It was a crazy beautiful day today, so you can imagine how I felt about being in my office all day and into the evening with meetings, interviews, and student events instead of out pedaling around on my bicycle. I had a gap in my schedule between 5:30 and 7:00, so brainstorm! I brought my bike with me so I could sneak in a ride. I finally got out of the office closer to six, but there was still plenty of time to do a test ride from campus to the MARC train station in Halethorpe, a mere 2.2 miles, in preparation for the multi-modal commute the clown bicycle will enable. (Yes, that’s my one track mind you see running its paces.) Continue reading
bikes
Flower Detritus at Guilford & McAlister
As I’m sure you know, we’ve all been having a heat wave of science fiction proportions. Yesterday in Baltimore it was EIGHTY FIVE DEGREES. That’s summertime weather, and we’re just on March’s downhill. I loved having that weather for my week off. I got in some wonderful bike rides, and Thursday’s trip to DC was a feast with all those cherry blossoms and 15 miles of strolling through neighborhoods, monuments, and museums (a perfect situation for a tiny clown bike, I must say). This morning, though, started with a thunderstorm and rained off and on all day long, giving it the feel of spring instead of summer. Continue reading
Bike Infrastructure at Guilford & 20th
I like to ride my bike like I’m driving a car–“vehicular cycling,” I think they call it. That means I stay off the sidewalk unless I fear imminent death (see yesterday’s post) and I take the lane when I need to. Oh, and I often use my outside voice to let folks know what the rules are, according to me. When I first started riding my bike around this town, I would take Guilford home from points south, and when I got to North Avenue, I’d get my best vehicular cycling on, taking a wide right into the turn lane and taking a left on the arrow, another left on 20th, and then a right to get back on Guilford. A driver once yelled about this to me, told me to take the sidewalk and parking lot like the other girl on the bike. Not me, no way, no how. I drive my bike. And then I started doing what that driver told me to do, and today there are signs instructing me to bike through the lot and take the sidewalk. Well alrighty then. Today’s ride was like pedaling through spring already, and I look forward to many rides following these new official directions in my near future. Yes.
Houses at Argonne & Lowndes
I was in Philadelphia for a couple of days, bikeless, so I was happy for the sunny and free afternoon to get a little pedaling in. I rode over to Old York Road through Waverly, Pen Lucy, and Govans to Belvedere to meet G. and B. for soup and sandwiches. I remember the first time I made this ride, straight up York Road on a 3 speed. This was much, much easier. Continue reading
Train Crossing at Clare & Kloman
I had a ton of work to do today, but I could see the slightly warmer air from my desk, and I just wanted to ride my bicycle–grrrrr, work. After finishing up what absolutely had to be finished up, I took the bike out for a ride. I was in the mood to listen to music while I pedaled, so I headed downtown to pick up the Gwynns Falls Trail where I could spin without watching for cars. Continue reading
The Sun Setting in the West From Druid Hill Park
I spent my day reading and writing, proposing and meeting, and when I got home, there was only one thing in the whole world I wanted: a bicycle ride. I put on some different layers and my bike shoes, brought along some music, and clipped in to pedal over to the park to do some mindless laps. Continue reading
Parked Suburban at 26th & St. Paul
I didn’t have time for a bike ride today, but I did have time for a short walk around the neighborhood, and what did I see? A giant suburban parked in front of a curb cut, over a crosswalk. Riding a bike regularly and also driving and being a pedestrian means I have a sense of sharing roads and sidewalks. This isn’t how we do it. Sigh. Anyway, I miss my bike and won’t get to ride tomorrow either, but that’s because I will be flying to New Orleans. Oh my, but I can’t wait to ride around that city again! See you there!
Railroad Tracks From the Gwynns Falls Trail near Wilkens & Dukeland
I had one of those unexpectedly busy days, literally wall-to-wall meetings since allegedly none of us have anything to do on Fridays, and I woke up already frustrated that I wouldn’t get to ride my bicycle. If you know me, or even if you don’t, you can probably guess that not riding my bike makes me a grouchy, and no bike ride on a sunny Friday afternoon? That wouldn’t be pretty. Continue reading
Matthew 27:28;35 at Gilmor & Saratoga
Oh, Baltimore, thank you for the balmy Tuesday in late January! I had already been despairing that I might be freezing from now until May, but today’s sunshine and 50+ degrees was a welcome respite. I layered up, just in case, and took the bike down the hill and west toward UMBC. Continue reading
Icy Bike Rack at 32nd & Greenmount
Yep, still cold and icy, so when it was time to meet L. for brunch, I decided to go ahead and walk. I put on my snow boots, lovingly sent by by E. upon my arrival in the Great White Mid-Atlantic, and marched slowly up the hill. The ice is just worse, so where it was still coating the sidewalk, I took each step like a New Orleanian until I made it to my destination. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 