When The Streets Go Dark

Yesterday, I rode a bit.  Today, a little more.  

Today's travels took me to DUMBO, for no particular reason.  

Over the years, I've seen the area turn from an old warehouse and manufacturing district that was abandoned after sundown to a neighborhood where bookstores, cafes, boutiques and pet-accessory shops (It seems that everyone there has a dog!) line cobblestoned streets.

It sounds as charming as it is.  But I learned something about its atmosphere early this evening. Even with the lamps and candles glowing from windows, and the streetlights and the lights on the bridge, much of the ambient illumination actually comes from downtown Manhattan, less than a mile across the East River from the Fulton Landing.

The dark area to the left is downtown Manhattan--specifically, the area around Wall Street and the South Street Seaport.

This evening's ride was the first I've taken in that area for which I think more than one Knog Frog light (or a bigger, more powerful lamp) would have been handy.

Ghoulish Gear (And Girl)

You really can find anything on the Internet these days!

I mean, I just found a page of "Halloween Bicycles."

The image I posted last week from Park Avenue Bike's announcement of its Halloween Cyclo-Cross race is on that page. Here's an image from another ride announcement:

Somehow it seems appropriate for a Vancouver Critical Mass ride, doesn't it?

Now, here's the way I'm going to a Halloween ride:

From Riding Pretty

I really want someone to say, "Justine, I never knew you had that side to you!"

Of course, if I'm going to dress myself for the occasion, I have to do the same for my bike:

From Ciel Bicycles

The Return Of The Fade?

The other day, while making preparations for the storm that's raining down on us, I spotted this:

Of course, it's not the kind of bike I'll ever ride.  And it's certainly not the sort of paint job I'd ever get on one of my bikes.  However, I think it's not bad:  The yellow main tubes and seat stay "fade" into a maroonish red on the chainstay, rear dropouts and front fork.  The seat and handgrips more or less match the maroon paint.

Could this be a signal that "fade" finishes are coming back?  This one isn't so bad.  If more had been like this, "fades" would not have their awful reputation and association with the '90's they now have.