View of the Under Armour Plant at Key Highway E.

View of the Under Armour Plant at Key Highway E.N. planted three clues about where to meet her Friday night, and she told me to ride my bike there. I did a little sleuthing by way of the internet to figure out that I was supposed to be at 1121 Hull Street, so after a day of lazing and working I carried Brompty down the stairs, put air in her tires, and headed down the hill–that way I could fold up my bike and toss it in the trunk of N.’s car and let her drive me back up the hill.
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Roger Taney Memorial in Mt. Vernon Square at Monument & Charles

I woke up early, finished my book–so good–and then it was time to lug Brompty down the stairs to rideĀ  to the Jackson & Lee monument over by the BMA for a historical tour of Baltimore monuments. They’re there on horseback, and etched at the base is this: “They Were Great Generals amd Christian Soldiers and Waged War Like Gentlemen.” Then we weaved in ways I never would to get down to the Battle Monument on Calvert and Lexington, the first public memorial to a war, but not the last. Continue reading

Billie Holiday Memorial at Pennsylvania & W. Lafayette

The weather report said it might rain, and a glance at the sky assured me that it would, so of course I put on a skirt and a light jacket and headed out for a long bike ride to campus–oh, the curse of aspirational dressing! I was cold all day. Regardless, it just felt good to be on my bike after three days off due to what I’ve decided was a pollen-induced multi-day headache. I zoomed down the hill and then took my right through Bolton Hill and Marble Hill over toward Upton. Continue reading

William Wallace Statue at the Reservoir in Druid Hill Park

I was out with S. last night, and she suggested we get up early for a few laps around the reservoir at Druid Hill Park, her running, me on my bike. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but when I woke up all warm in my bed surrounded by cats, well, it seemed like a better idea might be to enjoy a vacation day in bed with coffee and books. But I said I’d be up for it, so I sent a text, sucked down some coffee, put on my wool layers, and headed out on the bike, and, as always, I was glad I did. Continue reading

Royal Theater Monument at West Lafayette and Pennsylvania Avenue

I left my car on campus yesterday so I could sit in J.’s car as he drove us all the way to Gaithersburg for a most excellent, if overwrought and heavy handed, movie at the weird mall with the restaurant that served me fries with my falafal. I can leave my car wherever, because the next day, I can always ride my bike wherever, stick my bike on the car, and drive us all home. Continue reading

High Security at the Inner Harbor’s 9/11 Memorial

Today’s bike ride took me to Waverly to meet R. for brunch and bike comparison–she’s got the blue Long Haul Trucker with big ol’ upright handlebars, and I have a feeling our bikes have some mutual exploring of bike trails to do together. Afterward we rode our bicycles our separate ways, and I headed down to the Inner Harbor to check out the sunny Sunday crowds. Continue reading

Capital Bike Share at 10th & Constitution

I took myself to Our Nation’s Capital today to see J. and meet up with M., who low and behold, wants to get stamps in her National Parks Passport just as much as I do. Which is a lot. I thought about bringing my bike, figuring that the city’d be easiest to navigate by bike, like every other city I’ve visited. I left the Surly at home, though, and I’m glad I did, because D.C. has a bike share program! Continue reading

Memorial to Segregated Pool 2 in Druid Hill Park

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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 didĀ  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.

Tanks at the National WWII Museum

Tanks at the WWII MuseumRhoda’s got a flat and I need a wrench to free her wheel, so Jack and I went looking for a hardware store.Ā  I headed down to the bike shop ISO tools and maybe a present or two; A. is in the market for a bike, so I rang her up and told her to meet me there for some test riding.Ā  Continue reading

New Orleans Katrina Memorial at Charity Hospital Cemetery

Katrina Memorial at Charity Hospital CemeteryThe weather was lovely this morning so i got up early and took a nice long bike ride.Ā  A couple of days ago I drove out Canal with the baby sis in tow, looking for Lake Pontchartrain. I ended up in Old Metairie after taking a left, so today I decided to ride out Canal to see where I would have ended up if I’d taken that right.Ā  Continue reading