SNEAK PREVIEW: Public temporarily allowed access to Rainey Park following hurricane Sandy. March 2012: After 9 years I re-named this page from Rainey Park to Rainey Park Bike Lane. The old Rainey Park is among New York City's next experiments in unused bike lanes. I am going to miss the old Rainey Park. It is closed to the public until at least July, 2012. When it re-opens I expect to scarcely re-visit this once-special-to-me space. At least 20% of Rainey Park will be paved over with bike lane. 100% of the old Rainey Park waterfront is slated to be bike lane, expanding the rarely-used Vernon Boulevard bike lane into new and virtually-never-used Rainey Park Bike Lane. Those who use the waterfront bike lane will no doubt get impatient with the paved bike path and ride their bikes over the grass. I came to the old Rainey Park to feel like I had little connection to urban life. Lying against the hillside it was awesome to feel like Vernon Boulevard was over the hills and far away. The Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island skylines were even farther away. It was a strangely obscure place to be. That part of the new Rainey Park Bike Path will now be owned by the vocal minority of the obscenity-spewing recreational bicyclist barking out orders and demanding their tax-paid rights. Until the park re-opens criminal and civil penalties apply to citizens who trespass onto their tax-paid park. Rainey Park: We hardly knew ya'. Rainey Park in Long Island City is named for Dr. Thomas Rainey.