It was sunny and clear out when I woke up this morning, but S. called me up after she left my apartment to warn me that it was cold and windy and not to be fooled by the lighting. You see, I have a tendency to dress aspirationally, for the weather I want rather than the weather I have, and that gets me into trouble sometimes. Continue reading
Baltimore
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.
Blighted Row House at Fulton & Saratoga
I needed to get a bike ride in today, but I had an early meeting and a late meeting followed by evening plans, so…I put the bike on my car, drove to work, and rode the bike home. It was bright and sunny when I headed to work, but gloomy and sputtering when I left. Never start a ride in the rain is my usual, but if I dodnt get a pedal in today, I was most certainly not going to be good company tonight, so I hopped on the bike with my bare legs and hoped for the best. The rain kept falling faster, so I spent most of my ride concentrating on. Safety-break carefully and not on shiny bits (road striping, metal grates, etc.) and assume cars can’t see you. By the time I took my left on Fulton I was ready to concider sidewalks, what with the soggy rush hour. I noticed this broken door at Fulton & Saratoga as I slowed down in search of a curb cut. I peeked inside and it looked like the whole place had just caved in on itself. I wonder when this happened. Was anyone hurt? Was someone sad in that way you get sad when home is suddenly nowhere? What’s the story here? Every one of these vacants has a story, at least 58,000 of them, and I only noticed this particular one because I was on bike, looking. Yep, even in the rain the bike was a good choice today. I continued on, made a stop for wine with friends, and then rode on home, feeling pretty lucky that I get to ride a bike in this place.
Crumbling House on a West Baltimore Corner
It was another beautiful late winter day in Baltimore, sun shining and just a little bit warm, so I treated myself to a bike ride to campus. I had plenty of time, so after wooshing down the hill and taking a right and then a left through Bolton Hill, I followed some new streets through West Baltimore as I vaguely angled toward Arbutus. I was stopped at the light at Lafayette and Argyle, I think, and watched a little police profiling go down. 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
Rating the Pleasantness of Touch at the Walters Art Gallery at Centre & Cathedral
Oh, it was another beautiful day in Baltimore, and I spent much of it in bed reading until finally the sun insisted I get my little self out and on my bike for a ride. I headed over to Hampden for brunch and then took the Jones Falls Trail toward downtown for a quick turn through the Walters Art Museum. Continue reading
View From Terrace Center Left, Row B, 113 at Meyerhoff Hall
I spent the morning with reading and writing, lunchtime with work, the afternoon with S., and the evening with myself. That’s when I took the bike, and we rode down to Mt. Vernon for dinner before settling into my seat for some music I don’t understand. It’s a surprisingly lovely day, made so much the better by the bike ride to and fro.
Pile of White Stuff Near 2250 S. Clinton
Oh, I needed a day just like today following this weekend’s trip. I had a wonderful time in New Orleans, no doubt, but it’s hard to go to a place that feels like home and realize you don’t get to live there anymore, especially when the place is so full of love. And then it was back in Baltimore, a few hours of sleep, and back at work, nary a moment to breathe and remember that we–me and my bike–live here now. 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!
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 