On Thursday, Sept. 30, I pulled an all-nighter. Not so unusual for a Columbia College senior, right? Right. Except for the fact that this all-nighter was spent riding the length of Manhattan on a bicycle.

As a student in Kenneth Jackson's History of New York City lecture class, I was given the opportunity to take part in his annual all-night bicycle tour of the city. Equipped with a borrowed bike and backpack, I gathered with approximately 250 other students on College Walk at 10:30 p.m. More than just excitement, there was wonder in the air. We were all wondering how 250 bikers and rollerbladers could go anywhere as one unit, especially when we heard Times Square was on the route.

Regardless, at 11 p.m., with a huge cheer, a CAVA medical van, a repair van and a sea of bikes, we exited the University gates at 116th Street and Amsterdam and headed downtown. We pedaled down Amsterdam shouting our purpose to curious pedestrians and responding with cheers and hollers to the honking cars held up at the lights we cruised through. (And I do say cruised. The leisurely pace of the trip and the advantage of starting on Morningside Heights made the trip a pleasure more than a workout).

Our first highlight on the trip was Central Park. We entered at 96th Street. The park was both eerily quiet and eerily alive. Central Park at night is branded as dangerous, but I felt especially safe and content riding through. It was a combination of being in a large rowdy group, and noticing how many people were just out for a leisurely walk on a Thursday night. We took our first pit stop at the large fountain at 72nd street in the park. We had a 20-minute break to fix bikes, get the group together, and listen to Professor Jackson speak a few words about the history of the Park. His comments, however, were brief. He wanted us to see the city and the sites we would be reading about throughout the semester, but he did not want the night to be an extended lecture class.

We started up again, exiting the park at its end, 59th Street. From the second we got back into real traffic, the only thought in my head was getting through Times Square. I was nervous not only about the other cars on the road, but about possibly crashing into another rider. There had been no serious mishaps so far that night, but this undoubtedly would be the worst place for one to happen.

As we rode through, however, there was only exhilaration. One girl told me how thrilling it was that for the first time, she got to control Times Square, rather than being controlled by intense traffic and crowds.

By this point, it was about 1:45 a.m. We made our way down to Greenwich Village where we took a 45-minute food and rest stop. As everyone gathered back to our meeting place, we were excited and ready to start again. Rather than tired, I felt accomplished and confident that I would be able to finish the trip without any trouble.

The streets were empty as we moved downtown and explored the financial district. The buildings got older and older as we saw where the city began. The initial exuberance of the group had toned down, and I became quieter and more observant of my surroundings.

We reached the famous Fulton fish market at 4 a.m. and spent a half hour walking around. The amount of fresh fish was overwhelming. The workers in the market were clearly not used to a huge group of college kids walking through, but they were tolerant as long as we stayed out of their way. This worked for the most part . . . the one exception being a student who raised a ruckus bidding on a whole salmon. Salmon in tow, we set out to finish the trip.

Our last goal was to walk (with our bikes) across the Brooklyn Bridge. Our extended path to the Bridge included a quick tour of Battery Park City. I was once again reminded of the beauty and uniqueness of New York when we rode next to the water and could see the green glow of the Statue of Liberty in the near distance.

We stayed close to the water as we reached the base of the bridge. As I slowly walked across, the beauty of the Brooklyn Bridge struck me more than it ever had before. The water below was still and dark; and I could only wonder at the immense strength of the seemingly thin steel cables diagonally crossing the air.

Before I knew it, land, Brooklyn, was under my feet. We rode a short way to a lookout place where we could see across the water and look back at Manhattan. The shift in perspective was both starting and delightful.

It was now past 5 a.m., and we all headed to a number 2 subway to catch a ride home. Although I was exhausted and could only grab a few hours of sleep, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Melissa Gaman is a senior in Columbia College.