Druid Hill Park

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Goat at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in Druid Hill Park

Today’s ride took me over to Druid Hill Park and around to the zoo to meet S. and her family. We haven’t seen each other in years and years, but because of The Interwebz we are still in touch. When she had a few free hours to spend in this fair city I was the lucky recipient of escorts for my first trip to the zoo. I biked over and locked up to the bike rack they had right outside the main zoo entrance. Continue reading →

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Houses Being Demolished on Druid Hill Park Lane & Linden

I had a long day at work today , but I planned in the morning that I’d ride my bike at some point today, so when I got home, I swapped out shoes and headed out for a short ride before turning to the last work tasks of the day. I headed back to Druid Hill Park again, this time to check on the house being demolished on the east stretch of the reservoir path. The demolition looks mostly stalled out, but plants are overgrowing the steps to nowhere growing up through brick and mortar. Continue reading →

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Memorial to Druid Hill Park’s Segregated Public Pools

I knew it was a beautiful day today just from the cool breezes coming through my bedroom window, but it still took me some time to pry myself out from under books and cats and onto my bicycle. I decided to head over to Druid Hill Park, where I hadn’t ridden in weeks and weeks and weeks, kinda weird since the park’s just right over there. I pedaled west and up the hill and around the circle. A turn around the reservoir shows you so much of Baltimore–the JFX just underfoot, abandoned factories, Hampden’s  American flags, rows upon rows of rowhouses, cranes in the air in Mt. Vernon, the Inner Harbor’s all-business skyline, blighted blocks, abandoned mansions, and the park, which is its own little Baltimore. I biked around looking for the Memorial Pool memorial up past the holy place that is Safety City. Continue reading →

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Buildings Being Demolished on Druid Hill Park Lane & Linden Avenue

I’m back home in Baltimore, and after a day of rest it was time to take the Surly out for a trip around Druid Hill Park to see if anything’s changed. After a few days on the Brompton, it was good to be back on the touring bike, all stretched out and high up. Man, I love that bike. I pedaled over to Hampden, made a couple of stops, and then headed toward the park for a quick ride around the water. Continue reading →

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Cloudy Skies at Druid Hill Park

I woke up early to a lovely morning and then an afternoon full of work. My whole self wants to be on summer vacation, but I’ve got a whole lot of everything still on my plate, which means I am just tired, weary, and not very excited to be stuck at my computer. Today, I didn’t even feel like riding my bike, so lazy was I. Continue reading →

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Missing Half of a House at Linden & Whitelock

The clouds and rain finally lifted today, and I had time for a bike ride–huzzah! Strangely, though, I didn’t really feel like leaving the house at all, so it was mid-afternoon before I dragged myself down the stairs and on to the bike with the promise that I could just listen to music that used to be meaningful back when I was 20 and do laps around the reservoir in the sunshine wishing some of those red-winged blackbirds were orioles. Continue reading →

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Pink Carnation Flower Tree at Druid Hill Park

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I had a busy last few days of the week and didn’t get a ride in, and I am going out of town for the weekend, so this morning I decided I best get in a quick pedal in order to preserve my sanity. I put on some bike shorts and a jacket made especially for bicycling, marvelled at how much faster that outfit made me feel, and headed up the hill and over to Druid Hill Park. I did a number of laps and thought about what you get to see if you do the same ride over and over again. I watched the leaves on these trees turn brown and fall, waited as they stayed all twiggy, watched them turn green with buds, and then burst out in two rounds of flowers. Now they.are this, puffy pink popcorn balls, row after row. On the other side of the round is a row of blighted buildings that have been crumbling, and today I noticed the one on the end~the roof has fallen in. I have a feeling I’ll be watching the trees change and buildings fall and maybe get built for a long, long time. I did my last lap and zipped down the hill to home. Yep, when in doubt, take the bike out.

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Birds on an Island in Druid Hill Reservoir

Today’s ride took me up the hill to Hampden to the coffee shoppe for some afternoon writing. I was pretty tired from a marathon day yesterday and some ill-advised late night TV viewing and it all made the uphill-in-the-wind feel unnecessarily hard. I got myself in an easy gear and let myself spin along until I got to the top. It was downhill on the way home, so I just let myself fly in the sunshine over to the park to do some laps. Continue reading →

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Boarded-Up Buildings at Gay & High

Another spring break day meant another day of riding my bike around town, and oh, but it feels good to pedal around aimlessly! I rode down to the bike shoppe to take the clown bike out for another spin and then headed down to Fells Point for some frozen yogurt and a think. I mean, I don’t need another bicycle, not at all, and for that price I could get a real bike. Continue reading →

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Scaffolding on a Row House at Fremont & Lanvale

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 →