Thursday, September 29, 2011

Cycling in Lower Manhattan

Julie and Kate M.

I am in New York City for a few days, with all sorts of nice cycling people who have gathered here for the New Amsterdam Show this weekend and the Bobbin Bicycles/ Adeline Adeline party last night. One of the first familiar faces I encountered was the beautiful Julie, of the Julie blog. This lady works in the fashion industry and rides all over the city on her white and pink Linus loop frame named Kate Middleton... which I think speaks for itself: Cycling in New York has certainly become more accessible over the past few years.




Cycling in NYC

On my way down here on the train I realised that I had not been to the city since maybe - which is almost 4 years ago now. I have to confess that I don't love New York. It's not that I hate it. I just fail to see the magic and romance in it that everyone gushes about. Maybe it's because my family briefly lived in Washington Heights at a time when it was anything but romantic and my impressions are forever coloured by those childhood memories. Whatever the reason, I just see New York as a very large, very crowded city where you have to watch yourself despite all the art galleries and coffee shops and lofts and trendy boutiques that have popped up in neighbourhoods that used to be considered "dangerous."




Cycling in NYC

And despite hearing about all the new cycling infrastructure here, I couldn't easily picture myself riding through the streets of New York, at least not right away. What about the dense traffic? The notoriously aggressive drivers? Walking from Penn Station to Tribeca it was hard to imagine myself sharing these busy streets on two wheels.




Cycling in NYC
But an hour later I was doing exactly that - on a beautiful Retrovelo, courtesy of Adeline Adeline. While my travel radius was mostly limited to lower Manhattan, it was still a surprise to experience how relatively easy riding in the city has become.




Cycling in NYC
I started out on the West Side Highway bicycle path, which is quite impressive. The 5.5 mile stretch of major road along the Hudson River has a protected greenway running through it the entire way, with somewhat frequent but well designed interruptions where bicycles even get their own green light.




Cycling in NYC

The lanes are wide, allowing bicyclists to pass pedestrians and each other if need be. Cyclists were courteous and used their bells. Pedestrians behaved predictably. With views of the city ahead and views of the river alongside, it is a great path.




Cycling in NYC
Many of the piers in this are have been renovated and developed with all sorts of little restaurants an recreational complexes. The weather was pretty terrible on Thursday afternoon - heavily overcast skies and cold temperatures - but there were lots of people strolling along the piers and enjoying their day.




Cycling in NYC
One great thing about New York City, is that no one found it strange at all when I would stop to photograph the bike. In Boston passers-by will sometimes comment how wacky it is that I am standing there and taking close-ups of a bicycle, but here no one batted an eye.




Cycling in NYC

Having had my fill of the West Side Highway, I took to the streets. Some streets have bike lanes and others don't, but honestly I found that it did not matter hugely. The bike lanes were so frequently blocked by double parked cars and delivery vehicles that a degree of comfort with vehicular cycling was necessary regardless. There was a lot of traffic, but it was slow moving and drivers seemed accustomed to cyclists. I got honked at a couple of times, but so did everyone else around me - honking just seems to be a way of communicating here. When I needed to make a left turn and didn't change lanes early enough, a taxi driver saw my predicament and let me squeeze in ahead of him with an impatient but not unfriendly wave. Overall it was entirely manageable and not any more stressful than riding in downtown Boston.




Cycling in NYC

I will not be in town long enough to experience riding in the city as a person living here would, but my Thursday afternoon jaunt was a nice introduction to cycling in New York. After 4 years away it was certainly the best "welcome back" I could have hoped for. I will eventually be posting about the New Amsterdam Show and all the other things I am doing here, and you can check my twitter feed for "live coverage" snapshots of all sorts of neat things. Have a good weekend!

Fire on the Mountain

Thursday morning early there was a fire started on the Sandia Mountains. It is thought it was manmade as their hasn't been any lightining in New Mexico in months. The fire was in a deep canyon between two peaks. We could see the smoke coming up out of the canyon from our back yard. I took the first photo through a dirty window. But there was so much smoke and blowing dust all the photos are blurry. The last photo shows the smoke coming up the best. This morning they said the fire was about 60 percent contained. It was in very rough country and hard for the firefighters to get to it. Mostly there were planes and helecopters doing water drops. We couldn't see them as it was just to far away from, about 50 miles or so.







On Friday morning my neighbor say smoke billowing up a few miles from us and was reaching for her phone when the fire trucks went out. Someone had already called them. They found an abandoned mobile home, and a couple of sheds on fire that they thought was arson. In about a mile radious there were 3 or 5 more fires set in piles of trash and brush. Really looked like an arsonist was at work. This was following 5 fires set within a few miles of each other at the foot of the Sandia Mountains about a month ago.

I can't understand how anyone can set fires that could cause the whole area to go up in flames considering the drought in our state. If the fireman hadn't got them out so fast many homes could have caught on fire or someone could have been injured or killed all because someone thinks it's fun to play with fire.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Contact Strength







Susy Goldner spent eleven years, long hours, every day of the week,perfecting her contact skills.

As Manager of Contact Centres for Virgin Blue.










It's the same meticulous approach she brings to her climbing.

A reliable sourceinformed jjobrienclimbing that Susy was caught in Kalymnos with detailed sequence notes, including a breathing and resting strategyfor her project in her chalk bag. Meticulous? More than a bit.








For a girl who has spent so many years helping customers get into planes she has spent a disproportionate amount of time jumping out of them. She told me one day how many skydives she has made, I don't remember the number but it gave me vertigo.












That's a Kaly' tan right there.









Working for an airline has it's perks, there's those handy refresher towelettes, and then there's the travel.

U.S./ Kalymnos / China / Nowra / back and forth to the Bluies.








Getting things sorted.





Susy sends "Wholey Calamity" 26 at Coolum Cave





They call her the G-Star












A decade of fronting an airlines' customer contact could go either way.

It could make a girl jaded or it could feed a commitment to improvement and a desire to excel.

Guess what Susy chose?





to be continued





Friday, September 23, 2011

Gratin Dauphinois


Gratin Dauphinois, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A specialty from the Dauphiné region of France. This savory treat consists of thinly-sliced potatoes layered with garlic, herbs, and Gruyère cheese in a dish filled with milk. The dish is then baked for at least an hour, or until the potatoes come out tender and delicious.

Serve with a succulent roasted chicken on a cold winter night.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Pickleball Wing Ding Tournament

Today we got up very early, so we could head over to a pickleball tournament that Rich and Donna invited us to. The tournament was at King's Point in Sun City and was called the Wing Ding Tournament. This is only the second round robin tournament we've been to, with the first being the one we hosted. It was good for me to go and play with all new people, since I tend to have this mental hangup about playing with people I don't know yet. Since we move every two to three weeks, it is not a good mental hangup to have at all.



I had fun today. I still prefer just playing with the people at Thousand Trails without the pressure of tournament play, but it was good for me in some other ways so I'm so glad I did go.



Buddy rode with us, and it gave us a chance to know him better. The people we met and played with were wonderful. I have often said the pickleball crowd has some of the nicest people we meet, and today proved that to be true.



I'm always so impressed with Austin when we go to events like this. He is so wonderful to not be intimidated about being the youngest person, the youngest player and the only one under 18. I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that at all at his age!

The weather was fabulous, which just made the day all the more wonderful. Now I'm off to ice my ankle, which is swollen since I ever so gracefully twisted it and fell. Nothing major, just enough to remind me that I'm no longer 20.Living the life in finally warm Florida!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Florida Keys

As part of our Christmas gifts to the kids, we rented a spot in the Keys for a week so we could spend time there together. Today we headed down there and as always, the drive was incredible.





We got set up fairly quickly and the neighbors from two sides came over and introduced themselves. I don't think we've ever had such friendly neighbors before! Here is what is one row in front of us:



Not too shabby, huh? Of course the guys had to check out the smelly seaweed.



Home sweet home...for a week at least!













Living the life in the beautiful Florida Keys!



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Rush hour in Blount county



Cute little guy, but he wouldn't let us anywhere near him. A little girl was making friends by throwing something edible at him, so we left them to it.

That is a belt around his neck, which I did think was a little strange.

-----

Updated: After a few emails, I can see that it is not obvious for people with those nifty little lightweight, but tiny-screened, laptops. That is a GOAT in the road!

By the way, you can always click on any of the pictures to make them larger.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Looking for Metro/Subway Art during a rainy Sunday in Stockholm

Stockholm is a captivating and elegant city when its graced with beautiful sunny weather, but like Amsterdam, it sucks big time when it’s raining.

My original plan for the day was quite simple, just three things that I wanted to do before I fly out early evening back to Amsterdam:

1) Climb up the Kaknästornet (Kaknas tower) to catch magnificent views of Stockholm, which will be facing the medieval island city of Gamla Stan.
2) Check out all the different types of art in the city’s metro (Tunnelbana) and train station.
3) Later in the afternoon I am meeting an old colleague in Gamla Stan, so another opportunity to try Swedish food for late lunch.

Advertisement in the subway of a leading Swedish telecommunications company. Switching heads =)

The first two things on my agenda didn’t really materialise, or well, just partly, all because of the weather. It poured. Very hard. Damn the rain.

Secondly, Stockholm didn’t really have a guide book about the art they have in their subways. The biggest showcase they have in the centre is Kungsträdgården metro station that is supposed to look like an archealogical excavation but it was closed for renovation. There was a long queue at the T-Centralen tickets and information and that instantly sent me off to the doors.

Not wanting to wait to get info, I decided to just wing it. I jumped on a line that brought me out of the busy city to the suburbs. We came out of the subway, the scenery changed, the pace became slower and it is quieter. You can say that I spent a few hours searching for subway art as well as joyriding. This is definitely NOT the Sunday in Stockholm that I expected it to be. However, it is pouring cats and dogs and cows outside so I guess for the moment the subway is then the best place to be?

This is what I am looking for: Stockholm Metro Art. My fotos below does not even come close! I will have to visit them on my next Stockholm trip.

The upside of joyriding is that I was able to see the suburbs, a bit of life outside Stockholm, a glimpse of daily normal life in Sweden. And while sitting in the metro, I was overcome by a déjà vu encounter, it was a compelling and strange familiarity that brought me back to my first few years in the Netherlands which I largely spent on buses, trams and trains. It felt really weird but nice.

Also, another mistake I made was I assumed big time that the locals, and in this case, the metro drivers would know about the subway art. Helaas, nope. I had a long chat with a metro driver who advised me to go back to T-Centralen.

Armed with that advise, I went back to town and decided to just continue shopping until it’s time to see my old colleague in Stortorget, Gamla Stan.

Me in the bathroom and my morning breakfast. I piled some bacon. I only eat pork when its (1) dried cured sausage and must be hard (2) bacon and must be crispy. Other than that pass off please.

Hotorget station that graced in Madonna’s music video Ray of Light.

Stockholm Central Station.

Orange and Green Lines.

Mosaic tile art.

Abici Granturismo Donna: Maine Impressions

While in Portland, Maine over the weekend, I rode an Abici bicycle, courtesy of Portland Velocipede. The Co-Habitant and I cycled around town a bit to visit some of our favourite spots from when we lived in the area some time ago. Two things about the city that are of relevance to cyclists: It is hilly, and there are no bike lanes. But not to worry: The hills are short and the lack of bike lanes does not seem to matter. We cycled on the roads, and the biggest obstacle was pedestrian traffic in the waterfront area (It was a Saturday); the cars seemed to be fine with cyclists. At any rate, I felt comfortable enough to get a good impression of the bicycle.

The model I rode was the Abici Granturismo Donna, single speed (also available as a 3-speed), in violet. The colour looks subdued on Abici's website, but in actuality it is highly saturated. I think pastels look good on an Italian bicycle no matter what the colour - though for my personal bike I would prefer something more neutral, like cream or slate gray.



The design of the Abici Granturismois different from classic Dutch bicycles and English roadsters, but typical of an Italian lady's bicycle. The step-through top tube is asymmetrically curved, with the bend happening toward the rear of the bike, unlike a traditional loop-frame. You can see the same design from a number of Italian manufacturers, including Orco Cicli and Bella Ciao. It is also the design of the "Mrs. Cinelli" bicycle I had admired at the Larz Anderson Bicycle Show. (As an aside, I have tried to research the history of this frame style, but have had no success - so would appreciate any information or tips.)



Both the single speed and the 3-speed versions of the Granturismomodel come with a coaster brake and a front caliper brake. The chain is fully enclosed, except for an opening at the rear for easy wheel removal. As far as design goes, the Abici is an appealing bicycle - though a couple of things puzzle me. For example, why was it made with derailleur-style dropouts, if it is designed for internally geared hubs? This is not so much a criticism, as a genuine question. Could it be that they are planning a derailleur version in the future? Also - and this is a minor thing - I was surprised by the lack of headbadge. Is it an intentional act of modesty to place the company's insignia only on a tiny part of the chaincase? If so, it is an interesting concept (but I nonetheless love headbadges!).



Continuing with the scrutiny of the details, here is the seat cluster. This part of the bicycle is beautiful.



Equally well done is the lugged connector between the top tube and downtube. The Abici is gracefully lugged throughout, except...



... yes, except for the welded unicrown fork. The contrast between the wealth of lugwork on other parts of the bike and this fork makes me want to cry. Why Abici, why? I am privy to the wholesale upcharge on lug-crowned forks, and it is not that high.



I know that some of you must be tired of my complaining about unicrown forks, and others might simply not understand what the big deal is, so let me explain my views: If a manufacturer claims to make an elegant, classic, high-end lugged steel bicycle and they go through the trouble of getting the details right and ordering all those complicated lugs, it makes no sense to omit the fork. The fork is a part of the bicycle just like the tubes are, and, in my view, its design ought to match the design of the frame. If the welded unicrown fork is a cost-cutting measure, then why stop there and not make the entire bike welded to match? If you consider this view extreme or unreasonable, then fair enough - but I cannot help my tastes.



Aside from the fork-crown issue, I have no complaints about the Abici Granturismo. On the contrary, handling and riding it was a pleasant surprise, as it was very different from any other city bicycle I had ridden previously. The main thing, is the sporty handling: from the steep-ish angles, to the aggressive sitting position, it handles like a roadbike that happens to be a step-through. It is fast, responsive, and light.



How light? Without exaggeration, it felt like half the weight of a Pashley or a Gazelle. Of course it had no rear rack, no lights, etc., etc. - but even taking that into account, the weight difference is considerable. I could drag a bike like this up and down the front stairs all day without complaining.Of course the downside to a light, sporty bicycle, is that the ride does not feel quite as cushioned as on a humongous Dutch bike or English roadster. So, as they say, choose your poison.



Because of its sporty geometry, I could mostly tackle the Portland hills on theAbiciin its single speed - but the 3-speed would have been better. I should also note that it took me a while to get used to the coaster brake on this particular bike (despite being a lover of coaster brakes). Initially it felt counterintuitive, like having a coaster brake on a roadbike: In an aggressive riding position, you just do not expect to be braking in that manner. But the front brake on the Abici worked extremely well. So, just as I would on an actual roadbike, I ended up using mostly the front brake - activating the coaster brake only on occasion, and eventually getting used to its presence.



The Abici Granturismo Donna is a great choice for those looking for a sportier, lighter, more maneuverable step-through bicycle that is still more or less upright and comes with (or can be fitted with) all the trappings necessary for everyday transportation. Be aware that its handling and weight are radically different from that of classic Dutch bicycles and English roadsters, and whether this is a plus or a minus for you depends on your preferences. The price is very reasonable, and I would seriously consider buying the Abici for myself, if it were not for their choice of fork.



Many thanks to Portland Velocipede for loaning out this bicycle.