tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post230930813988173082..comments2024-03-29T10:52:55.716-04:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: Stop, Look Around...Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-14865756930126750192011-01-29T17:55:21.006-05:002011-01-29T17:55:21.006-05:00Unless they bomb your bike. :)Unless they bomb your bike. :)MDInoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-74752331818698215172011-01-29T17:12:10.037-05:002011-01-29T17:12:10.037-05:00"oh, thass breakfast wine" is what my tw..."oh, thass breakfast wine" is what my two year old declared at the site of champagne at New Year's day brunch. Obviously it entered our lexicon immediately. I definitely appreciate it on some mornings, though I am not much of a drinker, generally :)<br /><br />Justine, I love love love Basque food, cheeses most especially. I wish I had been biking when I've been there. What a great place to cycle.neighbourteasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17571138655370581828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-35983370928162544322011-01-29T15:52:52.357-05:002011-01-29T15:52:52.357-05:00neighbourtease - Breakfast champagne : ) When I w...neighbourtease - Breakfast champagne : ) When I was at university in England (grad school), that was actually a very real thing. And not just champagne. There were numerous bars within the university, and I believed they began serving at 11am, with students and professors alike indulging freely...Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-53631860690737780962011-01-29T14:25:51.008-05:002011-01-29T14:25:51.008-05:00Neigbortease: My favorite ride, ever, was in the ...Neigbortease: My favorite ride, ever, was in the Pyrenees, from Pau into Spain. It's hard to say, though, whether it or the local cheeses were better. I'd go with the ride, simply because my memory of it is stronger.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-16899595485999130332011-01-29T08:23:48.039-05:002011-01-29T08:23:48.039-05:00Velouria, you nailed it -- I haven't been ridi...Velouria, you nailed it -- I haven't been riding either -- the snow pile ups have made the roads too narrow and the slush has made for unpredictable slipperiness. And the bike path on the brooklyn bridge (shared with pedestrians) has gotten narrower than a cowpath -- you have to dismount every time you pass someone; while slush on the wood surface makes it very slippery. Midwestern cities may well routinely get more snow, but their streets (except in the contained city centres) tend to be wider than dense East coast urban streets; there's just no place for the snow to go except in road and sidewalk space (most bike lanes have been completely obliterated), and no place to park the bicycle when you get to your destination, as racks and parking meters are simply buried. Velouria, that photo of the bicycle peaking out from the snowbank was great, and I see a fair number of its real-life versions right now; I am sad for their owners!<br /><br />So more walking it is.....<br />Before I started riding, I loved my longish walks, watching the new growth; trying to identify the vegetation, etc. It's a very different way of experiencing one's environment. It's good to mix it up, though I can't wait to get back on my bicycle....Jeanettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-56332648378209264572011-01-28T22:53:54.317-05:002011-01-28T22:53:54.317-05:00"The effect is interesting, making the neighb..."The effect is interesting, making the neighbourhood look like an igloo construction zone. In order to clear the center of the roads, the excavator dumps more and more snow to the sides - creating monstrous, densely packed snowbanks that line the streets like the walls of some arctic city-state" <br /><br />With remarkably florid and apocalyptic flair, you've managed to describe a completely average Minneapolis winter, in which many folk regularly commute by bike. I went to college in Boston, and was there for the big nor'easter of 1994. For all the direness of that event, it's still substandard for your garden-variety winter in the upper mid-west. Pampered coastal folk. ;-)Bhttp://routine-adventure.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-41010866763589538412011-01-28T22:40:36.077-05:002011-01-28T22:40:36.077-05:00Lovely post! I love the sound of the train on the...Lovely post! I love the sound of the train on the tracks as it travels behind my neighborhood. I can usually catch a glimpse of the train through the trees and I love it! Doesn't bother me one bit. <br /><br />Also, I know I'm going to have that tune in my head all day tomorrow as I stop and look around :)Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12235831374184428641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-67128976157036963012011-01-28T21:41:10.310-05:002011-01-28T21:41:10.310-05:00Portlandize--Sullivan's Gulch is a valley crea...Portlandize--Sullivan's Gulch is a valley created during the Ice Age that Portland planners have conveniently used for whatever transit upgrade is available: first transcontinental railroad (UP/Oregon Railway and Navigation Co), then freeway (I-84 Banfield Fwy), and finally light rail (MAX).<br /><br />As someone who loves trains and urban landscapes (and bikes!) I actually enjoy the view on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between DC and Boston. Even the grimiest urban landscapes of Baltimore and Philly. I think part of that is because I live in an area of the country (Pacific NW) that has little of that scenery. I always appreciate the more industrial look on the Empire Builder line when the train comes into Milwaukee and Chicago. Then again, after a day of rolling plains for a view in eastern Montana and North Dakota, it's such a stark contrast.<br /><br />There are poetic experiences on trains. I think you just have to wind down and enjoy the little things to appreciate it correctly. (And it doesn't hurt if the train is on time!)adventure!https://www.blogger.com/profile/11840448827760637569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-25745916043120023412011-01-28T20:05:13.766-05:002011-01-28T20:05:13.766-05:00@Velouria, we live in East Williamsburg.
I agre...@Velouria, we live in East Williamsburg. <br /><br />I agree about the Amtrak views, there is a random bog on the way to Boston that I thought was so beautiful. It is hardly waking up in the Pyrenées with some extremely civilized person handing you local cheese and breakfast wine*, though. I love train travel. <br /><br />*champagneneighbourteasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17571138655370581828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-43127698409601247132011-01-28T15:51:00.295-05:002011-01-28T15:51:00.295-05:00For another brief moment when you cross the Susque...For another brief moment when you cross the Susquehanna it is transcendentally beautiful, especially at dawn or dusk. But that's between Wilmington and Baltimore.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12289745556219478251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-49829900241291691472011-01-28T15:36:58.227-05:002011-01-28T15:36:58.227-05:00Ha. I went to college in Phila as an undergrad, an...Ha. I went to college in Phila as an undergrad, and regularly took the Amtrak up North and back. I agree about the view - except for a brief moment somewhere in Connecticut.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-5050541058858631222011-01-28T15:13:17.275-05:002011-01-28T15:13:17.275-05:00Cities on the eastern seaboard look like complete ...Cities on the eastern seaboard look like complete armpits outside train windows. All the beauty is hidden, and all you see are be backyards of the worst neighborhoods of dilapidated rowhouses and abandoned, half collapsed warehouses covered in graffiti. It's never as romantic as in the movies. My bedroom window looks down into the gulch next to Baltimore Penn Station, so an Amtrak train passes every 20 minutes or so. It's close but nice because they're all either stopping or pulling out and only going 10 mph. I don't think I could sleep without the methodic ding of the train bell. neighbourtease, I took up cycling for safety in my neighborhood too. Walking on the sidewalks at night is just too scary.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12289745556219478251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-36529803188732578712011-01-28T13:43:49.386-05:002011-01-28T13:43:49.386-05:00Our car is 2004, which would be obscene to call &q...Our car is 2004, which would be obscene to call "old," but the loss of resale value on modern cars is brutal. Of course that's another topic entirely. We hope to live in the countryside again at some point in the (hopefully) near future, so we'll definitely always need a car. But for the next one, we might look for an older Jeep or truck model in barely used condition, or similar.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-48064684784712356952011-01-28T13:35:15.159-05:002011-01-28T13:35:15.159-05:00Velouria said...
"Without my writing a full-p...Velouria said...<br />"Without my writing a full-page essay and sharing too much personal information, suffice to say that rental is just not a good system for us. Oh, and the resale value of the car is next to nothing, so selling it won't really help us out at all."<br /><br />Ok by me. :)) I would never expect you to justify your reasoning for keeping your car. Never.......<br /><br />In fact both of our vehicles are getting very old. However, they are well cared for so I will just keep them till they die and save the money. :)Walt Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-40199176256328778972011-01-28T13:25:26.465-05:002011-01-28T13:25:26.465-05:00Walt - Well, the main reason is that we both feel ...Walt - Well, the main reason is that we both feel that our car is uniquely suited for our needs (mainly in its off-road capacities and storage space), and we do use it frequently during periods when we travel on location. Renting a car every time also takes time, which is something we are always short on. Without my writing a full-page essay and sharing too much personal information, suffice to say that rental is just not a good system for us. Oh, and the resale value of the car is next to nothing, so selling it won't really help us out at all.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-81278605412862802542011-01-28T13:18:59.011-05:002011-01-28T13:18:59.011-05:00Walt: She had a recent post on exactly why they we...Walt: She had a recent post on exactly why they weren't getting rid of the car.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-68380983301643955032011-01-28T13:10:38.019-05:002011-01-28T13:10:38.019-05:00Velouria, One has to wonder why you don't just...Velouria, One has to wonder why you don't just sell your car to go completely car free? <br /><br />You can always rent a car for those times you need one or a trip you know. <br /><br />And yes, life is so much better ,richer, when you slow down to enjoy all that is around you that others miss always being in a hurry. :)Walt Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-29880802046223879612011-01-28T12:45:19.344-05:002011-01-28T12:45:19.344-05:00Wow, I haven't seen snow like that since I was...Wow, I haven't seen snow like that since I was a kid! I remember making tunnels through the snow banks. If there was ever snow like that here in TN, I do believe that this town would just seize up and die.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08236210810344032312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-18916797182912949732011-01-28T12:23:21.995-05:002011-01-28T12:23:21.995-05:00Ah the whistle! Who knows what mysterious, distant...Ah the whistle! Who knows what mysterious, distant lands the train is headed to. <br /><br />...Though in reality, I once rode the overnight train from Berlin to Salzburg and it was not nearly as poetic as I hoped. And neither was the 10 hour train ride from Northern NH to Washington DC!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-39158922713802009802011-01-28T12:14:03.613-05:002011-01-28T12:14:03.613-05:00I forgot to mention, we also live near train track...I forgot to mention, we also live near train tracks - there's kind of a gulch very near our apartments that both a freeway and train tracks run through (the train tracks were there much earlier, I'm assuming they put the freeway there because the right-of-way was already pretty much cleared). There's a retaining wall, so we don't really hear the freeway much (just kind of a quiet rushing sound, we can't hear it at all if our apartment windows are shut). But we can hear the trains when they blow the whistles. Kind of a similar situation, it's not loud enough or frequent enough to be annoying, so it's kind of nice to have :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-79872426895680232862011-01-28T12:10:36.914-05:002011-01-28T12:10:36.914-05:00neighbourtease- Do you live in DUMBO?One of my fav...neighbourtease- Do you live in DUMBO?<br><br><i>One of my favorite things is hearing the train. It's not close or frequent enough to be annoying and it is beautiful. </i><br><br>There are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lovely_bicycle/5247577324/in/set-72157625035984997/" rel="nofollow">railroad tracks</a> 2 short blocks from our house for the commuter rail. No stop, just the train passing through. It's just far enough away and infrequent enough to feel romantic. We hear a distant sound from our kitchen, and experience the "idea" of the train without the inconvenience of everything shaking every hour.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-73292716948776408292011-01-28T11:33:11.755-05:002011-01-28T11:33:11.755-05:00@neighbourtease: one thing I really love about Por...@neighbourtease: one thing I really love about Portland, is there really is nowhere in the inner part of the city that I feel uncomfortable walking (though I am a relatively young male person, so that may have something to do with it). I've never felt in danger walking around the city (though I have had some awkward interactions with people - but just kind of oddly awkward, not threateningly awkward).<br /><br />We definitely rarely have the problem of not being able to ride a bike because of snow. I don't think we've had any snow accumulation at all this year so far, in the city. We've seen a couple of flurries, but nothing has stuck. Plenty of rain though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-16438944706189277552011-01-28T11:23:32.365-05:002011-01-28T11:23:32.365-05:00Portlandize, that sounds like my neighborhood. It&...Portlandize, that sounds like my neighborhood. It's a mix of beautiful and ugly industrial decay, active light manufacturing complete with obligatory third wave of artist and hipster infiltration. One of my favorite things is hearing the train. It's not close or frequent enough to be annoying and it is beautiful. I don't feel particularly safe walking on some blocks, which is one reason I started biking. <br /><br />I can't ride my bike right now. There's just too much snow. I see people out there but I don't have the emotional fortitude to deal. It's insane.neighbourteasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17571138655370581828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-48115767957831882152011-01-28T10:58:44.923-05:002011-01-28T10:58:44.923-05:00I always appreciate the times I have to walk as we...I always appreciate the times I have to walk as well - just recently I took my wife's bike in to the shop to have the front rack installed, and the shop is about 2 miles from our apartment, so I had to walk back from there, and you just notice so much when you're moving that slowly. It was also a gorgeous day out, which was fortunate, since I had just put ASA 100 film in my camera... (that's where some of those Ektar shots I showed you came from).<br /><br />The inner East side of Portland is very industrial, and honestly a bit run down, which actually I kind of like - it's very interesting to look at a lot of it. There's rail tracks through, and though it's a bit run down, there are sidewalks everywhere on every street and the streets are small and low on traffic, so it's easy to walk. I love that Portland has very distinct neighborhoods that each are quite different, it makes exploring the city feel worthwhile and interesting. There is something new and interesting to find everywhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-76568289418918898192011-01-28T10:52:33.909-05:002011-01-28T10:52:33.909-05:00I was totally thinking how I never look around eno...I was totally thinking how I never look around enough as well. This lastest snow storm to hit the east coast dropped enough snow that this is the first time I have not ridden my bike. Even in my neighborhood where I bought my house, I was walking around and noticing architecture and other notes that I have missed.<br />Your photos look great, as usual. thanks.bikevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02711760371467875390noreply@blogger.com