Am I a bike commuter now?!
I commuted to work twice last week! But then this morning, I slept in and took the subway instead of riding my bike to work.
But, my commutes last week were generally good. I keep hoping these rides to and from work will be the panacea for my current life issues but alas, they are not. I am noticing that I do look forward more to the commute home, when I know I don’t have to be in a rush and/or can ride however slowly or quickly I want because getting sweaty is less of an issue. Regardless, it’s hard prepping my bike the night before when I’d rather just cuddle on the couch with Ben and Martin.
This was Tuesday night. My commute to work on Wednesday was seemingly uneventful since I did little to document the rides.
Wednesday night was the orientation meeting for my upcoming micro-tour with 718 Cyclery & Outdoors. This virtual orientation got me very excited for the trip. Joe is very thorough and well-organized, which made it easy for him to share all of the necessary information with the riders who signed up.
But he also was great at conveying how relaxed and fun the trip is supposed to be and will be, so it really gave me something to look forward to. I recently had to drop out of the B SIG training program for some personal reasons but am happy to have this group outing coming up. Preparation for the ride is underway but I still have lots to do this week!
My next bike commute was on Friday and probably because it was a Friday, I was looking forward to the rides (especially the one home to start the weekend!). The morning was sunny and not too chilly. I took the Brooklyn bridge into Manhattan and rode up the Hudson River Greenway, towards work.
After work, I had a return to make at a store in the financial district so I took the Hudson River Greenway to Battery Park. I hung out by the water a bit before getting these great views of of the World Trade Center as I headed South.
Once I got to my destination, I made the return (got store credit because I missed out on the 30 day return window - this store isn’t open on weekends so it made it hard to get there!) and then took the East River Greenway to get home. I hadn’t ridden this greenway in a while, and it was VERY crowded at the southern most portion but eventually began to clear up the farther North I headed.
Brooklyn from the East River Greenway.
I took the Manhattan Bridge back to Brooklyn, following the signs leading the way home.
Once I was in Brooklyn, I spent an inordinately large amount of time staring at and appreciating this tree:
Saturday was supposed to be a big day of riding for me. At first, I had planned a seventy-five to eight-five mile ride in Connecticut. Then, I decided that I would instead do laps in Prospect Park with some weight on the Pack Rat. Ultimately, I did no riding, but cleaned and organized my apartment - I felt as productive as if I had just ridden eighty miles.
On Sunday, my sister drove into Brooklyn and met my brother and I for brunch. I rode my bike to the restaurant and we ate before heading over to Bierwax for some drinks. Vanderbilt Avenue was closed to traffic for open streets. The sun was out, but it was chilly with the wind and in the shade, so we moved ourselves with the sun, taking advantage of the lack of cars on the road.
Next week is the micro-tour up to Croton Point Park! I have yet to ride with the Pack Rat fully loaded so that will be my goal this week.
