Oh Demon Alcohol.  John Vanderbilt purchased the land that is currently Westerleigh in 1848.  In 1887 the land was sold to Christopher Williams and William Boole, on behalf of the National Prohibition Party.  By July of the next year, the National Prohibition Campground Association had built a large camping facility - complete with ballfields, tennis courts, a lecture platform, a bowling alley, stables, woodlands, ponds, and a spring - to provide months of alcohol free relaxation to members of the Prohibition Movement. The streets were named for leaders in the movement like Neil Dow and Clinton B. Fiske.  

In Westerleigh we will visit several sites of interest including: Westerleigh Park, Peter Houseman House [1730], The Boulevard and the home of Isaac Funk of Funk & Wagnalls fame, and St. Pauls Seminary, where the architecture can only be descibed as Brezhnev Modern.  On the way back, we will pass through Clove Lake Park, West New Brighton and Tompkinsville - where we will have some great views of the harbor.

Lunch will be near the end of the ride at the popular Cargo Cafe - where you can raise a glass and toast the end of Prohibition.  As lunch will be near the end of the ride - you may want to bring some snacks to tide you over.  Please bring a lock, spare tube, and a spirit of adventure.

NOTE - This is a true scout, as there is much of the ride that I have never done before.  So, there may be an occasional whoopsie or two.  The ride is about 16 miles and has elevation of 760 feet with a brief 9% grade to climb.  It's Staten Island, of course there will be a hill or two to warm us up.  Hope you can join us in this Forgotten Boro romp.  We will meet at 9:45 and catch the 10:00 ferry to Staten Island.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: YOU MUST HAVE AND WEAR A MASK WHEN NECESSARY ON ALL 5BBC RIDES AS INDICATED BY THE RIDE LEADER. THIS RIDE HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF SPENDING SOME PERIOD OF TIME INDOORS. IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE AND JOIN ANY INDOOR ACTIVITY, YOU MUST BE MASKED, VACCINATED AND BRING PROOF OF VACCINATION. ADDITIONALLY, THE 5BBC MAKES NO REPRESENTATION AS TO THE VACCINATION STATUS OF ANYONE ON THE RIDE OR ENGAGED IN ANY ACTIVITY, INDOOR OR OUT. THE RISK INVOLVED IN ANY ACTIVITY ON THE RIDE IS ASSUMED BY EACH INDIVIDUAL RIDER.