Bicycles On The Red Carpet

Normally, I don't pay attention to award shows.  I might glance at the day-after newsclips of them, just to see whether anyone wore anything particularly beautiful, interesting, outrageous or hideous.  Beyond that, I have no interest in the shows:  I don't care who wins what; I care only about whether or not I liked a movie or an actor's performance.

At shows like the Academy Awards (which, this year, is being called "Oscar," after the award), I prefer the walk to the talks.  The latter are usually banal and repetetive; at least, when some of them are in their gay attire, they look beautiful walking down the red carpet.

Would the Oscars or any other show be more bearable if the participants rode bicycles down the red carpet?

From M N S Photography

Saturday Night's All Right For Cyclin'

How much cycling have you done on Saturday nights?

I believe that when most of us think of a "Saturday ride" or "weekend ride", we're not thinking about riding after dark.  Even if we're not going on a date, to a show or for the other things we normally associate with the middle of the weekend, we don't usually think of cycling.

Don't get me wrong:  I have cycled on Saturday nights.  However, it doesn't normally happen by design:  I'm out after dark on Saturday because of an emergency or because my ride lasted longer for some other reason I didn't foresee.  

And, I'll admit, in my youth I went for rides that ended in my (and, sometimes, my riding buddies') getting somewhat intoxicated.  Believe it or not, I was once pulled over for CWI (Cycling While Intoxicated)!  When I was at Rutgers, I'd gone to a party in Highland Park, on the other side of the Raritan River.  The cops claimed I was weaving and wobbling as I crossed the bridge from Highland Park back into New Brunswick.  I didn't get a fine, but somehow I managed to convince the cops that I'd get home intact.  I don't remember what happened after that.

Anyway...If someone asked me whether there's a part of the week during which I ride least, Saturday night might be my answer.

Not so for this young man in Slovenia:

From Bike Park Slovenia Blog

Perhaps the lyrics to a certain Elton John song were mis-translated into Slovenian!

The Best Bicycle Parking In New York?

Today I was in Tribeca again.  I had some business at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.  Two weeks ago, I made one of my rare (since 11 Sep 01, anyway) appearances in that part of town, where I saw an interesting Frankenbike ridden by a librarian.

However, on this visit, I saw something even more interesting, and certainly more gratifying.  It's in Fiterman Hall, which is literally no more than a couple of pedal strokes away from the site of the former World Trade Center.  In fact, you can see the memorial from some parts of the building.

The college had another building called Fiterman Hall, onto which 7 World Trade Center fell in the wake of the attacks. The original Fiterman--a 1950's office building that was donated to the college in 1993-- was so badly damaged it had to be razed; the new building bearing the same name opened just this past August.

I found myself liking the new building:  It's spacious and full of light.  Best of all--at least to those of us who travel on two wheels--it has two bicycle storage rooms inside.  One of them was in use when I arrived.  They can be accessed only with a BMCC ID card, or if a security guard lets you in. 

Not bad, eh?  It's even better behind those doors:

Some swanky gyms don't even have such nice bike rooms.  For that matter, I can't think of any other colleges or schools with anything like it.

  It was cold and windy today; I wonder how many more bikes will be in that room come Spring, or on a Tuesday or Thursday.  On one hand, I'd like to see it full, just to know that people are cycling to the college and that the room won't be re-purposed.  On the other hand, if I need to go back, it'd be nice to know I'd have such a place to park Vera or whichever bike I ride.