore wrote:
pensodyssey wrote:
This thread makes me sick to my stomach. You people are complaining because you can't ride your goddamn bikes around in a cemetary? Good god. Talk about a misplaced sense of entitlement.
Oh Snap!
you've just been NECROCONFRONTED!
where is the dead i can sex up. oh nm false alarm@@!! damn you carnivore!!!
Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 911 Location: Park F'ing Slope
Thu Aug 17, 06 10:19 am EST
Maybe they ban bicyclists because they see how they act in Prospect Park on the weekends? What do you think?
Drano Meow Wars Veteran
Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1559
Thu Aug 17, 06 11:24 am EST
Jamzer wrote:
Maybe they ban bicyclists because they see how they act in Prospect Park on the weekends? What do you think?
Well...they might not put it exactly like that, but yeah - I can see how packs of dudes in garish spandex speeding around might not be conducive to the solemn atmosphere people expect in a cemetary.
I still think the policy isn't against people who just want to ride bikes as transportation, but rather the wannabe racers and off-roaders - and trying to separate one from the other would just be more trouble than it's worth to the cemetary.
Smokin' Joe Synonymous Quest
Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 523
Mon Aug 21, 06 11:37 pm EST
Drano wrote:
I still think the policy isn't against people who just want to ride bikes as transportation, but rather the wannabe racers and off-roaders - and trying to separate one from the other would just be more trouble than it's worth to the cemetary.
ridiculous if that's the case. pedestrians are capable of inappropriate behavior in a cemetery (blasting a boombox, for instance) but they don't ban pedestrians. they ban the inappropriate behavior.
the spandex racing bike crowd isn't likely to tear through the cemetery -- unlike the road in prospect park, it's simply not conducive to anything but low gear.
Drano Meow Wars Veteran
Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1559
Tue Aug 22, 06 8:33 am EST
Smokin' Joe wrote:
Drano wrote:
I still think the policy isn't against people who just want to ride bikes as transportation, but rather the wannabe racers and off-roaders - and trying to separate one from the other would just be more trouble than it's worth to the cemetary.
ridiculous if that's the case. pedestrians are capable of inappropriate behavior in a cemetery (blasting a boombox, for instance) but they don't ban pedestrians. they ban the inappropriate behavior.
the spandex racing bike crowd isn't likely to tear through the cemetery -- unlike the road in prospect park, it's simply not conducive to anything but low gear.
Well, now, I'm just speculatin' on a hypothesis. How do they enforce the rules, anyway? Let's say I do roll in there and start blasting some tunes, will they send a security guy out in a golf cart to stop me? Seems like once you're well in there it would be tough to stop you from doing much of anything...
Yavel Regular
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 168 Location: The Boneyard
Tue Aug 22, 06 10:57 am EST
They have security that regularly rides around the cemetery.
pitu Fake Buddhist
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 6489 Location: Utopian Park Slope
Sat Aug 26, 06 6:11 pm EST
Yavel wrote:
They have security that regularly rides around the cemetery.
plus several centuries of angry and hungry ghosts
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sat Aug 26, 06 6:20 pm EST
pitu wrote:
Yavel wrote:
They have security that regularly rides around the cemetery.
plus several centuries of angry and hungry ghosts
so does that mean i get eaten at night time or during hollween there?
pitu Fake Buddhist
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 6489 Location: Utopian Park Slope
Sat Aug 26, 06 6:32 pm EST
armchair_warrior wrote:
pitu wrote:
Yavel wrote:
They have security that regularly rides around the cemetery.
plus several centuries of angry and hungry ghosts
so does that mean i get eaten at night time or during hollween there?
anytime you do anything reprehensible on site
it's a 24/7 situation
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sat Aug 26, 06 10:31 pm EST
pitu wrote:
armchair_warrior wrote:
pitu wrote:
Yavel wrote:
They have security that regularly rides around the cemetery.
plus several centuries of angry and hungry ghosts
so does that mean i get eaten at night time or during hollween there?
anytime you do anything reprehensible on site
it's a 24/7 situation
me is skared
maggie Tobin Newbie
Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Kensington
Fri Feb 02, 07 10:07 pm EST
Dear Sir,
I live a few blocks away from the beautiful Greenwood Cemetery and am thrilled to see that it is so well maintained .However, it saddens me daily when I pass by and see how utterly empty it always is. It seems to be a place only for the dead, which is contrary to all that I personally believe cemetaries should be. In my opinion, it is shameful to see such a large open green space in our very crowded city reserved (pretty much exclusively) for those that can no longer enjoy it.
Before my mother passed away a few years ago she requested not to be buried in a cemetery.Instead she bought herself a park bench and had it placed in a public rose garden near her home and asked us, her children, to be creative when it came time to do something with her ashes. She thought that all cemeteries should be a place for the living to celebrate life and the lives of those who have passed before us. In essence, she felt they should be more like parks and less austere and solemn. I agree wholeheartedly.
Last summer, my seven year old daughter and I tried to go biking in the cemetery and of course were turned away .It was explained to us that there had been vandalism in the past so it was necessary for us to drive or walk in. I suspect this was more a tool used for "crowd control" as we know a vandal can as easily walk or drive as ride a bike. Is there not some sort of compromise we could come up with so that you (the cemetery)feel safe while we, the citizens of brooklyn canhave the opportunity to enjoy the green open space? What if we were required to apply for a yearly permit allowing us to bike or hike or relax in this grand outdoor space? You in return could charge a small fee for the permit and have our identification etc on file.What do you think?
I look forward o hearing from you.
best,
Maggie Tobin
127 Chester Avenue
Brooklyn,NY 11218
Smokin' Joe Synonymous Quest
Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 523
Fri Feb 02, 07 10:26 pm EST
nice letter. please let us know if you get a response. _________________ "Great regular flavor."
lostingreenwoodhts Where has the day gone?
Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 1437 Location: Greenwood Hts., where else?
Sat Feb 03, 07 8:35 pm EST
OK, time for me to chime in...
I will not add to the debate, one side or the other, because I understand Green-Wood's intent and those who would like to recreationally bike (or visit loved ones interred therein), BUT I might add this is a private institution, not public. It is still a "working" cemetery. We see at least 2-3 interments a day...
From what I understand, ss much as Green-Wood prides itself as a public cultural institution, it is a private enterprise dedicated to the preservation of the New Yorkers (and non) interred there. Plain & simple.
And in all reality, I must agree with Mr. Taylor on the terrain comment.
My wife and I walk there regularly. At times it is tough to see cars drive around, let alone bikes...
AND, I personally feel the Cemetery is best experienced on-foot, so you can take in the main roads, but also the side paths.
A place to visit and perhaps, spend an eternity
Bikes aside, visit Green-Wood if you have not. Bike or car, park at the entrance and take along stroll...get lost...and explore some history of New York!
Perhaps one day the bike prohibition might be lifted (or curtailed to scheduled rides), but love the Cemetery for what it is: one of NY's most culturally significant places.
The folks at Green-Wood take great pride in their role as care takers, for those interred there and as a cultural destination...that's why they were made a part of the National Historic Landmark registry this year.
But, I'm biased, of course _________________ A word or two from the highest point in Brooklyn--Greenwood Hts.
...elevation, not just inebriation...
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