Ok, it’s actually really cold all of a sudden, and also really windy, which meant today’s ride took me straight to the bike shoppe for some super-fancy and expensive bicycling gloves. I handed over my credit card, put them on, along with my recently purchased bike hat, and shivered out for a ride. The thing is, once you get pedaling, you warm up considerably, and that was true today, too. I made a quick stop for lunch and some writing and then rolled down the hill and around the Inner Harbor for a tour of Federal Hill. Federal Hill feels like a completely different city than the one I live in, like some quaint neighborhood in Boston or something. The row houses just have a different feel, so even though it’s only about a four mile ride from my place, it’s like getting out of town. I followed the signs for the Fort McHenry bike route until I decided to just keep going straight to see what was over there. I ended up at Leone Riverside Park. A helpful historical sign told me the park was used as a battery during the War of 1812 before becoming an official park in 1875. It was also used to house troops brought in to defend the railroads during the railroad strike of 1877–parks are versatile little things, aren’t they? Now there’s a public pool there, and a gazebo where folks can hold gatherings and meetings, and today, it was just full of dogs. I snapped this picture overlooking the river, but I couldn’t actually see any water, and there isn’t a river there anyway, is there? But I still liked the view and thought about how many ways that view has certainly changed over the 200 years it’s been there. I continued my ride around the neighborhood in search of a coffee shop, but this neighborhood appears to be pub-only. I finally found one, did a little reading, and then headed home in the cold, grateful for bike lanes and routes and performance gear. Yes, it’s time for winter riding! (Please don’t mention snow or ice storms, thanks.)