Travels with Chuck

From the Daily News:

In shorts, sweatshirt, shades and a helmet, Sen. Chuck Schumer travels incognito most Saturdays — pedaling around the boroughs in a cherished reconnaissance ritual that gives him an up-close, unfiltered view of the city.

As he biked through Brooklyn with a Daily News reporter last week, Schumer answered his flip phone without slowing his roll.

Schumer, 63, started biking 13 years ago when his knee gave out and he had to quit playing basketball. The rides, with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé playing on his iPod, give the pol who’s never at a loss for words some self-enforced quiet time, a chance to clear his mind and an opportunity to learn more about the city he represents.

Chuck made the following observations:

“Five years ago, you’d see no Hasidim south of Flushing Ave.,” Schumer said, pointing to Orthodox Jews prepping for the Succot holiday at Flatbush and Bedford Aves. “They’ve spread south because they have so many kids.”

Hasidim have been north and south of Flushing Ave for quite some time. Much longer than 5 years. And then this:

He takes note of out-of-state license plates.

“A whole lot of Iowa, New Mexicos, that means young people from out of town coming to that neighborhood,” he said, pointing out plates in Williamsburg.

Schumer’s advice to New Yorkers who are shopping for property: “Buy a house in Ridgewood. When I ride there, I still don’t see many non-New York license plates. It’s about to go way up.”

There are a ton of out of state plates in Ridgewood and surrounding communities. Perhaps he's confused about which neighborhood he's biking through.