Delancey "bike bus"

When my rear axle broke, that incredibly unlikely accident, it happened when I was coming down off the Williamsburg Bridge in the middle of Delancey. Thank goodness it happened when the traffic behind me had stopped, and not as I was dodging cars. The thing is there isn't a bike lane on Delancey, a straight and speedy through-fare that delivers Brooklynites into lower Manhattan. WIthout this little piece of infrastructure, cyclists are forced to weave in and out of the cacophonous car traffic coming off the bridge.

It was this, as well as hearing other less adventurous riders express their hesitation in riding in Manhattan, that got me riled up for this very simple demonstration organised by Marin with Transportation Alternatives. We started at the corner of Chrystie and Delancey, and once we had the light, we rode as a pack (aka a "bike bus") into the centre lane, where we coasted all the way down Delancey to the entrance to the bridge.

To our surprise, no one honked, the officers directing traffic smiled at us (we obeyed all traffic lights), and we picked up a few commuters here and there and escorted them to their destination. It was a really fun and positive awareness action, and I really wished I had more Monday evenings to contribute.

CONUSMED: Delancey Avenue, between Chrystie and the Williamsburg Bridge (Manhattan)

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If you want to get involved, they are doing it the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the months in the summer. Just show up at the corner of Delancey and Chrystie at 6pm of afterwards. You can also in touch with Transportation Alternatives for more info.

Roebling paste up

There was a period of about six weeks where my bike was out of commission thanks to a busted rear axle. All of a sudden, everything became so much further away: what used to be a 7-minute ride was now a 40-minute walk. But there was one celebrated ritual, albeit a short-lived one, that I developed during those days as a pedestrian. The 25-minute walk to the Saturday farmer's market took me passed one of my favourite neighbourhood coffee shops to pick up a cup of drip or americano (depending on my mood), and then down Roebling towards the park where the market was set up.

It was on the northern end of Roebling, where it turns into a warehouse wasteland with forgotten loading docks infringing upon the sidewalk, that I encountered some of my favourite graffiti in the city: paste ups by some unknown artist. Every week on that walk, I would pause, coffee burning my fingers through the paper cup and mitten, and admire these beautiful portraits.

Now I'm back on the saddle, and though I love my two-wheeled steed, I often wonder how much I miss when my feet push pedals rather than pavement.

CONSUMED: Roebling Ave, between N9th and N10th; Williamsburg (Brooklyn)

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P.S. If you can identify the artist, please let me know! I would love to give her/him credit for their work.

MEC SuperMicroft cycling jacket

When my friend Ben gifted me with my first road bike (a 12-speed 1980s Velo Sport), I didn't really know how far I would dip into the cycling world. Before I knew it, I found I had outfitted myself with a Chrome bag and a $100 New York-ready chain lock. I was changing my own busted tubes (and patching those that were repairable). But then the weather turned, and I found myself climbing the stairs to the subway more and more. Suddenly, after a month of commuting by train, I decided that the New York winter was mild enough that it was possible to ride to work. It was time to get back on the saddle again.

My only problem? I didn't have a wind or water-resistant coat.

Thankfully my decision to ride came just prior to a trip home for the holidays. And so I went to the new Mountain Equipment Co-op that opened up 15 minutes from my parents' house and bought me a cycling jacket. For $50 (made in Canada too! who ever said locally-made was more expensive?), I got exactly what I needed. And it's already saved me twice from the weather (wind once, and rain another).

CONSUMED: Mountain Equipment Co-op; 1030 Brant St, Burlington

Taliah and her bicycle paintings

For all the kids that love bikes not only as a means of transport but also as an item of aesthetic beauty, Taliah Lempert is a goddess worthy of worship. She paints bikes, mostly with oils, providing an even simpler take on a (relatively) simple vehicle. I have admired her work for years, but had relegated her to the category of "one of those things you'll see on the internet," never to meet in person. Well I met her. In person. And I was so shocked (and kinda tipsy) that I think I made her blush by my incredulous and emphatic "YOU'RE Taliah Lempert?!" Suffice to say that, having already consumed a few beers, I felt like I was meeting a celebrity. And I think, in a certain respect, I was.

CONSUMED: Housing Works Bookstore Cafe; 126 Crosby Street, SoHo (Manhattan)

ye olde fixie

I think I knew that the Wright Brothers were bike makers. But maybe that knowledge was overshadowed by their other work. (We so often forget the history behind certain breakthroughs; they used bikes to test out methods of stability and control for their flyer.)

CONSUMED: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum; National Mall, Washington DC

fallen leaves in McCarren Park

Despite the recent spell of warm weather New York has received over the past few weeks (which made for good street partying post-election, mind you), the trees in McCarren Park are not fooled. It's autumn. And as such, leaves must fall.

You can barely make out in the background of the picture (and you wouldn't be able to see it if you didn't know it was there) is the largest leaf pile I have ever seen. I went to the farmers market early that morning, and so the paths had yet to be cleared. There was something beautiful about riding over a carpet of leaves.

CONSUMED: McCarren Park (the side west of Driggs); Greenpoint (Brooklyn)

bike lanes! in SoHo!

I attended a Transportation Alternatives ("Brooklyn Chapter") meeting in Prospect Heights last week during which bike lanes along Grand St in Manhattan were mentioned a few times. But I didn't really believe in their application. I thought that, considering the high traffic of SoHo, maybe they were paltry attempts not unlike those found on Franklin Ave in Greenpoint. Until I saw them in person. Beautiful columns of green with posts to separate bikes from cars. Now if only the Department of Transportation would be so forward thinking on 1st Avenue...

CONSUMED: Grand St near Broadway; SoHo (Manhattan)

shadow tracings

One recent evening, likely around 6pm (the time when the long shadows emerge during these ever-shortening autumn days), someone got down on their hands and knees, a stick of chalk in hand, and proceeded to outline the shadows cast by a bike and street sign on the corner of Bedford and N 5th.

Yes, I know this is old stuff. I mean, the NY Times ran a piece in 2005! I doubt it's even Ellis G anymore. But it doesn't make it any less cool when you stumble upon it.

CONSUMED: NW corner of Bedford and N 5th St; Williamsburg (Brooklyn)

Brooklyn/Not Brooklyn

There's a dividing line running beneath the East River, one that separates Brooklyn from Manhattan. Here, on the pedestrian path of the Williamsburg Bridge, one proud Brooklyner (it's obviously someone from Brooklyn) has decided to unearth that invisible line, letting fellow Brooklyners know when they have ventured off their turf, and welcoming them home upon their inevitable return.

Oddly enough, it appears to correlate exactly with the apex of the bridge. Thus I look forward to it on every ride over the bridge; once I pass this point on my bike, it's all downhill from there.

CONSUMED: Williamsburg Bridge, over the East River

"walk buttons" ... for bikes!

The good people of Vancouver don't understand how much of a good thing they have. Streets designated as bike routes? Traffic calming measures that stop cars but allow bikes to go through? Buses with bike racks hitched to their fronts? All of these speak to the fact that the people upstairs not only understand but also actively encourage cycling as a viable primary form of transportation.

But I am most amazed at the traffic signal push buttons for cyclists. They're stationed exactly where they need to be: at all major intersections on designated bike routes, accessible directly from the street (complementing those on the sidewalk for pedestrians), and just a little bit higher off the ground to compensate for the height of a bike. I'm also partially addicted to the satisfying beep they make when pressed. (And they really work, unlike the push buttons in some other cities!)

Oh Vancouver, if only you knew all the kinds of envy you would inspire in the cyclists of New York.

CONSUMED: all over Vancouver!