Roosevelt Island

I finally got out and crossed some items off the list!! This weekend I rode my bike up through Brooklyn and Queens and over to Roosevelt Island. You can see my route here. I really enjoyed the ride since I haven't seen much of the waterfront north of Dumbo. I also had never been over the Queensboro bridge!  After some deliberation (but actually just me getting sort of lost) I decided to head from Queens all the way over to Manhattan. Then, I took the Tram over to the island. I have to admit, riding the tram was my favorite part. I was standing next to another man with a bike and he leaned over to me and said,   I've lived here for 10 years and done this numerous times... but this ride never gets old." It was so fun!

The island itself was a very interesting place. I was able to do a loop of the entire island but actually... there wasn't much to see. We all know I love a good lighthouse so getting a closer view of the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse was fun. I also got a nice up close view of the "Octagon" as well as the abandoned Small Pox Infirmary . As much as a love a good abandoned over grown building, the coolest thing I saw was the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial on the south end of the island. The cement paving and triangular lined trees were breathtaking with the Manhattan skyline as the back drop. I'm so happy I went but... not really sure I'd go again.

On the ride home I also got to see the tops of some more abandoned buildings inside the Brooklyn Navy Yards ( I smell an adventure). Since I've accomplished so much on my list... I decided it was time to add some more items (in italics). Cheers Everyone!

Summer To-Do List
Astoria Beer Garden
Drink at McSorleys
Visit Watkins Glen
Visit Hart's Island
Try to obtain a permit to visit North Brother Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze
Explore Roosevelt Island

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

A Country/City Girl

Last week, while waiting for the train near West Point to head back to the city... I closed my eyes for a moment.  It was so.... quiet. The only sounds were the Hudson river lapping behind me, crickets, a few birds, and a breeze whistling through the trees. I sat there for an entire 15 minutes just taking it all in.

On the train ride home, I started to think about how much I had enjoyed that moment and I realized that each move I've made, I've develop new and sometimes random appreciations.  Just a few examples:

My first big move was when I was 18 from my home in the St. Paul, Minnesota to Charleston, SC.   Growing up in Minnesota I really had no appreciation for snow. It came every year, why fuss about it?  Snow in Charleston, on the other hand was enough to stop the press (literally, everything shut down). Now whenever it snows, I am a child... seriously ask my co workers, I went outside and danced the last time it snowed.

The second big move was to Charlotte, NC. While in Charleston... I hadn't fully appreciated how easy it was to access GORGEOUS beaches and rich, rich history.  Now, whenever I get a wiff of that salt water smell I instantly feel relaxed (and crave beer). I also try to take advantage of being somewhat near  the ocean here in NYC as much as possible.

My most recent move was to NYC and obviously (while I LOVE this city) I have come to appreciate nature, quiet, and a dark sky to see the stars (seriously.. the sky never gets dark here). Growing up in the Twin Cities, which is a large metropolitan area... I was always craving something more urban. Now that I've had it I'm craving something more, well... rural. Of course there are a million more things I've loved about each city, and a million things that I miss about each of them as well. For the most part though, I've always been ready to move on.

I am so grateful that I have the chance to experience such different places and have come to have an appreciation for the little things. It's funny how life works itself out isn't it? Peter and I are hoping to be headed to Alabama next. If I hadn't had the chance to live in NYC I wouldn't have developed an appreciation for the peace and tranquility that being outside (or nowhere near) a city can bring you... I would have been miserable in AL. Now, the idea of having space, cheap rent, and being in the middle of nowhere is actually pretty exciting!

In the meantime, I'm going to continue trying to take advantage of everything that NYC has to offer!!! I  will continue to chip away at my list and also add new things until life (or the Army) takes me somewhere new!

I love this city....

But, I love this too....

Impulsive Saturdays

I"m on a roll with the 2-a-days! Explored Greenwood this morning before work and impulsively decided to go explore Governor's Island with a friend right after. They were both absolutely beautiful, and offered great views of the city. The best part though (besides the fact that both were FREE) was that there is so much history! Going to places like these gets you to start reading and exploring new parts of history. It can be so much more interesting when the history is sitting right in front of you. What   a fantastic day! 

Summer To-Do List

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Randall's Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Explore Roosevelt Island

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze
Explore Governor's Island

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

Governor's Island

Greenwood

Around Manhattan

Roommate: Where did you bike today?

Me: Around Manhattan. 

Roomie: Oh whereabouts?

Me:... No, literally around Manhattan

I did it! To be honest this was the item on my list that I was most excited about but also dreaded the most. The Hudson Greenway is well paved and put together and if you veer off into any of the parks you can easily follow the signs back. I head heard that the East River trail was horribly labeled, paved, and put together..... and the rumors were true.

You can see my route here. It was 30 hot and sweaty miles around "the island" but it was well worth it! The East River ride was not very enjoyable, a very narrow walkway is shared with pedestrians and let me tell you, I had a few close calls. I did get to bike closely around the United Nations and got to see all the east side bridges (I love bridges!!). I also saw the Roosevelt Island Tram for the first time and decided to add that to my list. It looks like so much fun and I recently found out that you can use your Metrocard! Yippee!

I think my favorite part of the ride was through Harlem and Washington Heights on St. Nicholas Ave. It was beautiful and quiet. Good ol' Historic Harlem filled with large beautiful houses, gorgeous parks and churches, and a well paved bike lane. Everyone was very bike friendly as well. I actually had someone "wave me" in front of them! That's the first time that's happened to me in NYC. I had never been all the way up to Washington Heights before (although I was considering living there when apt hunting) It was gorgeous as well! I stumbled upon quite a few public gardens and parks that were some of the most beautiful I've seen in the city (Swindler Cove). They also had most of their fire hydrant spray caps on so I was able to get some cool mists as I rode past. It was quite a relief from the heat!

Tunnel in Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights

Serious Rocks, Washington Heights

After I got onto the Hudson Greenway, I made 2 stops. The first was at The Jeffery's Hook Lighthouse, aka The Little Red Lighthouse. I actually didn't know it existed until a few weeks ago and was so excited to see it! It looks so cute and little underneath the GW Bridge. The next stop I made was to Grant's Tomb. There wasn't much to see but it was beautiful. They did have some old Civil War flags on display which I found fascinating. It was FREE and fun to look around, and a great place to cool off for a bit. After that, it was a straight shot down the Hudson Green way, down and around Battery Park, and under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Then I hopped back on the subway at stop where I started. I was totally the stinky person on the train but it was TOTALLY worth it.

The Little Red Lighthouse

Looking so tiny under the GW Bridge

"Grant's Tomb"

Art around the walls

Today was a fantastic adventure. I saw so much of New York and have even added a few items to the list for the future! I love this city!

Summer To-Do List

Ride the Roosevelt Island Tram

Explore Randall's Island

Bike from Westhampton to Montauk

Visit Washington DC

Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Explore Governor's Island

Explore Roosevelt Island

Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

Run the steps in Morningside Park

Try the Trapeze

Explore Greenwood Cemetery

Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop

Visit Grant's Tomb

Mountain Biking

See Kaaterskill Falls

Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend

Bike from my house to the Rockaways

Summit Mt. Taurus

Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck

Explore all the Central Park sites

So happy to head back to Brooklyn

10 Lessons I've learned from Biking in NYC

Yesterday I rode from Brooklyn to Manhattan (during rush hour) to pick something up from a store there. I learned a few lessons in the process....

1. Rush hour for cars is also rush hour for bikes. 
2. Make the assumption that nobody (pedestrians, drivers, or dogs) sees or hears you because most of the time... they don't.
3. Assume that every yellow cab is actually trying to hit you.  
4. At all times you need to be looking in front, in back, to the left, to the right, as well as down for the random sink holes that I swear have cameras pinned on them so government officials can watch bikers unknowingly fly over them and laugh at their almost demise.
5. The Manhattan Bridge is ALWAYS a better alternative to the Brooklyn.... unless your actual goal is to run over tourists and amateur photographers. 
6. People who bike the wrong way in a bike lane deserve to be yelled at... don't hold back.
7. Citibike riders often have no idea of typical "road etiquette" BEWARE! ( Don't worry I'm still a huge supporter... although those people need to wear helmets!)
8. When in a protected bike lane, you are not safe! Your new enemies are pedestrians, doors, and dogs.
9. Riding your bike is the ONLY way to have complete control over your arrival time. You will not get stuck in traffic or be subject to the whimsical temper of the MTA
10. As long as you're a wise and aware rider. NYC is very bike friendly and you will see things you never would have seen on foot, by car, or by public transportation. 

Ride On My Friends

I also discovered the Allen St Green way which was a pleasant change from the China Town streets!

WATERFALLS

Finally got up to Kaaterskill Falls.... and it was GORGEOUS! It was a short hike from the road up to the falls (there are plenty of longer hikes but we opted for the short one to leave more time for biking trails afterwards). The trailhead is located right on Bastion Falls where there were lots of people sun bathing and playing in the water. Then it was an easy half mile climb up to Kaaterskill and boy, was it worth it!!!

Kaaterskill Falls

Bastion Falls 

Recommendations: Bring a swimming suit! Go early... it was PACKED when we got there around noon on Saturday.

I also tried Mountain Biking for the first time! After the falls we headed to the Stewart State Forest to bike some trails. It was terrifying at first but I think I liked it! I added it to the list just so I can cross it off, although I'm sure I'll be doing more biking throughout the summer.

Summer To-Do List
Mountain Biking
Bike from Westhampton to Montauk
Visit Washington DC
Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Explore Governor's Island
Explore Roosevelt Island
See Kaaterskill Falls
Visit the NY Botanical Gardens
Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop
Visit Grant's Tomb
Run the steps in Morningside Park
Try the Trapeze
Explore Greenwood Cemetery
Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend
Bike from my house to the Rockaways
Summit Mt. Taurus
Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck
Explore all the Central Park sites

Pledging to be active and adventurous this week!!! Cheers! 

Open Minds

"Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because their alive and human" - Albert Ellis

This weekend has left me with a renewed hope and faith in humankind. What was supposed to be a weekend of mountain biking and hiking in New Jersey turned into a cultural adventure in and around Manhattan.

Saturday:

Peter and I had planned to take our bikes out on some trails and maybe even venture up to Kaaterskill Falls but after looking at the weather forecast for the weekend, we decided to stay in the city. Still craving an adventure I was nice enough to let Peter choose an activity from my list.  He chose exploring St. Pat's and St. John the Divine.

On occasion NYC still takes me breath away. To be surrounded by modern architecture and tourist trap shops and then be staring up and the amazing Gothic architecture that has made St Pat's such an attraction is truly amazing. St. Patricks is just as beautiful inside as out! I'm hoping to go back when their renovations are done and there is less scaffolding up everywhere but the structures are still breathtaking. We didn't get to do too much exploring due to the wedding that was going on but it was still great to walk around and see (what we could) of the architecture, Saints, and art.

Wedding Crashers... oops

We walked past a few other gorgeous churches, St. Thomas in particular,  and had a fun time being tourists and standing on the street while reading the buildings' history off our Iphones.

After this we headed up to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine which is the largest Cathedral and Anglican church, and the fourth largest Christian church in the world. And let me tell you.... IT"S HUGE! I mean, it looks big on the outside but you can't get a true grasp of it's size until you're standing inside the hall. What I didn't know about this church is that it was founded on the principles of being a "multicultural congregation." Throughout their history they have been known to support different charitable causes throughout the world and are also supporters and advocates for many different refugee programs. Each of their 7 chapels is dedicated to a different culture and each is gorgeous in it's own way. The church is also known to be extremely progressive and for it's continuing art installations. During our visit the church was hosting a display by Jane Alexander speaking of the "lasting disfigurations in South Africa and raising issues about human nature that resonate with viewers internationally." While the art was incredibly striking and immediately captured our attention, it was even more shocking to see this work in a century old Cathedral. The acceptance and willingness of the church to share this work and stand behind Jane's cause was very moving to me. Where I grew up, well... let's just say you would never see nude art hanging out in the churches. The mission of this church to be a "house of prayer for all people and a unifying center of intellectual light and leadership" really struck a chord with me. The love and acceptance of cultures and different beliefs in the St. John community is magnificent. Oh and the gardens in the back and absolutely outstanding, a lovely break from the dirty city.

One of many, many sections by Jane Alexander

Gardens

Keeping on with the theme of culture and acceptance...

Sunday: 
GAY PRIDE PARADE IN NYC

With the Supreme Court decisions that were made this week (equal rights HOLLA!) Pride weekend in NYC was in full swing. I had the opportunity to attend the Pride Parade with Peter and some of our closest friends here in NYC. While some people look at images from the parade and just see scantily clad men and women dancing and acting scandalous... I saw a celebration of individuality, love, and acceptance. We stood across from The First Presbyterian Church where many members of the congregation were out handing out water, fans, and support! I saw newly wed couples (with federal rights) that couldn't help but share their joy with miles and miles of supporters. I saw individuals with disabilities, Police, military, colorful Latinos, a man riding a Chipotle burrito, couples old and young, all there to share their joy and pride in who they are. But mostly I saw miles upon miles of happy New Yorkers, there for no other reason than to cheer on their fellow human beings. How glorious is that?! I found myself wiping happy tears more than once....

It's so easy to get caught up in the negativity and politics of the world. This weekend reminded me that there is hope out there for us humans. If a million New Yorkers can get together and stand in the hot sun (and then pouring rain) for 6 hours just to show support for their fellow humans.... we're all going to be alright.

Here's to a week of Love, Acceptance, Pride, and Joy! 

** Making good headway but still lots of fun adventures to be had!**

Summer To-Do List
Bike from Westhampton to Montauk
Visit Washington DC
Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Explore Governor's Island
Explore Roosevelt Island
See Kaaterskill Falls
Visit the NY Botanical Gardens
Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop
Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Visit Grant's Tomb
Run the steps in Morningside Park
Try the Trapeze
Explore Greenwood Cemetery
Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend
Bike from my house to the Rockaways
Summit Mt. Taurus
Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck
Explore all the Central Park sites

An Unexpected Adventure

Yesterday was a very, very rainy day! I have actually come to enjoy rainy days in the city. The fog and rain have a very strange way of changing the city. It's seems so much smaller and much more peaceful. The streets are less crowded, you can't see the top of the skyscrapers, everything is just a bit more calm.

After a weekend of staying in my apartment doing absolutely nothing, I was ready for an adventure. Rain or no rain I was getting out there, So I decided to ride my bike to meet a friend in Manhattan (See my route here). The only problem was that I got off work at 5:00 and my friend didn't get off until 7:30... so I had some time to kill. 

DISCLAIMER: I tried to take pictures but I didn't want to destroy my phone in the rain and the pictures weren't turning out that well anyway...

I started off and stopped by Barnes and Noble to buy Storm of Swords (I stayed up until 3:00am finishing the second GOT book on Sunday). I can't wait to start it! Then I headed off to the Brooklyn War Memorial. It was a gorgeous small park/memorial that I'm sure looks even more beautiful when the sun is shining.

After that, I hopped onto the Brooklyn Bridge. It was my first time going over it on foot or on my bike so it was a fun experience. I did get stuck in a torrential downpour when I was in the center. The winds also made it a bit painful, but hey... pain just adds to the adventure right?

View of the Manhattan Bridge

Lots of construction on the Brooklyn Bridge

After making it into Manhattan and letting out a sigh of relief that I didn't run over any tourists (seriously, even in the storm they were out taking pictures in the middle of the bike lane), I crossed through Manhattan and after exploring the sculptures at Rockefeller Park I hopped on the Hudson Green way.

Memorial

Now, I've walked and run bits and pieces of the Green way before but I never paid much attention to what was around me. Since I had so much time to kill I made sure to stop and explore. There were so many things I would have typically just zoomed by! For example, a very moving memorial for a man who was struck while riding his bike. There were also moments when I had to pull over and just admire my surroundings. This is truly a spectacular city. It's so astonishing how one minute you can be surrounded by hundreds of people, skyscrapers and filth, then the next you're in a park surrounded by trees, flowers, and beautiful sculptures.

My plan had been to stay on the Greenway and then cut over on 56th st and hang out by my friend's work until she was ready. What I ended up doing was getting so caught up in my surroundings that I didn't realize how far I'd gone until I saw a "Riverside Park" sign. Oops. Seriously guys, you can forget you're even in the city. Riverside park is absolutely beautiful. After that I carried my bike up some stairs and got back onto the roads. I headed towards Central Park where I saw "The Reservoir" for the first time (it's much larger than I expected) then rode down to 7th Ave and waited in the Brooklyn Diner (ironic?) drinking hot tea and constantly apologizing for the puddles that my backpack, helmet, and clothing were leaving on their floors. My plan had been to ride home on a different route but, after sitting in a restaurant soaking wet for an hour or so I decided to hop the Subway home.

What a great night!!! You've got to love unexpected adventures. 

NYC's version of Cherry on a Spoon?

Random/sorta creepy sculptures

Seriously.. Am I still in the city?!

Riverside Park

Did I accidentally bike to Greece?!

My NOT To Do List

Ya know, there's this struggle here in New York. The " OH MY GOSH HOW CAN YOU JUST SIT ON YOUR COUCH?! YOU LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY AND THERE"S SO MUCH TO DO!!!" struggle...

Now I've lived in St Paul/Minneapolis, Charleston, SC, and Charlotte, NC all places that have tons to do, but I never felt bad for staying in on the weekend until I moved here. According to many of my friends, this is a common occurrence with the locals and maybe part of the reason everyone is so crazy up here. There's just too much going on and too much to miss out on.

As many of you know, this is been an emotionally exhausting week. Lots of changes going on with my current job, future plans, family, ect and it also happens to be the 2 weeks that I can't talk to Peter.  Last weekend I was feeling super motivated and energized (hence the lengthy bike adventure) but this weekend all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch mind-numbing television while eating Lucky Charms. That's not so horrible is it?

I'm sure I could delve into this topic even further and discuss the contributions of an increasingly "pressure to be active and fit" culture... but that would just take too much work. And yes, I understand this post might seem contradictory to this entire Blog, but seriously, sometimes you just need to be lazy for a weekend and there's nothing wrong with that. 

I'm big on lists, so here's my list for this weekend:

My Not To Do List:

Clean, in any way (other than dishes)

Grocery shop

Laundry

Anything active

Change my clothes (this is just economical)

Budgeting of any kind

Planning of any kind

Worry that I'm missing out on something fun somewhere in the city

Worry that I'm not making good use of my time

Worry... about anything

Yup, I'm going to be lazy and I'm going to feel good about it! Maybe I'll finally finish the second Game of Thrones book too! Don't worry though guys, I've already got some adventures planned for this coming week. I promise I'm not giving up on my original "To-Do List"

To week full of adventures... but in the meantime extreme laziness... Cheers!

I realized I never mentioned....

I have a new bike!!!!!

After the flat tire and kicking fiasco Peter decided to give me my birthday present a month early.... so we went and bought me a new bike!!! It's a Novera "29er hard tail" which means it has super big wheels and only front shocks. It's amazing... and if you haven't noticed the recent posts... I've been riding it ALOT. I've put about 110 miles on it in the last 3 weeks and have many more hefty mileage adventures coming up. I haven't had a chance to take it on any trails despite it being a full on Mountain bike, but I imagine that will only lead to me loving it more. 

Yes, my old bike was fantastic. It had lots of flaws and lots of character but this one... well it's just plain sexy.                 

                                                                        

The wheels are so big it won't fit into the normal
Bike rack at the climbing gym.... yeah... kinda awesome

My first time leaving it unlocked..
I used 3 locks and didn't take my eyes of it
@ Coney Island

I'm also happy to let all of you know that my old bike found a loving home. I went to work the Monday after purchasing the new bike and took the lock off thinking someone would just take it. Well, no one touched the bike... so around 3pm I decided to make a sign and post it on the bike. I hadn't even finished taping it on before a nice young man came and started asking me questions about the bike. He was so excited to take home the "fixer upper" and promised to give bike a loving home. All is well. 

Here's to a week filled with biking adventures!!! 

In an Effort to Stay Distracted

West Point

So when I first started this blog, I was hoping to keep my personal life out of it. Well I'm breaking that rule today...

My boyfriend (of 3 years) is in the Army at West Point. I have been spoiled the past few summers in that I've had 3-5 whole consecutive weeks with him each year in-between his trainings. This summer, I'll be lucky to get a weekend, which is why I created a very extensive Summer To Do List.

I've spoken to many other girlfriends, fiancés, and wives that each have their own strategy in dealing with long distance, and those trainings/deployments where you have no communication at all. Everyone has their own strategy but the only one that has consistently worked for me is getting involved in activities where I can't use my phone/computer anyway! It keeps me busy and prevents me from constantly looking at my phone and/or staring at my computer screen wishing I could talk with the guy.

Peter is "in the field" for the next couple weeks, so I get very little (a few texts) to no communication with him. So yesterday and today I hopped on my bike to keep myself distracted! I also get to cross TWO things off my Summer To-Do list. Yesterday I rode to Coney Island and enjoyed a few hours of utter relaxation, other than constantly looking back and checking on my triple locked bike. Then today I biked to the Rockaways!

Summer To-Do List
Bike from Westhampton to Montauk
Visit Washington DC
Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Gorgeous Greenway dead-ends into Coney Island

Explore Governor's Island
Explore Roosevelt Island
See Kaaterskill Falls
Bike from my house to the Rockaways
Visit the NY Botanical Gardens
Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop
Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend
Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Visit Grant's Tomb
Run the steps in Morningside Park
Try the Trapeze
Explore Greenwood Cemetery
Summit Mt. Taurus
Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck
Explore all the Central Park sites

Greenway covered in sand

The ride to the Rockaways was a total of 30.5 miles (check out the route here). Although I didn't make it all the way to Far Rockaway like I originally planned, I did go all the way to Breezy Point before being turned around by some security guards :( . It was quite the adventure especially since I forgot to tape my pre-printed directions to my bike...

I ran into quite a bit of lingering damage from Hurricane Sandy. It's so easy to forget what a horrible storm it truly was, especially for those of us who were barely affected. There were abandoned homes, large debris, damaged roadways, and there was sand EVERYWHERE. Once I got onto the island there was no grass at all, all the yards were made of sand. The road was also covered, and a section of the greenway had turned into dunes. My right shoulder is bruised from carrying my not-so-light mountain bike 1/4 mile over the sand (calf workout...check!). Today and Yesterdays adventures were a great distraction, a much needed reality check, a fantastic workout, Oh and they were FREE!! Now I'll keep myself distracted the rest of the day by cleaning up all the sand that my bike and I trekked into the apartment, oops!

As close as I could get to the water while still
having a clear view of my bike at Coney Island

Manhattan in the distance on the Marine Parkway Bridge

I'll miss you and love you forever Bike.

I'd recommend pressing play so you have appropriate background music for this post....

Bad news bears, my bike has been laid to rest in front of my work. Although I suppose in the next week I"ll have to figure out a way to move it off the sidewalk...

Bike's final resting place...Brooklyn, NY :(

So many of you know my bike was already in bad shape. The breaks didn't quite work, which made downhill rides all the more exciting. It had 6 gears, 4 of which worked... but you never really knew what gear you were in. The handle bars were rusted at an awkward angle. Long story short... it was a mess... and I loved it.

Earlier this week I had an unfortunate run in with some metal shards that apparently, someone thought would look good on the street. My tire and tube were torn pretty badly and I had the do the walk of shame all the way back to my apartment, making me late for work. That was Monday...

Tuesday: I paid $37 dollars for a new tire and tube and was back on the roads!

Wednesday: I planned to meet a friend in Manhattan after work and decided I'd make an adventure out of it. I was going to bike through downtown Brooklyn, over the B Bridge, across Manhattan to the West Side Green way, and up to Columbus circle. I was SO excited, and was looking forward to the ride all day!!!

6:05pm I look out the window and see a man KICKING my bike. Seriously?! Who the heck just     stands there and kicks a strangers bike. I yell down the sidewalk at him... he disappears.

6:15pm I finally get out of work and go to start riding. I realize the my pedals barely rotate and the chain won't stay in place cause the whole spinny contraption has been bent... literally... not just dented, but BENT. 

6:25pm After spending a few minutes trying to fix it. I throw out some curses, then a few tears, call a friend to vent, then just get on the subway.

Taking a Break from biking some trails in NC

So that's it. I decided it was time to throw in the towel and venture into the new and updated world of bikes. We've had a good run bike. Multiple states, roads, trails, and many accidents. But we stuck together. I'll truly miss you and no shiny new bike will ever fill the void you've left. Goodbye my friend.

Our first picture together

Glow Sticks and the bike I loved.

Charlotte, NC.