Bikes in the Post  The recent rail strike in France was a boon to Velib, the new bike rental program implemented throughout Paris, and other bike rental businesses, according to the Post Travel Section article Rail Strike? Just Bike.

In the same section was a letter in Travel Q&A about bike touring in NYC: I'm interested in spending a day on the bike trail on Manhattan's West Side. Can you recommend hotels near the trail that provide storage for bikes or allow them in rooms?

Several hotels, especially in the Battery where the trail begins, are quite bicycle-friendly. Some, like the Holiday Inn Wall Street, ask that you check your bike in a secure room in the lobby (212-232-7700, http://www.holidayinn.com). Rates begin at $269 a night. Others will allow you to take your vehicle right into your room. These include the Exchange Hotel (212-742-0003, http://www.exchangehotel.com), where rooms start at $199, and the Embassy Suites New York (212-945-0100, http://www.embassysuites.com) where rooms start at $229.

Wherever you decide to stay, drop by the Bike New York Web site ( http://www.bikenewyork.org) for lots more cycling information, brought to you by a principal sponsor of the city's celebrated springtime five-borough bike tour, and the New York Cycle Club site ( http://www.nycc.org), where the message boards could hardly be more active. Both are wonderful resources for two-wheelers and the folks who love them.

Maybe there is hope for this world.
posted by Bruce Wright at 11:40 AM #