Out With the New, In With the Old

#31daysofbiking Mileage Counter: 485.5

Mondays are...Mondays. It was a nice morning to ride yesterday, but when I got to our Thompson St. facility, I noticed a foul stench in the air, something like silicon or other synthetic building material. Sure enough, this is going on behind the facility:

New town homes, coming to gouge your credit soon!

It reminded me of living in Northern Liberties, where a new set of condos seemed to go up every day. The naturist in me can't stand the smell of new construction, but I guess it's a sign this neighborhood is finally turning around, so that's something.

Nothing major happened on my route and I laid low for the better part of yesterday mid-day, mostly because of excessive humidity. Later in the evening, things had turned much more pleasant, so I rode to dinner at one of my favorite spots in the city, Radicchio Cafe. The restaurant itself is an usually excellent Italian cafe, but I also like this relic across the street:

It may be neat, but cobblestones aren't the best for riding

The cafe sits at 4th & Wood Streets, which was the southern terminus of Old York Road many years ago. Parts of the original road have been paved over and still exist in the far northern section of the city. This city is constantly changing, but there are literally hundreds of little historical tidbits like this throughout the city that most of us don't bother to notice, myself included. Someone suggested taking a bus tour, and I think after this challenge is over, I may just do that.

And by the way, the food was great:

Presentation is everything.

I love carbs. 15ish miles on a hot, steamy Monday is not too shabby. I'm going to crack 500 miles today (day 30) if all goes according to plan!