This is a running route I do frequently on Mondays (or occasionally loop for three times for 30 kilometers:). I often run on clockwise to climb Manhattan Bridge first, it felt easier in that way, despite the incline on Williamsburg Bridge is actually longer.
The passing through Chinatown is the most intriguing part of the run: you first see it within the sight at a height when running down the Manhattan Bridge — the broken roofs with graffiti where people hang their sheets or gather for smoke; somehow, every time when I look down for those shops, I see “Zeechow Press Inc. 宇宙印務公司”. Soon after I exhaust all the gravity and make the turn to Bowery and Canal, the Arch and Colonnade take my breath. Waiting for the traffics, dodging the crowds, passing the restaurants, no matter what time of the day, what day of the week, it is always chaotic.
Before leaving Chinatown, the massive “VITAL” sign marks the turn toward the Williamsburg Bridge. The bike lane merges and I find myself competing for space against the wheels. Graffiti reappears, I often find the same draw or markers as I saw last time, which pulls my attention from the climb. There is a temporary stretch after the diverge from the bike lane where the trains start to run on parallel, loudly. The second climb with Domino Sugar factory in sight and softball fields spreading out underneath is past quickly until that long downhill starts to release. Even though there are still a mile and half on Kent and Flushing, the run already feels complete as the rhythm carries to the end.
additionl notes: Bridge Facts