California Nightmare

Have you ever had "one of those days?" Of course you have. I had one this morning. Technically, it happened mostly due to what occurred in the northeastern United States on Friday and Saturday, when winter Storm Jonas dropped about 2 million inches of snow on us. I, for one, love snow and being put in survivalist situations, so I was excited in the days leading up to it.

Unfortunately, though the storm lived up to its billing, I was too ill to enjoy it. In between shoveling, I spent most of Saturday and Sunday on my couch sleeping or playing video games and doing whatever else I could do to recover from this nasty bug I picked up some time last week. No snowball fights, no adventures other than a walk around the neighborhood just because I couldn't stand being inside any longer. Drives me bat shit crazy.

You know what else drives me crazy? Not being able to use a bike to do my bike job. I fully expected this scenario when I woke up Sunday and saw the absolute chaos on the city streets, and in light of my sickness, being forced to use a ZipCar instead of a bike was actually better for my health (and my paycheck, because otherwise, I would have had to call off). Here's where it gets nuts:

ZipCar Attempt #1

I caught the train to North Philly and got in the car I had booked (it was a Subaru Crosstrek, just in case you're wondering). It wouldn't start. I'm no expert on cars, but most common problems, I can tell what it is immediately. It was obviously a bad starter, not anything that's going to get resolved today or maybe even this week given the weather.

I called the company. They guided me through the troubleshooting motions, which I obeyed even despite their futility, and they eventually transferred me to the sedan sitting in the parking spot next to me. I was annoyed, but I can't fault them for trying. It's their job.

ZipCar Attempt #2

I switched to the car next door (a Hyundai Elantra). Even before I got off the phone with the ZipCar operator, I mentioned that the car wasn't cleaned off, but I got in and started it anyway. After I hung up, I cleaned off the windshield and got ready to drive.

Lo and behold, the car was stuck in the snow. The parking lot had been plowed and it was obvious that the Subaru next to me was able to get out because it had all wheel drive. A front wheel drive sedan, not so much. After about 5 minutes of back and forth and even some shoveling (the attendant had a shovel handy), it was obviously going to need a tow. Again, not something that was going to happen any time soon.

So, I called the company again. They transferred me again to a Versa hatchback that was two blocks away. I reluctantly agreed because what else could I do? But without seeing the car, there was no way for me to know what I was going to walk up to.

ZipCar Attempt #3

I got to the lot about 5 minutes after hanging up, but this time I didn't even get in the car. The entire spot was surrounded by two feet of snow, not to mention the accumulation on the roof and hood that basically sealed it in an ice block.

I called again and demanded an SUV, no matter where it was. No car with less than all wheel drive was going to work this morning. I settled for the only available SUV, a Jeep Compass all the way back in center city. I went back on the train to go pick it up, ending up closer to my house than the laundromat. What a waste. So anyway...

ZipCar Attempt #4

I saw this and thought I was in the wrong place. I was like, "Wow. California? That's neat. Who drove this thing all the way from there? Can I get that job?" Slightly kidding on that last one...

Anywho, so I got in. The car started. Finally back in business after over an hour of BS. On the way up to Thompson Street, I had to stop to help people get their cars un-stuck twice. That's a whole separate story. I eventually made it to the laundromat and loaded up. I headed back out on the road and got to my first delivery in Fishtown, somehow still on time. Thank the maker for 2 hour delivery windows. I double-parked and turned off the car, exchanged bags and after about 10 minutes, was ready to move on to the next one.

Guess what? THE DAMNED CAR WOULDN'T START. This time, it was a dead battery (again, I could just tell - the interior lights would dim every time the four ways flashed). I called ZipCar yet again, and they informed me that roadside assistance would take several hours and there was no guaranteed ETA. Her best advice was for me to "figure it out on my own in the mean time." Thanks.

Thankfully, I was right down the block from an auto body shop that happened to have a jump starter kit. It worked, but the guy said "Don't turn the car off." Obviously.

So, I finished the appointments I had loaded up because that was all I was willing to risk. I had customer care re-schedule my last two large pickups for tomorrow. Last thing I wanted was to end up stranded in North Philly with 20 bags of laundry in the back of a rented car, and judging by what I'd already been through, sometimes you get the feeling it's just not your day. Better luck tomorrow, I suppose.

Guest Blog: Macrodelphia

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Soy to the World

I'll go right out and say it: the weather has absolutely SUCKED around here lately. If not for last week including Christmas and this week including my birthday and New Year's Day (and an extended weekend), well, nah it still sucked.

In the midst of it, one day when it WASN'T raining and instead just gray and overcast, I was treated to a pleasant smell: tofu!

I know what you're thinking. "Steve, what the heck does tofu smell like?" And those of you who know a little about tofu might ask, "How can something that is inherently flavorless have a smell?" Well, I assure you it does, and I rather enjoy it.

I was riding up Fairmount Avenue last week, when I happened upon the familiar smell (some claim smell is the closest sense related to memory) but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Then, I looked to my left:

Nature Soy is all over Philly, restaurants and Asian markets alike, but I had no idea their factory was right in the heart of my delivery area. Kinda neat. Best of all, it's non-GMO!

Seriously, it's been a bleak couple of weeks around here. I've had to find simple pleasures to keep my spirits up...EAT MOR TOFOO.

The Blight Stuff

I've long been fascinated by urban decay (or urban blight) for some reason. There's no shortage of it in North Philly, where I work most mornings. Some areas are on the rebound, but sadly, blocks like this one on Oxford Street between 24th and 25th Streets are still commonplace:

You can see the red paint on the lower walls of the houses, vain attempts to cover graffiti and other vandalism. This picture tells a much different story in black & white:

Creepy, right? This block is right on the northeast edge of Brewerytown, which is actually experiencing a small resurgence in the last few years. Actually, I have some friends who moved up that way. Not here, though.

As I ride past here on a semi-weekly basis, I wonder what this block may have looked like in its heyday. You know, when the paint was fresh, families inhabited every home and children played in the streets. Now it sits as a desolate place where there is very little life, but this seems far less depressing than it must have been when each house would be abandoned, one by one, each a victim of the slow decline of post-industrial America.

But hey, even in the wake of loss, there is always new life:

I think that's enough metaphors for today. The orange postings are imminence of demolition. There's only one inhabited home in that entire row (that I can see), and the remainder of them are in no shape for dwelling. We'll see what happens...

The Coffee Crusader

A co-worker out of our Thompson St. facility recently quit, and I decided to take on his duties as morning residential cyclist in addition to my commercial route.

It's been enjoyable in some respects, going back to the way things were when Thompson first opened...other aspects, not so much. For starters, I'm waking up about an hour earlier and starting my shift about 2 hours earlier, so I don't have much time in the morning to get ready. I guess I could wake up even earlier, but let's not get crazy. 6AM is early enough.

Anywho, one of the positives is that I've been exploring new areas of the neighborhoods I frequent and revisiting places I haven't been to in months. Take for example, Front Street Cafe, located at the corner of Front & Master Streets:

I service Fishtown and Northern Liberties quite frequently, but until last week, I hadn't noticed this place, which opened in August.

I popped in here today 'cuz I didn't have time to make coffee this morning, but was sorely in need of a fix. I mean, it was in the 30's this morning, and even on a nice day, I don't feel quite right without a solid cup of coffee.

I'm glad I did. It turns out I may be stopping by here quite frequently, because they happen to serve my favorite brand of organic coffee beans: Counter Culture. Because it's good, it's hard to find, but I absolutely refuse to settle for La Colombe. Shit tastes like aluminum. So, this was a pleasant find on an otherwise dreadful Monday morning, which I won't detail. Focus on the positives.

Have a great week!

Saint Beeramin

Last week, I had this absolutely amazing beer from Saint Benjamin Brewing called Hopligation. If you can ever find it on a hand-pump/beer engine, I highly recommend it. It's absolutely one of my new favorite IPAs.

What does this have to do with biking, you ask? Well, I was enjoying said beer with a couple friends and they asked where Saint Benjamin brewing was located. I said "It's somewhere in Philadelphia, but I don't know where." I did the Google thing, and found out it's at 1710 N. 5th Street, which is less than a half block north from Cecil B. Moore Avenue, which I ride almost every day for work. I couldn't believe I missed seeing this place all this time.

So one day, I decided to take the two minute detour to find it, and then I understood why I missed it:

Very unassuming, right? I mean, breweries are usually pretty sizeable, but Saint Benjamin is about as micro-brew as it gets, so it makes sense. Yet another reminder to stop and look around once in a while. Ya never know what you might miss...I think that was a quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, or at least a rough translation.

Phone Tag

As I'm sure most cyclists will tell you, we find a lot of trash and other things laying in the street in our daily travels. Most of the time, it's small things like USB cables, phone chargers and headphones, and if they're use-able, I'll either keep them or donate them to Philly AIDS Thrift. But two days ago, I found a phone as I was riding up Fairmount Avenue:

ET phone homeless

So, that undoubtedly sucks for the person who this belonged to, but I did the right thing and turned it in to MetroPCS (I could see the service on the screen before I turned the phone off). I didn't think to leave my contact info to find out, but I hope they got it back...