It took me a while to get around to the idea of a new bike after my last one had been stolen, and while there is great pride to be felt in walking everywhere if you can, there is a little bit of something (I'd say ease?) about getting there quicker on two wheels.
My new vintage (can those words really go next to eachother?) 3 speed cruiser came to me via Craigslist and grew up in the north suburbs with a good family.
Adele, as she is called, has opened up new worlds to me. So far I have learned:
- that cruisers are for cruising - not for velocity (though two wheels are faster than two feet)
- that Green street exists, and it gets you from the North 500s to the South 300s in no time!
- that Karyn's on Green is open and I must go there
- that dashing out to meet friends at a pub is easy when you don't have to deal with parking, sobriety or public transportation
- that buses can't catch me
- that everyone forgives you for what your hair looks like when you're carrying a helmet
- that there is something called retro urban chic and I may have stumbled upon it
- that on a bike, you have neither the safety of a walker nor of an automobile driver, but you have the freedom of both (as long as a cop isn't watching you)
- playing the piano for 28 years doesn't make you coordinated enough to eat an ice cream cone and ride a bike OR text and ride a bike BUT you can go ahead and imagine that five-part fugue in your head as long as you pedal to the beat
4 comments:
I LOVE YOUR ADELE!!!! :) How exciting!! I am just getting up the courage to ride my dear lovely orange bike here in downtown Austin. I really need a basket for it and also to get used to the fact that I have to ride in the street, but that also, drivers here actually coexist with bikes here instead of trying to kill them, like the last city where I (not often) tried to go places on 2 wheels.
I'm learning a five-voice fugue too. :)
Happy Biking, Bethanie!! Chicago is really pretty great for getting places on bike - we have our own lanes in a lot of areas too!
In reference to point #4, you CAN get arrested for riding drunk on a bike. So says Joel's wife, Whitney. In fact, she just mentioned this the other night. Prepare yourself.
Yay for two wheels! Maybe Adelle and the Red Barron (my bike) should become friends on Facebook...
Hahaha. Bikebook. You can't get arrested for riding drunk on a bike if they can't catch you!
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