New York – Page 4 – Active Naturists

official(!) naked-friendly trail and water hole in Mohonk Preserve, NY

31 October 201331 October 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

I haven’t counted exactly how much but a good share of our blogposts is about hiking. This one is special because it is about a trail that is officially designated for nude recreation! Yes, there is one (hope not the only one!) – at Split Rock in Mohonk Preserve, New York! I heard about it from Young Naturists America, as they organized a couple of outings there; you can also read about their correspondence with the park officials as to why there is no information about this trail on their website. The bottom line is that this is a private land, and one of the conditions of the owners to give it for public use was keeping its tradition of skinny-dipping. Well, if only more land-owners were like that!

Unfortunately, clothing is only optional behind the actual Split Rock formation (the name speaks for itself – it’s a split rock with a creek and small waterfall in the middle), and the nude-friendly trail is just about 10 min walk of easy hiking. I had a bitter-sweet feeling about this place. On the one hand, it was exciting to finally find an official place for naked hiking. On the other, it also seemed unfair to not include the main attraction in the clothing-optional part. Come on, if you decided to give ONE single trail of a huge preserve for nude recreation, can’t you give at least this one entirely?

naturist 0000 Mohonk Preserve, NY, USA

Nevertheless, I was happy to see this sign – I could get naked in the forest, ‘as nature intended’, without worrying about rangers. I finally got relaxed, after spending several hours to get there! Long story short: I was supposed to go with two buddies by train to Poughkeepsie and then bike all the way to Mohonk Preserve, but I got a flat tire, and of course it was the only time when I didn’t have a spare tire with me; I didn’t want to keep my friends for too long with me and let them go ahead, but by the time I found someone with a spare tire it was almost too late to bike to Mohonk… Luckily, I got a ride almost all the way to Split Rock! However, my friends were already leaving by the time I got there, so as most other visitors.

naturist 0001 Mohonk Preserve, NY, USA

I could see only one [naked] figure wandering in the evening fog. I found another split rock water hole, much smaller than the first one though. The water was clear but pretty cold. I guess that’s why it’s called skinny dipping there.

naturist 0002 Mohonk Preserve, NY, USA

A bit later, the only other visitor came by and we started talking about this place. He was surprised to hear that I was going to return by bike and offered a ride to the town of New Paultz. I actually wanted to ride my bike, as I didn’t get to do it much that day. Then, as I was unlocking my bike at the parking lot, the ranger on duty also raised her concern as it was getting dark and the road didn’t have shoulders. When I saw a ver dark cloud coming and heard thunder, I finally gave up. Few minutes later, on the way to New Paultz, a sever downpour started! So it wasn’t a bad decision to drive to New Paultz and stay in a hostel there… Next day, I hitch-hiked back to Split Rock and when checked on my bike, found this big (I thought at the moment) garden spider under my seat!

garden spider 0000 Mohonk Preserve, NY, USA

The weather was quite good again, so I went to the creek once again. This time could sunbathe on the rocks, so refreshing in the water hole was more pleasant. Then I noticed something awesome on the bank of the creek:

wolf spider 0000 Mohonk Preserve, NY, USA

Now, that is a BIG spider! To be honest, I had no idea there were such huge ones in New York state (just look at the fir-tree cone next to it for comparison).

wolf spider 0001 Mohonk Preserve, NY, USA

Well, after posting this, I guess Split Rock won’t get any more popular… On the other hand, it’s not exactly the place that you want to get crowded, so it’s up to you if you want to face this monster! 😉

Another justification for writing about spiders now is that it’s Halloween! That’s my contribution here. I remember one of the readers wrote me he freaked out about the picture of harvestman (aka daddy longlegs) that I posted in my first story about Harriman State Park. Let’s see the reaction to these! It’s worth noting though, that while harvestmen are among the most poisonous animals out there, they are simply not able to bite a human. Unlike wolf spiders! (That’s the name of this beauty, if you haven’t guessed.) Apparently, nothing bad can happen if they do bite you, but it won’t be pleasant.

wolf spider 0002 Mohonk Preserve, NY, USA

I have to say some good words about wolf spiders though. They are actually caring mothers. The keep their their eggs in a special sac that they carry around everywhere with them; on the photo above you can even see how the sac is attached to her spinneret (silk-producing organ). And what’s even more remarkable, after hatching, little spiders stay on their mother for a week or so. Maybe I’ll see that next time.

Yoga is more fun under the sun… and stars

6 September 20136 September 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Last minute announcement: This coming Sunday, we’ll be at Sandy Hook beach with two yoga instructors from the group that I organized a few months ago. There are several yoga groups in New York City that practice yoga naked (see my review of Zensual yoga, for example), but my group started as much less formal gathering of friends; now it’s become a regular, weekly class with 2 rotating instructors and more visiting, and a dozen or so students, and we’ve even had a retreat at the Woods campground!

naturist 0003 yoga, the Woods campground, PA USA

I haven’t announced this group on this blog because it was meant mainly for friends, and it grew fast enough with word of mouth. During summer, we’ve been holding classes at the rooftop of one of us in Uptown Manhattan in the evenings. Well, the sky in Manhattan isn’t very starry, but even so it is pretty amazing to stretch out on the roof under stars… and airplanes. I must say after getting used to doing yoga al fresco and au naturel, it would be hard to practice it any other way. The weather seems to be great on Sunday, you can join us at Gunnison Beach at Sandy Hook (see my previous blogpost for the ferry coupon) to do some yoga under the sun and try something like this:

naturist 0012 yoga, the Woods campground, PA USA

Partner stretch/acro-yoga class was probably the most popular at our retreat in the Woods. Besides that, it was also pretty amazing to have an awakening morning yoga session listening to the rain (that one we did under the roof). After that, we covered ourselves with mud and did the no-rain dance, so the sky was clear throughout the rest of the retreat weekend. This time, it looks like we don’t even need that, the forecast is fine 🙂

body art at Times Square

18 August 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

US is often portrayed as a pretty uptight nation, but luckily there are people who challenge this view. One of them is the artist Andy Golub. He creates body art at landmark locations of New York City. Body painting in this case not only serves as an art act but also promotes body acceptance, i.e. it helps people to see human body as something normal and nothing to be ashamed of (as oddly, as it sounds – how come that we actually need that?). As you may know from my blog, I feel very comfortable naked, and I have been to numerous events that involved full body painting, but doing it at Times Square brings it to the next level.

When I arrived there, Andy Golub and his team had already been painting several people for a couple of hours… surrounded by dozens of onlookers. I guess for all models it took some time to get used to be in the centre of attention, but the general atmosphere of fun and encouragement made it easy to enjoy it! This is definitely a good exercise for your confidence 😉

I couldn’t wait to join the fun and get painted. What colours would I get?

Finally, it was my turn, and Andy brought me to his assistants – Gypsy Twins, as they called themselves.

Andy gave them an idea as to how he envisioned me painted, and there I was getting covered in gold. First, I kept my shorts on, to make the transition less ‘shocking’ to the audience, but not for too long 😀

I don’t think I’ve ever been that shiny!

Then, it was time for face. It was quite contrasting to the rest of the body, but regardless, it felt almost hypnotic to get my face painted by both twins simultaneously.

After that, the master himself was about to paint me.

It took him a moment to get an idea,

and shortly, a black pattern was emerging on my chest.

All this time, I and the rest of the models were constantly being photographed by the crowd and Andy Golub’s crew. Most of the photos in this blogpost are courtesy of Arthur.

After we were done with painting, it was the time for photo shoots.

Needless to say, most of the audience loved it, someone provided his skateboard as a stage for one of our models.

I’m not generally into posing, but the fellow model Sky got me inspired.

When else could I do a naked handstand at Times Square? I didn’t want to miss that opportunity!

Obviously, many people were curious about what was happening, and you could see all kinds of reactions but almost all were positive. Many people were surprised to find out it was totally legal. It was funny to hear that even when people were baffled at first, they immediately approved the event as soon as they heard the magic word ‘art’ – why are we so attached to labels?

Luckily, some people noticed another important aspect of this body art event – the models were of different ages and body complexions, which certainly promoted body acceptance.

And could there be any better place for that than Times Square?

The Statue of Liberty obviously approved that! Would there be liberty without nudity, and would there be art without nudes? (I know, someone else already said that.)

Thus, despite the ban on clothes-free recreation at some Fire Island beaches this year and nudity ban in San Francisco, success of the World Naked Bike Ride in NYC this year, and now body art performances in landmark locations in Manhattan by Andy Golub give us hope!

PS Andy is planning more similar acts, so keep your eyes open!

Rattling around in Harriman State Park woods

1 August 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

I though I had seen all what Harriman State Park near NYC provided, but a week ago, I saw something there that gave me goosebumps… and the urge to post about it, as a warning to other hikers in the area. So, this is what awaited me at the white trail right by the Pine Meadow Lake:

rattlesnake 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Yes, a rattlesnake! Curiously enough, when we were hiking towards the lake the day before, Sergei wondered if we should watch out for snakes. None of us had seen venomous snakes in the area (but I did report on non-venomous snakes in the previous blogpost about Harriman), and I noted they were actually pretty rare in New York State. But I was lucky to see one on the way back.

rattlesnake 0001 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Well, when I said I was ‘lucky’ to see it, I really meant it and for two reasons. First of all, if you see a snake, you are more than likely to be safe, unless it is a spitting cobra. Snakes don’t have any reason to bite humans unless they feel threatened… which mostly happens when we do not see them and step on them. Second, it was a rare for New York State timber rattlesnake, a threatened species actually; threatened, in wildlife conservation terms, otherwise it looked magnificently calm. This was probably the third reason why I felt lucky to see it, I was thrilled to take some photos of it, there was indeed something hypnotic about its gaze.

rattlesnake 0002 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Was it daydreaming looking in the clouds?

rattlesnake 0003 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Or was it waiting for a hiker to bite? Seriously though, I was concerned that the next hiker might be not that attentive and could step on it. I hesitated on whether to try to scare it off the trail or just leave it alone. I took a loooong stick and knocked on the rock near the snake, to which it moved slowly and took the tongue out to get a sense of what was happening around.

rattlesnake 0004 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

It still seemed to be very calm, so I decided not to disturb it anymore and leave it alone without making it aggressive (and feeling threatened!). The best thing I could do was warning the next hikers on the trail about it (just one couple), I hope they took it seriously coming from a naked guy! But again, if there was anything that the rattlesnake wanted to get a bite of, it was rather something like this toad – easier to swallow and digest.

toad 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Later on the same trail, I saw a much more dramatic episode from arthropod life. See this little hole in the ground covered by moss? It’s a home of a cricket, but not for too long!

ichneymon wasp, spider, cricket 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

First, I noticed an ichneumon wasp carrying a paralysed spider heading towards the hole. I immediately recognised it, because by coincidence, ichneumon wasps were mentioned in the chapter of the book that I was reading on that day in the morning – ‘The Greatest Show on Earth: the Evidence for Evolution‘ by Richard Dawkins. He mentioned that young Darwin was disgusted by their behaviour, which made him wonder about presence of any kind of ‘morality’ in nature, as they lay eggs in paralysed but still alive victims that are later being eaten alive by the larvae! But in the end, nature is neither moral or immoral, it is amoral… So, my amoral ichneumon wasp left her paralysed spider aside and went to check on the hole.

ichneymon wasp, spider, cricket 0002 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

That’s when I saw the cricket, the wasp clearly didn’t want its company, and the cricket left.

ichneymon wasp, spider, cricket 0001 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

By the time the wasp went to pick up the paralysed spider, the cricket returned to the hole; now the wasp put the spider closer and went into the hole again.

ichneymon wasp, spider, cricket 0004 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

It must have been much clearer with the cricket this time, as it left the hole and jumped away immediately. Finally, the was could bring the spider in the hole…

ichneymon wasp, spider, cricket 0003 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Well, if it was only that easy! She didn’t think much about what side she should have carried it first (I bet she should have pull it from the head first), but eventually she managed to pull it down in the hole… and do her dark deeds, for which I (thankfully) couldn’t be a witness anymore.

ichneymon wasp, spider, cricket 0005 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

To continue with the insect topic, there was one type that I was particularly hyped about this summer – cicadas. 2013 was the year for the East Coast brood of 17-year periodical cicadas to come out.

Here is a great video about them.

I thought Harriman State Park would be an ideal place to camp out with the cicada noise on the background, but we haven’t found a place where they’d be as abundant as on the video above.

cicada 0001 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

However, we saw some blueberry bushes with a lot of exoskeletons shed by cicada nymphs after molting, and I even noticed one on the top of a dry tree at the final stage of molting (just like the video explained),

cicada 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

but there was no such overwhelming background noise as I expected; maybe our timing was wrong.

Now, periodical cicadas are gone underground for another 17 years, but while hiking in Harriman last time, we noticed that the grasshoppers were particularly plentiful.

grasshopper 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA grasshopper 0001 Harriman State Park, NY, USA grasshopper 0002 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

To finish off with the insects for now, here a pretty furry moth – looks more like a winter outfit to me.

moth 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

By the way, blueberry bushes were not only full of cicada nymphs but of the fruit too! I’m not posting more photos with blueberries as I did enough last year – luckily, these do not come about only every 17 years! There are also some other fruits that will ripen later in summer.

hickory 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

These are fruits of hickory; they are related to walnuts and pecans, but depending on a species may be too bitter to be eaten… there is only one way to find out.

witch hazel 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

And these are witch hazels; despite the name, witch hazel is not related to hazelnuts but is edible and has some medical properties too.

Here is a couple of odd trees from the last hike.

bizarre tree 0001 Harriman State Park, NY, USA bizarre tree 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

I mentioned Canada geese at Silver Mine Lake in my first blogpost about Harriman, but this summer we saw some young ones too

canada goose 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

and they were really cute.

canada goose 0002 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

It is funny though, that in my first blogpost I used Canada geese as an example of an animal less menacing than a bear (we saw one in Harriman in 2011), and I still think they are, but one of them got particularly friendly with us, especially with Christian. Well, friendly is probably not the right word as it was very attracted to his toes and a couple of times tried to bite them! Christian was lucky though it was a foot fetishist goose 😀

canada goose 0004 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Not that it looked really dangerous, but it might have been a serious bite, judging by the strong beak and spiky tongue of the goose.

canada goose 0003 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

After that scary incident, I had to meditate in tranquility to feel safe again.

naturist 0002 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

You can actually find some very cozy places to sit and reflect about life

naturist 0003 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

or simply enjoy the view.

naturist 0004 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Mountain laurels were in full bloom by mid-June, and Lake Skannatati looked particularly picturesque.

naturist 0005 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

This summer is apparently wetter than usual, and you could tell by the waterfall at the dam of Lake Skannatati. Not that it couldn’t be blocked by two strong men 🙂

naturist 0008 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

We also noticed some drastic changes downstream, probably due to the storm Sandy, but it still provided a great background for photos.

naturist 0007 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

Well, that’s about it for now, it was quite a diversion from my plans to start posting about my bike trip in California last summer. This was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen, I loved it how the sun was going down behind the trees on the hill and you could still see it.

sunset 0000 Harriman State Park, NY, USA

PS There probably will be another blogpost before Californian series, as I just got fully body-painted at Times Square yesterday!

coupon for the ferry to Sandy Hook (another excuse to post about the beach)

17 July 201317 July 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

We had quite an awesome blogpost about Sandy Hook beach for the 4th of July, but as I am often asked about the discount coupon for the Seastreak Ferry that brings you from Manhattan to the beach, I am just posting it here on my blog (they don’t make it easy to find at the Seastreak website).

This is also a good excuse to post some of the older photos that have been waiting for a moment like this.

naturist 0002 Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

So, as you can conclude from the company’s name, the ferry brings you to streak by the sea 😉

naturist 0001 Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Well, this is not exactly streaking, as the Gunnison Beach of Sandy Hook is a legal clothing-optional beach. By the way, as you can see, even nudists are not opposed to using fabric… and there are some other options of using it besides clothing 😉 It is nice to see it waving in the wind.

naturist 0000 Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

In the end, it is all about freedom, you can leave your ~~hat~~ niqab on 😀

naturist 0003 Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Here is a couple of photos from the last two visits. When many people got scared of rain and clouds last Saturday, not only did they miss the Tacoboy’s Beachfest and perfect weather for volleyball, but also a full rainbow in the end of the day!

rainbow 0003 from Sandy Hook to NYC, NY, USA

Sunday turned out to be a full day of sun, and the last ferry was bringing us to the city with a stunning sunset view!

naturist 0002 from Sandy Hook to NYC, NY, USA

Could it be more perfect? Maybe if the sun was right by the torch of Miss Liberty… but let’s not ask for too much from a casual trip to the beach.

naturist 0001 from Sandy Hook to NYC, NY, USA

Seeing these iconic views on the way from the beach makes taking the quite expensive ferry worthwhile (besides bringing you to the city faster than by car).

naturist 0000 from Sandy Hook to NYC, NY, USA

By the way, I almost forgot about the discount coupon with all these views, here it is.

Gymnastics and capoeira at Sandy Hook beach

5 July 20136 September 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

naturist 0000 4 July flag of USA @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

This blogpost contains some of the best photos that qualify for both ‘active’ and ‘naturist’. It was prepared for the 4th of July, but instead of finishing it on time, I went to the beach 🙂 Well, I guess most of the readers in US did the same anyway, so one day delay is OK. Moreover, now I have this photo with historic American flags to add. Thanks to the nice couple who brought these flags and my friend Andre, I got a little lesson on American history right on the beach (I wish all history classes were like that, I would probably have learnt way more). Although I’m not a US citizen or a big fan of any sorts of patriotic celebrations in general, it seemed appropriate for the Independence Day to take a photo with the 13 star “Betsy Ross” variant of the first (or second?) flag of the USA, as well as the Gadsden Flag. Actually, I liked that according to Wikipedia contemporary significance of Gadsden Flag includes its use as “a symbol of disagreement with government, or a symbol of support for civil liberties”; given unfortunate recent developments with closure of some nudist beaches around New York and anti-nudity law in San Francisco, for example, this rebellious interpretation seems more appropriate for a nudist beach. Well, I don’t want to get carried away with this topic for now, I promised some of the best active naturist photos 🙂

So, the visitors of Sandy Hook’s Gunnison Beach may have encountered quite astonishing situations with some crazy people ‘flying’ around, sometimes upside down.

naturist 0000 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

One of them is certainly to be my gymnast friend David, who just cannot sit still for too long. His moves are impressive from the beginning

naturist 0049 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

to the end,

naturist 0076 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

but of course it’s what happens in between that draws attention!

naturist 0006 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

David can do most major exercises of floor gymnastics and tumbling and is eager to demonstrate his prowess,

naturist 0007 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

for which I have to thank him, as it inspired me to take gymnastics classes too.

naturist 0005 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

I’m still struggling with front handspring though.

naturist 0001 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

However, I could show a one-arm cartwheel…

naturist 0004 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

or a three-leg-one-arm cartwheel 😀

naturist 0003 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

A handstand isn’t a problem either 🙂

naturist 0002 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

I wasn’t the only one inspired; when we were tumbling last year during Tacoboy’s Beach Fest, we were joined by Amanda, and she learned how to do a handstand!

naturist-0074-gymnastics-@-Gunnison-Beach,-Sandy-Hook,-NJ,-USA

Another fun activity that we’ve engaged with at Sandy Hook was capoeira.

naturist 0013 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

We are yet to get big enough group to arrange a proper roda (capoeira game), but it’s fun even with just two (this time with Fardo), only more tiring as there is nobody you could rotate with and rest in between.

naturist 0032 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

At least we had the advantage of not being constrained by clothes and doing it in the fresh sea air 🙂

naturist 0039 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Playing on the wet sand felt nice (pretty close to the matted floor that we usually have in classes), but it sort of added a ‘secret weapon’ to some of the kicks, when the sand would get off the foot during the kick and fly into your opponent. Oh well, but capoeira game is all about surprise moves and being unpredictable.

naturist 0051 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Here’s a video that sums up all this fun, hopefully more and more people will get inspired!

PS I’ve just realized, my Independence Day blogpost last year was also about Sandy Hook (check it for directions and general description), it’s probably going to be a tradition!

“Bouncing Buns” 7k Trail Race in PA and 10 mile Summer Solstice Hike in VT next week

15 June 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

In the season of the World Naked Bike Ride across the Northern Hemisphere, there is another chance for active naturists to become also naturist activists: Bouncing Buns 7k Trail Race in Pennsylvania for American Cancer Society on the 22nd of June, Saturday next week! 7km is the longest distance that I’ve seen for a naked or clothing-optional race (correct me, if I’m wrong), it’s good to be challenged, moreover for a good cause. Well, last year, I passed the challenge pretty well, coming in third! It looks like this time I will go with several people, so competition grows even among my buddies! I hope to see some of my readers there too.

The event is organized by Pretzel City Sports and you can register for the race at their website. Your $30 registration fee will support American Cancer Society, and afterwards you get an opportunity to hang out at Sunny Rest naturist resort, where the trail race will take place. It’s a great opportunity to run just the way you like. The event is clothing optional, and we’ll certainly opt for the style of the [original] Olympic runners 😉 Also, if you have any doubts about running naked, have a look at my brief overview that links running and our naturally naked (furless) body from an evolutionary perspective – I hope it’ll make sense to you.

Also, I was asked to remind about the traditional Summer Solstice Hike in Vermont by its organiser Ed. I haven’t taken part in this one, but it sounds really great:

“A group of us gets together to celebrate the Summer Solstice on the The Appalachian Trail in Vermont. It’s on Fri, June 21st and anyone is welcome to join us. This is a 10 mile hike with plenty of photo ops, a swim in Little Rock Pond and maybe camping overnight. We meet at the parking lot on USFS #10 at 9AM. This road is off of US Rte 7 in Danby. From the south you take a right onto Brooklyn Ave, cross over the railroad tracks and drive for a boy 4 miles and the parking lot is on the right where the AT crosses. Here is a pic of the swim in Little Rock Pond.”

If you have any further questions, ask Ed by email.

World Naked Bike Ride + New York 2013 = fun and success!

14 June 201312 July 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

naturist 0009 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

Last Saturday, many cities throughout Northern Hemisphere have seen one of the merriest events imaginable which also represents a peaceful demonstration for environmental consciousness and body acceptance – World Naked Bike Ride. I think it wouldn’t be a true world event if New York weren’t a part of it; finally, New York City is catching up on the naked part too! Unlike last year, this time we were escorted by police, but unlike 2 years ago, they were rather cooperative and did not bother for fully naked participants.

naturist 0007 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

Needless to say, naked, semi-naked and bizarrely-dressed riders attracted a lot of attention. Our naked bodies meant to emphasise that we are unprotected against the traffic and pollution…

naturist 0008 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

and if someone didn’t get the message, they also served a great canvas for slogans.

naturist 0011 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA naturist 0000 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

‘More ass, less gas’ was probably our most popular chant too.

World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

Another popular chant was ‘Whose streets? – Our Streets’, and it indeed felt that throughout most of the route, which went through Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan, the streets were ours.

naturist 0014 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA naturist 0013 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

If only more people used bikes, how much cleaner and quieter it would be! Is it not possible to imagine New York City streets like that –

naturist 0016 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

– most people going by bikes and just a few by cars (typically for NYC, cabs). And by the way, nobody seemed to be shocked by nudity – quite on contrary, we were cheered all the time. Even if people were puzzled what it was all about, I’m pretty sure many would check online and get the idea.

naturist 0001 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

As I mentioned, it was quite comforting that police was cooperating and friendly (except for one brief incident). I was actually running late for the ride and, accompanied by a fellow [male] rider in a kind of ballerina skirt, which immediately revealed where we were heading to, we were given directions by policemen several times. During the ride, they only seemed to care that we would follow traffic rules.

naturist 0012 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

But I think we were actually pretty good, law-abiding riders, except that we wouldn’t all fit on the bike lane.

For some reason, police was particularly concerned that we’d ride strictly on the right side of the Hudson River Greenway, so we stretched out quite a lot there.

naturist 0003 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

I think the Hudson River Greenway is one of the best urban projects, and it is definitely my favourite way to go Up-/Downtown Manhattan on the west side, and is probably the most pleasant bike path in the whole city.

naturist 0015 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

That’s where we could gain some speed and ride freely without having to watch out for cars.

naturist 0019 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

Williamsburg Bridge is probably the most bike-friendly of all big bridges, and it was so nice to ride it in the buff, feeling the breeze all over body.

naturist 0006 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

Can’t we get some more of such dedicated bike paths? Even the East River Greenway is not complete. I guess we’ll have to continue our naked bike rides and chanting ‘More ass, less gas’ in the years to come 🙂

naturist 0017 World Naked Bike Ride 2013, New York, USA

PS Thanks to Time’s Up for organising the WNBR in New York City. Here is the video produced by Barbara from 2013 ride:

Save Lighthouse Beach – write letters!

17 April 201317 April 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Naturist Action Committee has made a press release for all those concerned about beach time in New York area this summer. The next thing we, visitors of the beach and whoever cares about freedom and human rights, should do is writing letters to park officials and politicians. For more info, refer to http://www.naturistaction.org/fiis

Check out my previous post on how this issue arose, all of a sudden, starting with an open letter of Fire Island chief ranger.

Save Lighthouse Beach Fundraiser

16 March 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

As I wrote in the comments to my previous post about closing of the Lighthouse beach for clothing-optional use, Naturist Action Committee (NAC) seems to have taken this issue seriously and are working on lobbying against the nudity ban on Fire Island. So, the best we, the people who enjoy the beaches of Fire Island, can do for now is to support NAC. There is a perfect opportunity for that at the upcoming fundraiser event in Long Island this coming Thursday, the 21st of March.

It’s going to be a fun-draiser!

Here is info from the event’s facebook page:

So you heard and it’s true, Lighthouse Beach has been shut down. This is our home, where families have been going for generations, where lovers have met for the first time, where we created bonds that last all year round and essentially our “Nude Family” lives. Well What now???
We need to unite and do our best to battle the decision. What better way to join forces then to have a meet and greet fundraiser and unify our voices. Oh and let’s make it Clothing Optional!!!
All proceeds will be given to The Naturists Action Committee, who already has a Lawyer on retainer and lobbyists in Washington D.C. The Naturist Action Committee is the non-profit political adjunct to The Naturist Society (TNS). NAC is a grass roots organization that relies on the involvement and participation of individual naturists and groups at local levels. They are soley based on donations.
So let’s get together, show our support for Lighthouse Beach and begin to unite all our groups together in effort to be one solid front in combating this decision. There is a chance we won’t win, but we couldn’t be satisfied with losing if we didn’t put all our collaborated efforts together and given them everything we got.
Even if we don’t win, let’s set an example for the rest of the Nation and let them know what the real Lighthouse Beach is about and stop this nonsense about it being a bunch of “Drunken, brawling, drug-using, prostitutes” like the media and other officials would like to portray the majority of beach users as.

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TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT DOOR CASH ONLY OR YOU CAN PRE-REGISTER @
http://savelighthousebeach.eventbrite.com/

$25/Ticket 21+ EVENT

Can’t make the event but want to show your support please click on the link below and select the donation option to show your support for the fundraiser.
http://savelighthousebeach.eventbrite.com/

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Resident DJ BRANDON will be bringing musical delight to our ears all night long. DJ BRANDON has captured our hearts with his superior beats and his ability to make you dance the night away. We are delighted that he has donated his time and art of music to us all night long!!!

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We will also have a HOSTED Bar serving Wine and Beer.

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We will be serving snacks through out the night and will have a pastry bar with coffee and tea for purchase. All proceeds will go toward the fundraiser effort.

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Bob Morton the director of The Naturist Action Committee will be joining us via Skype to answer some of our questions and give the scoop on the latest news!!

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– Chinese & Silent Auctions Raffle & 50/50

Some Auction Items we Already Have:

* 1 Hour Massage
* 2 Day Passes to Rock Lodge Naturist Resort
* Private Dinner for 2 Cooked By a High End Private Chef
* Professional Nude Photography Items
* Professional Nude Art Items
*Zensuality Nude Yoga passes
*2 night stay at Sunny rest Nudist Resort
*A complete Personal Tax return
*Photo Shoot

And many more generous donations……

We are accepting donations for the auction items from friends, families, & local businesses until March 18th.
Message Us if You would like to be a sponsor!

Tag: New York