Author: admin

Biking in Astoria

Greater Astoria Historical Society

Turns out the president of the Greater Astoria Historical Society is a doorman in Manhattan who bikes to work. There’s a story about him in the Times. Being a night-owl myself, I like his line that, “You’ve got to embrace the night.” Why do I mention this? Because it’s Astoria. And he bikes to work.

Vigilante Justice?

I was biking home tonight, approaching the Queensboro Bridge, and “noticed” an expensive car driving erratically: taking up two lanes, sliding between two lanes, and otherwise making me very nervous. At a red light, I pulled up to the car and confronted a young woman, not at all surprisingly, gabbing on her cell phone. Not…
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Chicago Gets New York’s Congestion Money

Here’s the story. Ouch, Indeed.

Bike sharing program in D.C.

The New York Times reports on this. Seems useful for a place like NYC, where many people don’t bike because they have nowhere to keep a bike. We’ll see if it works. I always feel it’s best to let another try these things out first, to work out the kinks.

Pete of Dishwasher Fame

And his lovely wife, Amy. You may know Pete Jordan as author of Dishwasher (and infamous Dave Letterman no-show). I went up to their bike store in the North of Amsterdam to meet them, drop off a copy of my book, and get an Egyptian bike bell put on my bike. Peter wasn’t in. But…
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Amsterdam (3)

Approaching a bike parking barge of the River IJ (pronounced “eye”) The entrance to the bike parking.Mural on the bike parking barge.The lighting on this bike path going over a canal and under train tracks is so nice. And it could so easily be so ugly. What could be a scary place, is actually quite…
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Insane Japanes bike parking machine

Check this out.

Amsterdam (2)

I’m in Amsterdam, trying to remember to take some pictures. There are so many sights that seem unremarkable to people who live here. But I’ve been gone for a while so things like this stand out. These pictures are from parts of town you won’t see on postcards. Here’s an average Dutch street with an…
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Amsterdam (1)

I arrived in Amsterdam today. I’m staying on a houseboat where I used to live. Being on the water is good for the soul. I’ve been away for more than a year, which is the longest I’ve ever been away. I was very happy to find my lovely Batavus Barcelona waiting for me. A little…
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Biking to Newark?

Does anybody know how to bike from NYC to Newark? I figure taking across a ferry across the Hudson. But can one get from Jersey City area to Newark without going on a freeway? What’s the second choice? Staten Island and up? Or George Washington Bridge and down? I doesn’t have to be a pretty…
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