Oh, I needed today. I woke up late and lazed about in bed with cats, gathering that vacation day vibe. I had a lovely long lunch with R. and O., eating dosa and talking about the layers of history and memory everywhere, the messages sent by trees about where matters and who doesn’t, and arranging our next meetings–why not have a meeting tubing on a river, O. asked? Sometimes you find the right people, and oh, it feels lucky. Afterward it was finally time to take the bike out for a ride. I zipped down the hill, fast as could be, and then up and around and up and down and up again to Fort McHenry. Continue reading
Charles Village
Shot Tower Metro Station at Baltimore and South President
Tonight’s ride took me down the hill, around the Inner Harbor, and up again to enjoy some wine and gossip with A. and K. For the first time in awhile I had my bike shoes on, and it was such a treat to sling my leg over the top tube and clip in and be really attached to the thing. We flew down the street, a song in my head and a hard gear so I could pedal on the downhill. I was going about as fast as I go, and I had a few of those flashes where I remember I’m teetering on two wheels, in the street, with cars. How do I stay balanced? I figured trying to actually figure it out would cause me to fall over, so I shook it out of my head and trusted the whole thing to be just like riding a bicycle. Continue reading
Jugglers Preparing for a Show at the Baltimore Neighborhood Circus at 2640
The day was so beautiful it deserved a much better bike ride than it got today, but what are you going to do–sometimes you have to work. But then I was done, and I hopped on the Surly for a ride through the construction on Charles to meet S. for a late lunch/early dinner before taking a quick zoom around the neighborhood and back the Charles Village for the dress rehearsal of the Baltimore Neighborhood Circus show at the 2640 space on St. Paul. I’m happy I get to negotiate the new Charles Avenue on bike and not in a car. But anyway. Continue reading
Pink Flowers in Charles Village
It has been a light week on the bicycle–just a quick ride up and down the hill to meet N. for beer and then today’s pedal around the neighborhood–coffee shop in Remington where I saw two other weekend riders–we’re all feeling fine, that Sunday 40 was a good recovery ride, Waverly for a quick visit, and back to Charles Village to meet J. for lunch and plans. After this past weekend’s ride and the ones coming this weekend, this has been just right. I took this picture of pink flowers in someone’s yard, a reminder to slo-o-o-w down, it’s still just spring. Brompty and I take off for NYC on the train in the morning so we can pedal alongside as E. runs the Brooklyn Half Marathon–my kind of travel, and it’ll be good to get some bridge riding in. I see you, summertime, but no rush, seriously.
Safety Signs at 26th & Charles
A short ride down the hill, a little dancing, a short ride up the hill–so much easier than walking or driving. On the way back I snapped this picture of safety signs reading “Road Closed 1000ft” and “Road Closed 1500ft” behind a fence at 16th & Charles. Charles is a main drag, but wow, its asphalt is like a backstreet. They’re repaving in chunks, and above 29th is a mess, but the mess will move down here, slowly but surely, and hopefully it will make it to at least Baltimore Street, but how will people get around once it meets downtown? No wonder we like to think our infrastructure has always been there and always will be, no matter if we ignore it–it’s such a hassle. But somebody up there knows we just have to suck it up and do it, and in the meantime these signs will let us know what to do and keep us safe, because for some reason when we see orange we just go around. I wonder how they made that happen. Tomorrow, a long ride, up hills. Better get to bed.
Club Orpheus Sign at Pratt & Exeter
Saturday’s ride took me down the hill against the Baltimore wind machines for a dip in the pool. I do this ride so often that it just feels like home, like that old ride from the Garden District up to Tulane when I lived in New Orleans–same streets, same houses, same potholes and traffic patterns every day, but every day it is a little bit different in the ride. This day’s ride was frustrated by surprising traffic–where’s everybody going on a Saturday, man? Get off my downtown streets! Continue reading
Banana Peel in a Tree at 32nd & St. Paul
Today’s ride took me down the hill in the dark to meet up with R. and D. for dinner. We’re all still kinda new in Baltimore, and it was good to talk to folks who are also trying to figure out how and whether to love this place. You know what makes me love Baltimore? Talking about what I love about Baltimore. And that’s what I did, and I left wanting to cancel everything and ride my bike around everywhere and see how it’s all been since I last saw it. But it was already getting late and some of us have to work tomorrow, so I just rode back up to Charles Village, a quick stop to see the neighbors at the bar, enjoying a football rout. I snapped this picture of a banana peel lodged in a tree on St. Paul Street. I wonder what *that* guy was doing. And then I put the hat back on and pedaled back down the hill to home, learning yet again that even if it feels like you don’t need your gloves if you’re only going a few blocks, you really need your gloves.
Tall Flowers in Charles Village
It was a beautiful day for bicycling today-warm, clear blue skies, the farmer’s market and the Love Parade and Bike Jam in Patterson Park and all kinds of summer events best bicycled between. But the cat was having issues, so instead she went in her box and and we drove to a drop-in clinic and waited and waited, leaving with a lighter wallet, some antibiotics, and yowling from all involved parties. When S. called to see if I wanted to join her and friends for brunch I squeaked out a yes and took the Surly-I wanted to feel at home-and sped down the hill for a lovely late meal in the sunshine before biking back up the hill to see if the cat could be coaxed to leave the safe confines of the inside of a boxspring. I snapped this picture of some tall yellow flowers blooming in Charles Village; summer, you are so pretty, and I trust you’ll provide many more days of bicycling to make up for my having to miss this particular one.
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!
Red House at 29th & St. Paul
I meant for today’s ride to take me to Hampden for a little shopping and some coffee, but instead it took me around the neighborhood, trying not to feel to sick and tired for a bike ride. I walked slowly slowly, pushing the bike past row house after row house. But they aren’t all row houses here. Sometimes they’re like this red and stone gingerbread house on the corner of 29th and St. Paul. I turned the corner, and I was back to row houses, but the painted ladies with all their cornices and stuff, not the plain-fronted ones on Maryland, built after row houses were big money. Aesthetic injustice, it’s a scourge. I made it home, put the bike away, and tucked myself in. Tomorrow’s another day, for another ride.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 