Nice Rack: Penn Center

This one was tough to photograph - I pass by here several times a week and I swear, every time I did (until yesterday) there was a homeless guy leaning against these bike racks across 15th street from City Hall.

These birds were formerly featured at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Nice Racks is a series of bike rack art I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Damn the Mann - Well, Sort of...

As activity picks up in the City of Brotherly Love with Summer on the horizon, things are picking up at Wash Cycle as well. After all, more activity means more dirty laundry. :-D

One seasonal appointment I'm more than happy to have added to my roster is the Mann Center in West Philly, if for no other reason than that I get to bike ~4 miles each way a few times a week AND GET PAID FOR IT.

Today was the first time I've ridden out there, and let me tell you, 4 miles in this weather was certainly a sticky affair - literally. When I finally made it to the top of the hill, the concessions company rep wasn't there yet, so I decided to catch my breath and take in the view. It's much better on a clear day, but this isn't too shabby either:

Of course, two seconds later, the security guard came up to me and said "You know you ain't allowed in here." Actually, no, I didn't. And I double-checked: after entering through the back gate, there are no "authorized personnel only" signs or anything resembling them. So no, sir. I didn't know. How would I? I'll spare you the rant about authority figures. You've heard it all before anyway.

At the very least, a moment's peace in the midst of a typically hectic schedule is always nice, the view was equally enjoyable, and the mostly downhill ride back to the laundromat was pretty awesome too.

Nice Rack: 15th & Mifflin

It's an absolutely gorgeous evening in Newbold, a neighborhood to which I almost never venture, mostly because I have no reason to. Hah...

This rack is outside Ultimo/Brew, a coffee and beer cafe. I'm not 100% sure what the shape inside the oval is supposed to be, but my guess is it's a hop (because they serve beer - get it?).

Hoppy Sunday evening.

Nice Racks is a series of bike rack art I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: Girard & Ridge

Today was a gray day across Philadelphia, and among other things, I saw yet another sobering reminder that it's a dangerous world out there.

This isn't technically a Rustcycle, as it's a brand-new memorial, but eventually it will age and become part of the neighborhood landscape, similar to this one at 2nd & Girard. The men who are memorialized were killed by cars EXACTLY one year apart, on the same street. Weird...

Of course, it's impossible to catch EVERY piece of news throughout the city - I only stumbled upon this because I work right up the street - but somehow I missed this a couple weeks ago. After looking into it, this really is a sad story. According to this Philly.com article, the rider, Jay Mohan (subject of the memorial), was a filmmaker, musician and all-around good guy.

At any rate, always wear a helmet, and watch your back (front and sides, too). And I guess, stay off Girard Avenue.

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Deflating my Plans

Well played, West Philly.

Last week was the anniversary of the MOVE Bombing in Philadelphia. I'm a bit of a history nerd, and I'd heard about this story before, but when reminded about it last week, I thought it might be neat to take a ride out to West Philly just to see what the scene looked like nowadays. I had some time yesterday.

Knowing full well the scene was actually going to be boring by most standards - a boarded up stretch of row homes - I still decided to do it. The ride there was a nice, leisurely 40 minute trek westward from my house, across the Schuylkill River. It had rained earlier in the day, and late-breaking sun made the afternoon weather absolutely beautiful.

That is, until I started to hear a "ticking" sound from my rear tire around 58th and Pine. I knew exactly what that meant - I'd picked up a nail or some other foreign object and it was only a matter of time before my tire went flat. And of course, I didn't have a patch kit or a spare tube with me and most bike shops are closed on Sundays.

I could have stuck around and done what I originally intended, taking pictures and the like, but instead I decided I should just go home. It was going to take me at least an hour to get back to 2 street, and I still had a bunch of OTHER things to do that evening. The quickest, easiest way was to take the train, and annoyingly I didn't have any quarters, so I had to spend $3 on a $2.25 train fare. I know it's only $.75, but the principle is annoying.

Anyway, I guess I can try again some other time. At least I got 6 miles in on a Sunday...

I Assure You, We're Open

For the last 2 months, I've been working out of a mostly empty laundromat with one other person. Even though I've missed some of my fellow cyclists in center city, it's been kinda nice to be able to come in and work at my own pace without being bothered. I get a lot done that way. Hah...

Every time I've stepped outside, the neighbors have been asking on a daily basis "What's going in there?" and "When do you open?" Apparently this place opens to the public on Monday. I'll miss the alone-ness of this place just the same, but it's kind of exciting... This neighborhood is undergoing a rehabilitation, and a big part of that is bringing new businesses in, either in a renovated space or a completely new one. Before Wash Cycle bought it, this was an abandoned auto parts store just a few months ago:

There's still work to be done, but it's definitely looking better than it did. I wish I had a before picture. Of course, with progress, there will always be detractors and obstacles. If you look closely, the paint under the "Opening Soon" sign is fresh because we were tagged last week. And I'm not sure if this was human-caused or a natural casualty, but that solar panel on the far right looks to be injured. Bunch of savages in this town...

Anyway, onward and upward, and happy Friday.

Nice Rack: 11th & Cross

It was a beautiful morning, and having no water was as good an excuse as any to go out for breakfast at Black N Brew. If for no other reason, I was able to brush my teeth. Ha...

I also stumbled upon the fabric-adorned bike rack above. I'm thinking this was part of a neighborhood initiative some time ago, because there are several of these throughout the surrounding street corners, and other objects are decorated as such as well. Case in point, the stop sign where G decided she wanted to pose:

Nice Racks is a series of bike rack art I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

While You're Waiting

This was taken at Temple University in the midst of a very exhausting Thursday, but the feeling of being outside in beautiful weather was not lost on me.

For the first time since I started this blog, I experienced a lapse. Not a lapse in experiences or creative ideas, but a lapse in the availability of time and willingness to make time available to blog about them. It's felt...strange...to say the least. I started to miss it more than I imagined, because ever since I started practicing macrobiotics, I've been trying to place emphasis on doing things outside of work (hobbies) that are "playful," if you will. This blog is one of those things. However, so are these:

Alkaline Trio played four consecutive nights at the TLA, and I was privileged enough to experience two of them. Many thanks go out to my cousin Andrew for inviting me, and helping me to realize that they are without a doubt my favorite band of all time. A-holes brought me to tears twice.

Some time Friday morning, while I was already experiencing a hectic day of wash cycling, I received a text from my roommate. She had been hit by a truck while she was riding her motorcycle. At this point, there's not much I could do other than being supportive. Thanks to a most generous assist from my friend Susan, I delivered some REAL food she had cooked to my roommate in the hospital, by bicycle, of course (no pics - I think she has some though haha). This is not a hobby. Or is it?

Not the best pic, but Friday night I was lucky enough to enjoy a great evening with some more macro friends, which was sorely needed after the roommate in the hospital ordeal. The food was friggin' amazing, and I didn't realize we were there for over 4 hours. Yours truly made the apple couscous cake on the far right. :)

Saturday, a much-needed outdoor chair shiatsu from my non-motorcycling roommate. She was holding an open house with her friend, and so I came to lend my support. I had a hunch that I would be reaping the benefits of being a "demonstrator." Wink wink.

Sunday was Mother's Day. I went home to see Mom, but I drove my car. You didn't expect me to bike 140ish miles in a day, right (well, you might have)? At any rate, it was a lovely experience as expected.

In a nutshell, life is moving pretty fast, and I have no shortage of experiences, which I'm thankful for. I'm going to make every effort to keep this blog going. It's been such a great experience for me thus far...

Small Ball World

When I first moved to Northern Liberties just over a year ago, one of the first places I stumbled into was 3rd & Girard. I actually quite literally stumbled in there. I lived just two blocks away.

At any rate, it became my favorite local hangout for a lot of reasons: good company, open mic nights, 180 craft beers, and of course, I didn't have to drive (or even bike) to get there.

Months later, even after moving out of the neighborhood, I still frequent the place, mostly by bike. I became such good friends with the community there that I eventually joined the bar softball team this season, and for the most part, it's been pretty awesome.

BUT, let me tell ya...it hurts. I love to pat myself on the back for being in good shape, but after playing softball AFTER working all day Monday, I'm STILL in pain today. As my Dad would say, I have aches in places I didn't know I had places. So much for being in shape, hah!

Where's this going? Strangely enough, I deliver laundry to a business that also sponsors a team in the same league, Flotation Philly in Fishtown:

Small friggin' world. The manager's a really cool guy, and it's been great working with him so far...especially since he offered me a free float, which has been SORELY needed (I still have yet to redeem, but soon).

IndeGo-ing Somewhere...I Hope

If you live in or around Philadelphia, you've probably heard about IndeGo, a bike share service that just launched a few weeks ago. I think it's a great idea (in theory) for those who don't have bikes and don't want to own (maintain) a bike but still enjoy cycling around the city, the benefits being that it's cheaper than a taxi or car service (read: Uber/Lyft), you'll get exercise of course, save gasoline, and so on.

That doesn't mean it's affordable. If I read the signs correctly, it's $4 for 30 minutes, or $8 an hour, or $15 a month for unlimited 1-hour trips (meaning you're saving a lot of money, but you have to keep all trips within an hour in length - hah). At that rate, you might as well just buy a bike off Craigslist. Furthermore, why would someone bother when they can rent a Zipcar for $.50 cents more per hour?

I have some more questions about theft, maintenance and etc. but I don't want to poo-poo it too much. I DO appreciate an increased cycling presence in our daily lives, and this is one of many steps in the right direction for this city. So, happy sharing and happy cycling...today is a great day for it!

Nice Rack: Flora & Montgomery

In all seriousness, I'm glad I survived the self-induced fatigue I experienced today. My good friend Andrew (he hasn't updated his tumblr in a long time, but I'm linking to it anyway) came to visit last night and we went to see The Loved Ones at Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown. Great night of punk rock and mosh-pitting the likes of which I haven't experienced in years, which was awesome. However, the body definitely feels the effects the day after. 3 hours of sleep doesn't help, either.

At any rate, to make this post bike-related AND in the spirit of where I was last night, I'll keep things in Fishtown. I've gotta give it to 'em. They truly embrace their neighborhood namesake, with fish being incorporated into as many every day things as possible. Things like trash cans, house address signs, and of course, bike racks:

This is outside the Fishtown Community Library, in case you're curious. Happy Friday evening!

Nice Racks is a series of bike rack art I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.