The Longest And Best Afternoon—So Far

 Yesterday, my afternoon ride ended with me riding into the sunset.

I started around 12:30 and made a stop at Addeo’s, one of the best “finds” in my still-new neighborhood. I bought a small loaf of pane de casa—a crusty exterior surrounding a fluffy, almost-creamy interior (Did I just describe an old-school New York Italian?)—to accompany the tomato, hard-boiled egg and piece of Cabot’s Seriously Sharp white Cheddar in my Acorn trunk bag.

La-Vande, my trusty King of Mercia, made those miles out to the Rockaways feel like a magic carpet ride, even though I was pedaling into headwinds and its chain and cogs are about ready for replacement. Interestingly, when I made the left turn off the Veterans Memorial Bridge into Rockaway Beach, I felt I was riding a tailwind all the way to Point Lookout, even though the wind pushed, however slightly, at my right side.

I couldn’t help but to notice that I hadn’t seen much traffic on the streets or very many strollers or dog-walkers on the Rockaway or Long Beach boardwalks. On my way back, I found the reason: Orthodox Jewish men in drag (though they never would refer to it that way) or otherwise becostumed—for Purim.

Their revelry reverberated through my being: I felt such joy simply from riding my bike that no matter which way I turned, I felt a breeze at my back.  And i didn’t see the sun setting into tbe ocean: I saw just flickering, but still glowing, light and waves all the way to Coney Island.

So ended my longest ride so far this year:  130 kilometers, or 80 miles.

A "Cathedral" Under Hell Gate

Yesterday I reprised the late-afternoon ride I took two days before:  a 72 km (45 mile) round trip from my apartment to Fort Totten and back.

The air was a bit chillier, but brighter, than on my previous ride.  Perhaps that accounted for my seeing fewer cyclists, though I encountered more bundled-up people with their dogs along the waterfront path that winds under the Throgs Neck Bridge.  But the biggest difference--for me, anyway--was that I started a bit later.  You might say that I was playing chicken with dusk:  I got to my apartment in under some of the last flickerings of twilight.

The return leg brought me to the Connector between Randall's Island and the Bronx.  It runs underneath the viaduct that ushers Amtrak trains toward Manhattan and Penn Station.  There, I was treated to an early glow of sunset:

That light proved irresistible to me:  I slowed down and, of course, stopped to take pictures, even at the risk of ending my ride in the dark--which wouldn't have been the worst thing, as I'd brought lights. 

 

Later, I relished the irony of feeling as if I'd entered a cathedral while pedaling under a viaduct that continues from the Hell Gate Bridge.

Riding (Against) E-Bikes To Office?

How far has this apple fallen from the tree in the Big Apple?

The “apple” in this story is Andrew Cuomo; the “tree” is his late father Mario.

A few traits and traditions were passed down generationally, if not generationally. One is that they championed some progressive ideas and policies. They are/were staunch death penalty opponents. (Some argue that it cost Mario a fourth gubernatorial term at a time when New York State didn’t have term limits.) They also worked for LGBT equality:  In fact, during Andrew’s first year as Governor, New York became the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, four years before it became a Federal policy.

One thing Andrew didn’t inherit, however, was his father’s intellectual acumen and charisma as a speaker. Yes, his “fireside chats” early in the COVID-19 epidemic had their appeal, but none of his speeches are as memorable as Mario’s. 

And their political fates could turn out differently. Five years before winning his first gubernatorial election, he lost the Democratic nomination for the Mayor of New York City to Ed Koch. In 1988 and 1992, party officials approached Mario about running for the Presidency. Both times, he declined. Two years after the second overture, he lost his bid for a fourth gubernatorial term. He never campaigned for another elected office.

Andrew, on the other hand, resigned in disgrace from the governorship only a year after giving those daily COVID press briefings.  Now he is running for Mayor of New York City.

He has announced that if he’s elected, he would crack down on illegal e-bikes and reckless users by, among other things, requiring licenses and holding delivery-app companies responsible if one of their delivery workers injures or kills someone. That sounds good to me, but I hope he doesn’t conflate eBikes with regular bicycles, as many policymakers and commentators are wont to do.

Would I vote for him?

Although I cast my ballot for him previously, as someone who has survived sexual abuse and assault, I would have a difficult time choosing someone who was forced to resign over sexual harassment allegations. Had they not surfaced, perhaps he would have been forced to leave office—or been voted out—for under-reporting, by over 80 percent, the number of COVID deaths in nursing homes.

Then again, I voted for Eric Adams (in the general election, but not the primary), knowing full well that he’s corrupt. I have an excuse, however: his opponent was Curtis Sliwa.

So, in answer to my question: I might vote for Cuomo, especially if his opponent is as clownish as Sliwa. At least I could hope he follows through on one promise.