The Beast is Back

I made some major progress on my Winter maintenance checklist over the last week, both mentally and physically. 

It began with the triumphant return of the She Beast to my (our) arsenal, after a far too lengthy absence. I picked her up on Thursday afternoon and took her for a test ride at lunch on Friday:

Thanks to the help of the great folks at BikeSource, I'm happy to report that she's back in working order and better than ever (I bought her used, so she was a bit long in the tooth before I saw her). The timing was perfect, because my everyday bike was just about at his breaking point, and I had a weekend trip to Philly planned (I was not at my breaking point, but the mental vacation was needed). Not having a bike to get around my favourite city for three days would not have been ideal:

I took some time to break her in on Saturday afternoon with the intent of exploring some of the newer bike/greenway infrastructure I'd heard so much about just after I moved away last year. My first stop was the Rail Park, a greenway in the process of being built on the grounds of the former Reading Viaduct railway. The approach from 1300 Noble St. provides an excellent view of the past from where this project came and the future for which it will lead, starting with this gorgeous old building near the entrance:

I know others may have differing opinions, but I remain fascinated with neoclassical/art deco architecture. Side note: that building is apparently available, in case you have a ton of money laying around. Anyway, the park entrance from this end begins with a filled in rail trestle flanked by a rustic metal mural showcasing Philadelphia's industrial history, focusing specifically on the businesses that used to frequent the Callowhill neighborhood:

I could have spent all day looking at this thing. Eventually, I did actually make my way into the park, which is actually not bicycle-friendly according to the signs posted at the entrance:

No worries. A short walk never hurt anyone, right? The park has been manicured to resemble your typical park, with mulch beds and trees and shrubs in pre-determined locations. There are a number of relics that have been preserved, such as signal lamps and electric poles:

I also spotted some other relics, old trolley switches and lines lurking down below, at street level:

I'm not certain those will be there much longer. Anyway, the park is currently just a quarter mile in length, but the overall experience is worth a quick adventure. For now, it ends abruptly with another not-as-decorated metal wall:

I'll be excited to return when more of it opens up. At this point, I picked up my bike and headed down the stairs back to street level to continue on. My next "stops" would be the recently added protected bike lanes near City Hall:

I began by heading west on JFK Boulevard:

Not really much to write home about on that particular stretch, but it's still something that would have made my life a heck of a lot better when I lived there. On or about 20th St, I headed south briefly and then turned back east on Market St:

Traffic sign defacement has never been a favourite thing of mine, but I thought it was kinda funny someone wrote "longboard" below "bike" on this one. Maybe we should change it to "alternative transportation lane?" OK maybe not:

Speaking of traffic signs, this bicycle traffic light at 16th and Market is the first I can remember seeing in Philly:

The city has also added some new green paint near the southwest side of City Hall, where the bike lane turns right. This area used to cause a lot of confusion for novice cyclists:

Sadly, people still park in crosswalks (that's true just about everywhere). My adventure was just about over at this point, so I stopped briefly at Broad & Chestnut to take an incredibly cliché picture before heading back southward:

I had a little bit of spare time on Sunday before my friend's anniversary dinner, so I did sneak in a quick ride up to the Art Museum/Ben Franklin Parkway, a perfect chance for more touristy pics:

I know Philly still has a lot of work to do, but it's exciting to see some positive changes every time I return. I'm glad I finally had some favorable weather to truly enjoy the weekend. Until next time, my friend.

So the beast is definitely back, and that's a great thing, because I really enjoy switching up bikes every now and then (judge her not by her color). I put in nearly 30 miles last weekend, which was also a bit of body maintenance I've sorely needed with all of the severe Wintry weather keeping me inside these days. I'll be getting my everyday bike back tomorrow, and I'm told there are a few mild days ahead...