I did not want to ride my bicycle today, surprise surprise. I was tired after a long weekend and a long day, but I knew if I got myself on the bike I would be glad I did, and I was. I headed toward the park, up the hill, pant pant pant, and turned onto the Jones Falls Trail. I narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a bike, and another bike after that (we might need a light at that particular intersection) and ended up at the reservoir. I did a lap as fast as I could to get out some nervous energy and then slowed down a bit to do a second lap. I dodged a whole bunch of pedestrians, got lapped by other cyclists, and avoided the guy doing shoulder raises as he sped-walked around the oval. I stopped at this water fountain at the entrance/exit and groped around the thing trying to figure out how to get water to come out. Um, there’s a foot pedal. And when you press down on it–with your foot–the drain-thingy on the inside rattles and rises up, and then there’s the gurgling until the water sputtered out. It was like stepping back in time! Thank you, Murdock, and I hope this one lasts a hundred years, like they say it could. I rode home via Hampden, up and down the hills, happy to be back on the bike.
Druid Hill Park
Lush Trees in Druid Hill Park
Oh, rain, please give it a rest! And it did this afternoon. Sure, there were gray skies and clouds and some spitting, but I managed to sneak in a ride in the relatively dry afternoon after a good day of work. I decided to head over to Druid Hill Park to check out the green, and there was a lot of it. Continue reading
Memorial to Segregated Pool 2 in Druid Hill Park
Oh, the sun is out today, so I hopped on the bike with my computer and headed to Hampden to get some work done. I am still new in town, so I couldn’t manage to find a coffee shop with wifi and ended up back in my neighborhood after a loop around Roland Park’s mansions. Afterward I headed to the start of the Jones Falls Trail to practice going between my first and second chain rings on the switchbacks up to Druid Hill Park. I did a lap around the reservoir before following the signs to Baltimore’s Model Safety City. It’s a miniature downtown with lots of complicated intersections and blind driveways to help kids learn safe pedestrian and bicycling techniques. Be still my heart! I continued up the hill to some tennis courts and this pool filled with dirt and grass. The park has built a memorial to the history of segregation at Druid Hill. Back in 1918 the Young Progressive of Maryland and the Baltimore Tennis Club put on an integrated match. When city officials stopped it, the players sat down on the court in protest. They took the city to court, but the courts threw the case out. In 1918. How do I not know that history? it matters. I snapped this picture of Pool 2, which B. told me about. I am used to cities covering over their segregationist pasts, but here we remember. But let’s not pretend segregation’s over, because it’s not. Take a bike ride around your town. The ride home was downhill, and I flew–what goes up, must come down.
View of Hampden & Charles Village From the Reservoir at Druid Hill Park
Today’s ride took me over to Hampden–the long way, because I never know where I am in a new city–to meet B., a friend of a friend, for coffee and a chat. It was lovely. He is all full of civic pride and boosterism, and he sounds like a terribly engaged teacher. We have a date on the weekend to visit a museum. Perfect. He left me with a bag of tomatoes from his local community garden and vague directions to Druid Hill Park. I followed the signs, and then the other signs, and then I was pedaling around a reservoir and staring at a foxy blue sky and Baltimore’s impressive urban tree canopy. I snapped this picture looking out over my new neighborhoods, feeling like yes, ithis place works for me. I continued my ride through the park, arguing with gears, getting lost, only to discover it’s just a loop, passing mansions and burnt out shells of old lives, because this is Baltimore. I pedaled home with that good feeling that for me only comes from a bike ride. Yep, that was exactly what I needed.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 