Today’s bike ride took me, walking the bike with K., up to Johns Hopkins for a seminar on the future of women’s and gender studies, and after we got all that sorted out, I rode over through Hampden for AK Press‘s annual holiday party and happy hour. Continue reading
Month: December 2011
Blighted Houses on Druid Hill Park Drive and Linden
I just haven’t been getting my bike rides in lately, what with trips and visitors and hard rains, and it is starting to grate on me. I mean, I need to ride my bicycle, and I need rides to stop these terrible dreams about losing my bike from waking me up like one did this morning. The weather report promised rain, as did the sky, but after a lovely and lazy morning, I managed to get on the bike and pedal over to Druid Hill Park for a trip around the reservoir. Continue reading
Ronald McDonald at the Mayor’s Annual Holiday Parade in Hampden
Oh, I know I don’t live in New Orleans anymore, but I am still game for any and every parade, so when S. texted about the Mayor’s Annual Holiday Parade in Hampden, I was all over it. We hopped on our bikes and pedaled that way, locked up, and headed into the crowd. Ok, it’s not New Orleans, and it’s not Mardi Gras, but there were still people in their saved spots with their plastic cups of whatever poured from thermoses waiting for the police van to go by and signal the start of the parade. Continue reading
Holiday Lights at Keswick & 34th
I had a long and tiring day, but I was happy to hop on my bike for a quick jaunt to Hampden after work to meet B. and G. and friends for drinks and dinner. The conversation was good, as was the food and the beer, and it was an excellent reminder to take myself out more often with more people. By the time I left, it was downright cold, and my exhaustion was catching up with me, so I decided to just take myself home for a nightcap and a movie. I rode along Hampeden’s Miracle on 34th Street. This neighborhood is seriously committed to its lights and decorations, for sure. There were tons of folks out tonight, and snacks were being sold, Santas were taking pictures, and art was on display. Naturally, I preferred this snowman of bicycle wheels, but tonight I was just happy to be in a place where people dress themselves up like this. That feels a little bit like home, and sometimes, I’m homesick. I pedaled the short ride home, looking forward to sleep and another day.
Blighted Building at Gilmor & Lafayette
It was a beautiful day and the sky was the color of what you think a blue sky should be, and I wrote my words, listened to my songs, got to meet withthe folks who I think think like me, and had plans for my evening, so all that was left was a bike ride. I happily pedaled to campus, feeling good, through West Baltimore. And then there are scenes like this, everywhere, the burnt-out abandoned houses of a city in decay. It’s complicated, to live in a city and pay attention.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 