Today I didn't have classes. But I had a couple of errands to run in Manhattan. As it was a mild, almost warm, day and clouds passed across a sunny sky, I was more than happy to ride.
Then, I found myself in the Union Square area. From there, it's just a few minutes to the Staten Island Ferry. I got to the terminal just as a boat was to depart.
Besides Vera, there were about five other bikes on the boat going to Staten Island, and another dozen on the return trip. On both trips, I saw more cyclists than I'd normally expect to see at those times on a weekday.
I'm not a photographer, so take what I'm about to say for what it's worth: Every photographer should ride the Ferry. There are seemingly endless photo opportunities. Plus, the interplay of water, skylines and the interiors of the boat makes for some very interesting light.
Plus, it can be a rather romantic ride:
Given that there are so many commuters on the Ferry, there are almost always sleepers:
and dreamers:
Of course, every nautical crossing must include a Gatsby Moment:
Finally, since I am one of those snotty New Yorkers who sniffs when I deign to use the word "tourist", I will offer you a photo that's about as touristy as you can get:
In keeping with the tone and spirit of yesterday's post, I'm going to continue on the theme of cycling and visual imagery.
So, I want you to pay attention to the composition of the photo you see here. I find it interesting that the lines in her dress--particularly the ones below her waist--flow in almost exactly the same way as the lines of her bicycle. And the lines above her waist all but mirror the ones between the bricks in the wall.
Seriously...I am thinking about line, form and composition. This isn't just another one of those blogs that shows pretty girls on bikes. Really!
Most people would probably say that photographs are more "realistic" than drawings or paintings. On the other hand, they would probably associate dreams, fantasies and other reflections of the imagination with painting, drawing and other graphic arts.
I held such notions before I saw images from photographers like Eugene Atget and realized that they were sometimes just as fabricated (I don't mean that word in a derogatory sense) as the canvases of Titian and Fragonard. And, in their own ways, those photos can be as impressionistic and visionary as much of what Monet, vanGogh and Picasso did.
The lines between the fantastical and the quotidian are blurred in cycling art as much as they are in other kinds of art. I think you'll see that in this photograph:
and this poster:
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I have long felt that Italian Ices are the perfect refreshment for a bike ride on a summer day. As we've had summer-like weather here in NYC (even warmer than Florida!)since the end of last week, I've been slurping them down.
I usually go with one of the classic flavors--lemon or cherry--especially when I stop at the Lemon Ice King of Corona, which has made my favorite Italian ices for as long as I can remember. (Hey, I knew about LIKC before The King of Queens "discovered" it!)
LIKC is what some would call "old school": While they offer ices in a dizzying array of flavors, including watermelon, bubble gum and spumoni, they don't do gelatos or sorbets. They make all of their ices themselves, and their fruit flavors actually have bits of fruit and are flavored with the fruits, or the juices from them.
On the other hand, I've found another place that makes wonderful "traditional" Italian ices, as well as the creamy ones-- and gelati and frozen yogurt-- a bit off my commute route:
Pesso's is located in Bayside, in a quiet residential neighborhood. The owners are very friendly and obliging, and they--like LIKC--will let you sample any flavor. In fact, at Pesso's, if you ask for their newest flavor, they will insist on your sampling it "just to be sure you like it."
Today I sampled--and ordered--the most unusual gelato flavor I'd ever heard of: olive oil. Yes, you read that right: olive oil gelato.
I didn't know what to expect, but I can still say that it's not anything I could or would have expected. It had a lighter, creamier taste--more like a really good vanilla or cane syrup ice cream. I didn't taste the olive oil when it was in my mouth. However, a few minutes after I finished a small cup of it, I could taste the olive oil, ever so slightly. And, it left that smooth but not slimy after-texture a really good virgin olive oil leaves in the back of your mouth.
I would definitely order it again. The only thing about it, though, is that I wouldn't mix it with other flavors, as I would with, say, a fruit ice and chocolate or vanilla sorbet. About the only things I can image combining with the olive oil gelato are nuts, specifically almonds, pistachios or walnuts.
Now, I rather doubt that olive oil gelato will be on the training table of the Italian national cycling team any time soon. But I would welcome it at the end of a long, hot ride.
Yesterday I took a chance. The last time I rode to Point Lookout, it was closed to all except residents of the eponymous village. I figured that even if it were closed, I could still go to one of the other stretches of shoreline that are near it. Though not as scenic, they would nonetheless provide a nice setting for a warm, sunny, breezy early-spring day.
Fortunately, luck was on my side. Stuff like that happens when I ride Arielle.
I think that she really likes that spot, and knows how much I like it. So she called in a favor and the gates opened on this spot that overlooks the ocean and the bay.
Or, maybe being the nimble bike she is, she wanted to see a peloton:
At least, I think that's what a peloton would look like if it were ridden on waves by ducks. Duck racing? You didn't hear about it from me!
