It was sunny and a little breezy and I had finished up grading that stack of papers called “midterms,”and I got to get on my bike and head up to Hampden to meet V. for lunch and some window shopping. Then it was back on the bike and down the hill for a whirl around the weight machines at the gym, and then back up the hill. I didn’t have time to take much of a long way back home, so I just took an early right for a few blocks. Continue reading
Hampden
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
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
Do Not Sit On Steps at 41st & Edgehill
Friday’s ride took me an easy couple miles up the hill and over to Hampden for my monthly book club discussion and snackfest, this time hosted by S. ans A., who dressed in colonial garb in keeping with the historical novel’s time period and theme. I felt underdressed in my uniform of skirt and tank top, and overtired from a really long week at work, but once I got on my bike and headed out, I caught my third of fourth wind of the day. I rode my usual Hampden route, stopped for a bottle of wine, and then rode with some traffic on 41st before locking up to a bus stop sign on a residential streets. This sign was affixed there too, reminding riders not to sit down in a residential neighborhood, because that’s private property. I wonder how many Hampden neighborhood petitions, phone trees, transit meetings and emails had to be exchanged for this sign to be put up there, and I wonder how many daily huffs-n-puffs still happen when people sit down somewhere other than the one bench to wait the legendary wait times that are part of most bus systems. Or maybe nobody around here takes the bus, and it’s not “a problem” yet. Private property, public needs~seems to me that’s the real problem. And then I went inside, ate, talked, laughed, and drank, and then I rode home. Fall weather’s barely teasing, and I was a sweaty mess after just 20 minutes out there. Soon, soon, but for now it’s still hot as blazes.
Pink and Blue Skies Over 36th & Roland Avenue
I spent the weekend in the car and on foot, camping with S. in Catoctin National Park, and aside from the rain and the Very Important Lesson I learned about using the rain fly even if the skies are blue, it was a most perfect weekend. Now that I’m back in Baltimore, though, I get to hop back on the bike. Continue reading
Smoggy and Cloudy Skies Over Downtown From the Druid Hill Park Reservoir
Today was the day I’ve been waiting for, the day when it’s supposed to cool off a little bit, but then it started to look like we’d have to wait until tomorrow for that, but when I looked at the weather report, it was only 95 degrees out there, so yeah, that’s a cool down. I grabbed the Surly and headed to Hampden for a fancy brunch and errands. Continue reading
Hydrangeas on Remington Avenue & Ignatius
Today’s ride took me and the Surly over to Hampden and up Chestnut to 36th Avenue before I figured out that Falls Road is the other way, and then flew down the hill to lock up my bike and head into the studios for my breakout performance on Baltimore public radio’s Marc Steiner Show. WEAA 88.9 is in desperate need of bike racks, so I had to lock up to a gate before heading in and putting on the headphones for an hour-long conversation about gender. Continue reading
Glyndon Area Players Perform at Hon Fest on 36th Avenue in Hampden
Last year around this time I had moved out of my pool house and was living out of boxes in New Orleans, thanks to the kindness of friends. I was also reading all about Baltimore, and I read about Hon Fest, a street festival celbrating Baltimore’s iconic “Hon.” Yeah~I had no idea that was an icon. And then there was the part where some lady tried to copywrite “hon,” and I was all, like, that’s like copywriting “Who dat.” That guy from Kitchen Nightmares came in and got her to drop the copywrite, so she’s I guess less of an asshole now. And now I’m here, it’s Hon Fest, and I was on my bike to Hampden to check it out. There are food vendores, the local photography vendors, the jewelry and pottery and incense and beer stands. There were three music stages, and the first made me miss New Orleans more than anything. I stopped at the main stage, though, and I saw the Glyndon Area Players performing Broadway and pop hits; they were so good, especially the guy who did “My Girl.” We were all totally in to it, for real, and the kid got more and more confident as we shrieked, which meant more runs and higher notes. Awesome. Yeah, it’s just like any other street festival in the country, but the Glyndon Area Players from out Reistertown Road are only here, so there. I kept walking, got ice cream, listened to 9 Mile Limit, our local rock/roots/reggae band for awhile, watched an odd mix of folks dance along, and then headed back home for a read and a nap. Thank you, Saturday.
Crowd At Mt. Vernon Square for First Thursdays
Today’s ride took me to Hampden for an errand and some writing, to lunch at BMA with V. and her parents, down the hill to Patterson Park and the Can Company for another errand, and then to Mt. Vernon Square for First Thursdays. I locked up the bike before running into B. and G. in their car. I hopped in as we looked for parking–a much easier task on a bike–and then we walked over to meet the already-huge crowd. We got beers and sat on the curb and caught up. G. quite aptly declared the crowd “a Sutter Home crowd,” B. unhelpfully pointed out that come November, all these folks are going to vote on our civil rights–I mean, can youimagine?– and I thought to myself that we were all finding this event a lovely way to spend the evening, likely oblivious to the part where this whole thing was brought to us by Baltimore City Parks & Rec while we’re closing community centers all over the city, but this is just a lovely summer tradition, and then, after awhile, the sky looked like it was going to open up, so I raced it home. At every intersection, to the left and the right, you could look right under the storm and see the pink sky on the other side. So, so pretty. Why in the world would I take my car on a day like this?
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
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 