Gotta Love The Snow

Yes. You can bicycle in this weather.

Where's My Maybach?

For those of you who may not be car aficionados, the Maybach is your basic $340,000 dollar limousine. That is the base model. Of course if you want the floor mats, the crystal decanter, the proper burled walnut trim and the nice alloys (plus the privacy curtains), the price is closer to $400K. And you obviously need a driver who is on call 24/7 and a garage nearby. Don't forget insurance, etc. So if you are a Maybach owner (and my blog readers know who they are), you are likely in for a cool $1MM the first year of ownership.

My trip to work each day takes me past 740 Park Ave. It's a storied building and I won't bore you with its history; do the google. Suffice to say that there are at least seven s550's lined up each morning waiting for their captains of industry as I pedal by. But it is the Maybach that captivates me.

I cannot help but yell out (and ring my 33cent bell), as I pedal by on BBUD (my 1965 one speed Schwinn), "Where's MY Maybach?". Alas, I don't see it in my future. But as I gather steam on the downward slope of Park Avenue from 70th St to the 60's I can't help but think, maybe it is for the better.

What do you think? Where's YOUR Maybach?

Councilman Eric Ulrich's Regressive and Discriminatory Proposal

For those of you unaware, there is a councilman in Queens, NY who has put forth a proposal to register all bicycles with the government and that all bicycles should have an identification tag.

Mr. Ulrich's priorities and understanding are misplaced. He would be better served introducing legislation to make drivers safer, enforce traffic laws for motorists, and encouraged the populace to use bicycles.

The proposed legislation is like asking people to register and wear an id tag on the next pair of running shoes they purchase. After all, you use the shoes to walk. And you may walk into somebody and they may fall down and you might run away. So shouldn't we make sure that everyone who wears running shoes register them with the government. You can see this is a slippery slope.

And what an irony. We have a democratic president in the White House issuing an executive order to examine federal regulations to free up commerce. We have a republican councilman in Queens New York seeking to regulate the most basic of freedoms.

For those of you who are unaware, bicycles are a pollution free and healthy alternative to almost any other form of transportation. As an everyday (and civil) commuter in Manhattan, I daily witness at least 6 automobiles running red lights. I see drivers speeding, getting in accidents and polluting our precious world. I see people texting, phoning, eating, reading and being otherwise distracted while driving a 3000pound weapon every day.

Perhaps Mr. Ulrich's priorities should first be turned to those infractions and leave the mostly harmless bicyclist community alone.

For the economically disadvantaged, bicycling represents a legitimate option to more costly forms of transportation. Registration is one more economic burden for them and regressive by design if not discriminatory.

All in all, this is a bad idea. Mr. Ulrich, there are so many more important issues to attend to. Please withdraw your sophomoric and offensive proposal.

Disturbances Take Precedence

I had a flat tire today on the way to work. Which led me to a number of observations and experiences. First, disturbances take precedence. So no matter what you are doing, if there is something that interrupts it, you have to stop doing what you are doing and change behavior. It could be an illness, an accident, a firing, a death, or a simple a flat tire. Disturbances take precedence. They force you to change plans. So I chained up heretofore trusty steed (note to self, can a bicycle be called a steed?) and hailed a cab. My cab driver was from Ghana and we got to talking. He used to drive a Mercedes s550 for a rich man in Chappaqua. He quit because the guy never brought him a cup of coffee when he would stop to get a cup of coffee for himself. The guy, he said, was a cheap multi-millionaire. We got into a debate about how poor people are more generous than rich people. And then a discussion on racial and ethnic stereotypes. See what a flat tire disturbance can do for you? I love New York.

Winter in Manhattan

Having been away from NYC for the holidays I did my cycling in other locales, Florida to be specific. While riding on flat terrain is nice (especially when it is warm), it was wonderful to ride in Central Park this morning. The temperature was perfect (26F) and the scenery was comforting.

The trip down 7th Ave to the Battery and the home was a comfort.

NYC is a wonderful place!

Happy New Year!

You Can Never Be Late

I assumed a philosophy a few years back that ensured that I could never be late. Here it is: “Wherever you are is where you are supposed to be.”

We’ve all heard those stories of the people who missed the plane that crashed because they got stuck in traffic, etc. This philosophy is part that and transcends it. Here is why.

What is the hurry? Why are we always in a rush to get to where we are going? When you get there, are you calm, relaxed, reflective and feeling a oneness with the universe?

I suspect not. You are probably anxious about where you need to be next. How can you be in the moment if you are always in a rush to be in the next moment?

A few years back I was sitting next to a beautiful river with a dear friend. Two dragonflies flitted about and both came to rest on my knee.
I never forgot the moment because it was so tranquil. The entire universe stopped for just that beauteous moment.

I think of that moment when I get my knickers in a twist to rush somewhere.

Where I am off to in such a rush? What will be there? Will I be happier or more satisfied because I got there in a precise manner? Is where I am going so important that I need to be stressed out?

Relish the now. Wherever you are is where you are supposed to be at that very moment. So you can never be late.

And relish the people you are with in that now. It will never come again.

And so it is on a bicycle in NYC. The world screams by in a rush. On two wheels, you can slow it down and savor the moment.

Happy holidays.

My High School Sweetheart

Tender would not be an age to describe me. Hardened, crusty, fossilized - they are more accurate adjectives.
All of us have our internal filters that fool the mirror except when there is that occasional glance that is unprotected and a surprise.
For bicycle riders of a certain age it means you buy certain outfits that fit more generously (as an aside, there is a market opportunity here.)
But I digress.
My first "real ride" (Reynolds 531 all Campy) was purchased from my high school sweetheart's younger brother.
It was my introduction to what riding is meant to be: effortless, joyful, transformative.
I still have it, restored and hanging on a rack. It is eye candy now. I look at it every day before I go ride on one of four other rides (a one speed, a two speed, a three speed and a twenty speed). Occasionally I take it out for a ride and wonder and wander.
So not a day goes by when I do not see and feel 16 years old and everything then.
I think that is good.
New York Tendaberry.