She Took Him to the Lake

I haven't updated here in a bit, but I assure you I have been riding. There's just not much to write about when you bike laps around the same boring small town every day. At least the worst of Winter is hopefully over and my daily biking streak has somehow survived. Update over. Ha...

Spring is just a couple weeks away, but there have been plenty of relatively nice days to be outside over the last couple months. Despite the cold, I was able to take advantage of one of those days this past Saturday when my family visited my girlfriend's family near Cleveland. They were all busy working or crafting during the early part of the day, so I borrowed her sister's bike to take a brisk ride:

I had a chance to explore the area surrounding their home back in November, which did include the Liberty Row Oaks living monument seen above. I kept to many of the same trails I visited a few months back and ended up going a few steps further. In some cases, onto different terrain:

A local saw me snapping pics of the sign and asked why. My honest answer: it looks funny to me. I'm not sure why. In any case, I moved through that area to the Lake-to-Lakes, which leads to the urban Harrison Dillard Bikeway just east of Midtown Cleveland:

This trail eventually leads to the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway:

This was my intended destination, and I arrived there 8+ miles after departure in about 45 minutes. I assure you, I was not warm, even with appropriate attire. It was worth it for some unique Winter views:

I've been to Lake Erie probably a dozen times or so (which seems like a lot for a guy who grew up in Eastern PA), but I'd never seen it partially iced over. It was neat to see, but I didn't want to stay too long due to the biting cold wind - SINGLE DIGIT WIND CHILL FACTOR WOOHOO!

Anywho, I decided not to backtrack on the return trip, and instead took a detour thru some of the lesser traveled areas in Midtown Cleveland, full of blighted abandoned buildings like this one:

I have no idea why, but I find old buildings fascinating. In fact, I once did a blog series that largely centered around exploring these kinds of areas via bicycle. I kind miss it, to be honest. Perhaps a return is in order...

I paused briefly to get a cup of coffee and a snack at Cafe Phix Midtown (not pictured) which featured this Nice Rack outside:

 Hey, I used to do a blog series on those too.

Anywho...after that, I began the somewhat arduous return trek to Shaker Heights. The nice thing about riding towards the lake was that it was literally all downhill. The return trip was the opposite (of course), but I did luck out in that I received a boost from a pretty significant tail wind. I did feel like I could ride a little more after I got back, but it was nearing noon and the family would be gathering for lunch soon. This was the only major cycling adventure of the weekend, but the first of hopefully many to come this year.

Thanks again to Jackie for letting me borrow her bike again. It was really nice to escape riding around the same 4 trails for at least one morning...

Bikin' on the Bayou

My girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to celebrate a co-bachelor & bachelorette party this past weekend in New Orleans. I use no hyperbole when I write that the Crescent City is something that truly can't be described. It has to be experienced. Everything was amazing: food, music, art, history, architecture, I could go on. Add amazing friends to all of that and I can't think of a better way to celebrate the beginning of their new life, and we did all of this in one small area of the city.

In addition to experiencing so much of the eclectic culture that's so plentiful throughout the French Quarter, I also seized the opportunity to take a small amount of "me" time to explore more of the city via bike share:

The NOLA incarnation is called Blue Bikes. Most bike sharing systems in the US are very similar, but they all have their own little quirks. This particular variety is produced by Social Bicycles and is semi-dockless. You register on SoBi website or app (including payment info), where you're given a unique account number and select a pin. You input both of these on the back of the bike you want to rent:

If you're successful, you are allowed to remove the u-lock that can be attached to either side of the bike (most appear on the right side):

What I really like about the semi-dockless system is that you can deactivate/end your ride simply by re-attaching the u-lock in its designated lock points, and you don't need to re-attach it to a dock, meaning you can lock up anywhere:

This helps alleviate two major issues I've had with bike sharing. True dockless systems (like Lime) allow you to leave the bike or scooter anywhere, including locations that are inconvenient or dangerous, like the middle of a trail for example. Docking systems eliminate this issue, but if there's no dock present, you can't end your ride. With this system, you can technically "lock" the bike anywhere, but psychologically you're more inclined to lock to something when a lock is included. I saw no instances of bikes left in precarious locations (at least none that I can remember).

A brief aside, I also really enjoy that bike rack. They're scattered throughout the city and are sponsored by local businesses:

Anyway, my first trip using the system was on Friday afternoon, when I ventured west to find some lunch for my girlfriend and I at seed Cafe:

Another thing I really like about these bikes is that they're much lighter than some other shared bikes I've used, with only a basket on the front to store cargo. As you can see, that was more than enough space for my purposes:

I'll go as far as to say that this has been my favorite bike share program that I've used in any city (so far - there's a lot more research to be done).

That short 2 mile ride was all I had time for on Friday. I ventured back out on Saturday to do some exploring and to burn off some of the beer from the night before:

It doesn't matter what city you're in. Cars are going to park in the bike lanes. Blah. Anyway, I had a loose goal in mind of finding as much of the city's bike infrastructure as possible. I saw a couple places that looked promising according to GoogleMaps, so I headed in that general direction. I first stopped by the Superdome about a mile north of our hotel just because it looks so damn cool:

I continued north and east, not quite knowing where I was, but knowing that somewhere there was a bikeway up that direction. Thankfully, most of the bike-friendly roads are well-marked. New Orleans is known for many things including its distinctive street signs, and bike infrastructure is no exception:

I continued on my way towards the Lafitte Greenway (I bet you never would have guessed that's where I was going based on that pic up there):

It's very similar to most greenways or trails you've probably seen in your area, including the Olentangy Trail near me. I found it to be a pleasant ride, even though a local remarked as he rode past, "Be careful man, they don't care about bikes around here." I had no issues.

At any rate, the Lafitte leads to a two-way protected bike lane at its south end, which I took to head west toward the heart of downtown:

There are plenty more bikeways in the center of the city, including some that are parking protected:

I also happened upon perhaps the best bike lane marker I've ever seen, which can really only "fit in" in New Orleans:

It's so unique, a friend suggested it should be on a t-shirt. I tend to agree.

I didn't fly solo the whole weekend, as my girlfriend joined me for a short 1-mile ride on Sunday morning before we headed back northward. In a weekend where we did basically everything we possibly could cram into a true New Orleans experience, being able to sneak in 10 total miles of riding was the icing on the cake, and made me love this magical slice of America even more. I can't wait to go back.

Nice Racks in Cowtown: Lane & Woodbridge

I took a leisurely-paced ride on Monday night around the neighborhood, more or less. 3 miles away is still considered in the neighborhood, right? Anywho, I had a small ulterior motive to explore one of the larger parks that I pass by on my semi-regular bike commute to work. Come to find out, said park is known as Thompson Park. For most of the last 3 years, I worked out of a laundromat on Thompson Street in Philadelphia. Weird.

At any rate, at the northeast end of the park, there's a branch of the Upper Arlington Public Library, which has a rather descriptive bike rack out front:

That's pretty nifty, even for someone like myself who is most definitely not a bookworm. The library is a bit off the beaten path from my commute by about 3 blocks or so, but it ended up being a great find even for me. I was forced to stop there on my way home yesterday because it had started storming and I needed to seek shelter.

As for the park itself, it's your average park with a shared usage path, though there is a fitness trail worked into it just in case riding or walking isn't enough for you. There's also a pond that I didn't happen to find, but I guess that just means I'll have to go back. I mean, it is just down the road...

Nice Racks has been my regular series of bike rack art found in Philadelphia. I felt weird using the same series name for streets that don't exist in the same space, so I'm starting the Nice Racks in Cowtown series for bike rack art I find in and around Columbus.

Nice Rack: 13th & Wood

In the midst of a gray and rainy Tuesday, I found this neat little U-Haul branded bike rack while I was waiting for a client yesterday. I'm not normally a fan of over-branding things, but I like this for some reason:

Maybe it's because this rack sits in front (or back) of the historic Packard Motor Car Building, which has now been repurposed into apartments and self-storage space:

Packard is a name that will always be near and dear to my heart, because my Dad actually owned one when I was a kid and I have a lot of great memories riding around in it. I was pretty excited to see that U-Haul had posted this sign attempting to preserve and share the heritage of the building:

Sadly, the link no longer exists. Oh well, can't win 'em all. Thankfully, the building is in good standing more than 30 years after being renovated. I get a little irked whenever Philly developers decide to knock down historic structures and replace them rather than opting for refurbishment. But that's another topic for another blog.

On to Wednesday, and day 4 of #30daysofbiking...

Nice Rack: Broad & Locust

One of my main overarching themes on this blog has been to find bicycle-related art, some in the form of bike racks. One of my self-imposed challenges is to get pictures of these racks without any bikes actually attached to them. It's a difficult task at times, but the dead of Winter helps out on occasion.

For example, this bike rack that sits just a half block away from my office is usually loaded with bikes on an average day. With many fewer cyclists willing to brave the blistering cold temperatures, it's a rare occurrence to see it sitting bare:

This was part of the Bicycle Coalition's series of artistic bike racks installed in 2014:

Just blocks away from City Hall, it's almost eerie to see such a normally busy place sitting so empty:

I'm also writing this on MLK Jr. Day, which is a holiday for some. That could be a contributing factor to the emptiness.

Nice Rack: Kelly & Ferry

Whoa! 2 Nice Rack posts in a row!

I had to take a trek out to East Falls on Tuesday for work. Our plant in this area lies about 8 miles northwest of my house, approximately 4 times further away than my usual morning commute. Of course, I very easily could have taken a car, but you know me better than that by now...

Despite abundant sunshine, it wasn't the most pleasant day for riding in the early morning hours. I was forced to dress for temperatures in the low-40's Fahrenheit, unaware of just how windy conditions were outside at the time. I guess I should have assumed as much, as I'd be biking along the river for a good portion of the ride. It's always windy there. Always.

With this being the case, a little over halfway to my destination, I was already soaked in sweat from having to pedal aggressively against said wind. As I came up Kelly Drive and made a left in the final mile to head towards our plant, I paused to catch my breath and shed a layer of clothes. I knew I was close, but it had seriously gotten that bad that I couldn't stand it.

It just so happens that the bike-friendly restaurant In Riva sits at this corner, a place I'd stopped at awhile back. They were closed, but it was still a good place to stop for some bike-related scenery, including this neat looking (and highly functional) bike rack:

Wonder how many you could fit there...the decor also features several permanent Rustcycles. You can see one just behind the red rack:

Two for one. A look across the street also provides a nice view of the river and (at this time of the year) some colorful foliage:

Not a bad place to stop, and after shedding my overcoat, the last mile wasn't so bad. The ride home was also really nice with the wind at my back. No pain, no gain, right?

Nice Rack: 15th & South

I've been writing about a lot of abandoned bicycles of late, so it's time to balance it out with something more pleasant.

Not too far down the street from our Wash Cycle Laundry laundromat, there's a neat little slice of bicycle heaven, beginning with this musically-themed bike rack:

I feel like I've written about one of these before (there are several at musically-prone places throughout the city) but just in case I didn't, there it is. The music nerd in me is slightly bothered - the sculpture clearly shows two notes tied together, but they appear to be a hybrid of 16th and half notes. Violation.

The bike nerd in me absolutely loves it. It's not only functional, but it looks neat too (even despite the musical discrepancies). It also happens to be at the end of a row of Sheffield style bike racks, which are some of my favorites to lock to. These racks are immediately adjacent to a small outdoor seating area and an Indego bike share station:

The naysayers will point out that this takes up 3 parking spots, but in those spots you can park more than a dozen bikes (including bike share). I don't use Indego very often, but it's nice to know it's there, and I hope spaces like these begin to appear more often. As a sign of how far things have come, Indego didn't even exist when I began this blog nearly 3 years ago...

Nice Rack: 12th & Catherine

The other day whilst walking to pick up my new bike, I spotted these neat little racks at Hawthorne Park on the corner of 12th & Catherine Streets:

There's nothing particularly flashy about them, but the simple design is very effective and thus is one of my favorites. The thinner tubing allows for locking the wheel and frame to the rack with a standard u-lock, and the reasonably-sized circular formation allows for locking the back wheel to the rack and lock using a cable (If possible, I do the latter to prevent my back tire from being pushed out into the street or sidewalk). Sometimes simple is best.

Nice Rack: Schuylkill Banks

Happy September! Happy Labor Day Weekend! The unofficial end of Summer is here (insert sad poop emoji) and it's greeting us with frigid-feeling weather. Actually, the temperature was a moderate 56 degrees when I awoke this morning. It was the wind that made things feel frigid. Despite that, the bright sunshine made this the perfect morning to ride.

I was out pretty early this morning around 8:15 or so. Also knowing full well that most people have already taken today off to "wrap around" their holiday, I took my sweet time getting to the office this morning. I took a slight 4-mile detour westward towards the Schuylkill River and ended up in Grays Ferry Crescent Park, where I stumbled upon this:

There are several of these Penny-farthing-inspired bike racks throughout the park, which is part of the Schuylkill Banks trail:

The park is relatively small compared to some others throughout Philly, so I didn't spend a whole lot of time there. It was still worth the ride, of course, and not a bad start to an extended weekend. I've got a unique adventure planned for tomorrow. If you're venturing out, enjoy yourself and stay safe!

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

Nice Rack: 18th & Federal

In the midst of a studio recording break today, my buddy Rob and I stopped in the American Sardine bar, where I spotted this outside:

Not sure quite what it's supposed to be, but it's nifty. There are several others nearby to boot. This one was my fav, obviously. Now if only this place hadn't upped the price of the mini sardine sandwiches to $3, I might consider coming here more often...

Nice Rack: Front & Thompson

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 265.1

Normally when I post about a nice bike rack, it's relatively short. However, this is #30daysofbiking and everything is amplified so...I present to you, day 13: a story in reverse.

This evening, I decided to venture to Front Street Cafe because they were opening their "garden" for the season and had a bunch of cool specials. I've been here many times before, but never noticed this leaf-shaped bike rack:

A good place to leaf your bike

To be fair, it looks shiny and new and may well be. You can see it even better when my bike's not locked to it:

When a plant gives you 1000% of your RDA of Iron...

Back to why I chose to ride 4.5 miles up to Fishtown...I heard there would be live music tonite, and music and beer are the quickest ways to my heart other than a nice bike ride:

The musician is in there somewhere. Trust me.

The first guy (above) was an instrumental pianist. The next guy was a guitarist/harmonica-ist much like yours truly. Both were solid, and definitely made for an enjoyable end to an up-and-down day.

Speaking of the rest of the day, earlier on, a new old client returned to the Wash Cycle roster, which required a trip to Chinatown. It was a little scary riding a cargo bike on Vine Street, but the cherry blossoms in bloom with the skyline as a backdrop was kinda nice:

Screenshotted because I was feeling lazy this evening

Said delivery was part of a same-day service, which went off without a hitch, always a nice bonus.

The not-so-nice parts of today came early on, when I had two clients in the suburbs today and traffic was jammed in almost all directions. Just reminded me why I ride a bike to work every day. But...

I also serviced another client in Fishtown and picked up 25ish pounds on my personal bike because I was running late and underestimated how much laundry they would have. Rather than riding all the way back to the plant to pick up the company bike first, I figured I could just do the pickup on my bike. Just barely made it. If you were expecting pics of that ridiculous spectacle, sorry. The plus in all of that was the obvious workout, and let me tell ya, I think this is the first time in a long time my legs are actually a tad sore. You won't hear that on this blog very often.

Lucky 13 was a challenge, but rewarding just the same. Friday and palindrome day tomorrow, 30 Days of Biking!

Nice Rack: My Bike

Customization is part of the fun of owning a bike. If you've read this blog regularly, you may remember me mentioning a certain item that I sorely needed (that is the right word) for many months. Look what I finally did this weekend:

I took a picture of my bike! Lookit!

If you didn't notice it right away, there are not one, but THREE new accessories I added, most notably the back rack:

As seen from the front

I kept my u-lock holder on there just in case I have a full cargo load on the back and am unable to store both on the rack, but primarily it's there as a backup plan. You'll also notice the green water bottle holder, which was number 2 on the accessories list priorities. Number 3 was a bell (not pictured - you all know what a bell looks like, right?). This is turning into a regular ol' commuter bike, eh?

Beyond functionality, they add a nice visual element to the bike, at least I think so. It's also kind of annoying, because these are the sorts of things I feel should be included as stock items on a bike that's designed for city riding. It's not surprising, though. My stepdad once bought a car that didn't include floor mats, my SUV didn't come with splash guards, and so on. Whatever manufacturers can do to squeeze some extra cash out of you...

In any case, I'm looking forward to not having to strap groceries to my front handlebars or overloading my back pack any more. More importantly, having these accessories to install finally gave me the impetus to give the guy a deep cleaning he sorely needed after a somewhat long Winter. Just like a car, salt and slush can wreak havoc on a bike. I don't know about you, but I can tell the difference in that picture above. Cleaned up just in time to venture out in the rain today. Maybe I should have bought a matching set of fenders...

Nice Rack: Montgomery & Girard

Right around the corner from Kraftwork, I latched my bike to this neat little guy a couple days ago:

It's reminiscent of some sort of plant, also fitting because it's less than a half block from Flora St. I also love the fact that there are so many spaces. We need more of these, or more racks like these.