On the joys of having a distinctive bike: I parked my bike at City Hall Monday night at the same staple as Renata von Tscharner from Charles River Conservancy. I didn't actually see her, but her pale yellow cruiser with the milkcrate lashed on the back is unmistakable. She was gone by the time I got back, but I imagine she saw Gilbert and thought, ah, Cycler is parked here.
Unless you had a friend with an art car, you'd almost never know if you were parked next to them in a public parking lot. I love how bikes lend themselves so easily to distinctive customization.
Walking into the square, I saw a gentleman coming along with a real live bakfiets. They're not very common here- I see more cargo trikes, longtails and trailer setups, largely I think because there isn't a dealer of them around here. I test rode one when I visited Portland a couple of years ago, but I'd like to ride one again before making a purchase, and as of now, you have to go to NYC (or know someone with one) to try the various options out.
Anyway, long story short, I detained him for a couple of cycles of the light chatting about bikes, and when he introduced himself, it turns out that he's Aaron Naparstek, a real live transpo-geek celebrity, founding editor of Streetsblog. He's in town from NYC on a Loeb fellowship at Harvard, so I look forward to seeing him and his bakfiets riding around the square this fall!
Glad you're okay but... OMG!! You met Naparstek!! So jealous
ReplyDeleteI still remember at the start of apple picking, how my friend Emily arrived, saw Gilbert and thought, "hmm... generator light, front basket, V-O components. Cris must know this person."
ReplyDeleteOne of the odd curses that I've found with owning a Silver Mk II Prius is that it's very easy for it to blend in with all of the -other- silver Mk II Prii that roam the city. Trying to find it in the parking lot of the Fresh Pond Whole Foods is like an automotive version Where's Waldo.
it is nice to hear of another long john in town. Hopefully our paths will cross.
ReplyDeleteAs for bakfiets, Portland Velocipede carries them in Maine, which is a bit closer tha NYC.
http://portlandvelocipede.com/bicycles/
I've wondered whether ere is much of a market for long johns in Boston. The Dutch Bike Company couldn't seem to sell many. But it would sure be nice to have more company on the streets.
At one level, I'm mildly disappointed that we didn't go further in the transition from biking and cooking blog towards biking and cooking and plumbing blog. At another, I'm heartened to see a Bakfiets instead of a fountain. At least one of your loyal readers is ready of a food story that is both unusual and scrumptious, while being low carb.
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteI was going to take photos of the toilet removal, wax ring removal and reinstallation, but there's lots of other places online to see that :)
Ahh, Low carb. The Scientist and I have been doing a brief low carb "tuneup" before the aforementioned family gathering, and I think you'll find that the peanut cabbage slaw recipe is a good option, depending on how much and what kind of peanut butter you use. http://bikinginheels-cycler.blogspot.com/2010/03/simple-supper.html
Oh, and Steve, the Bacon and Egg Salad is low carb, as is the Kale salad both posted recently.
ReplyDeleteOh, cool. Fun how bicycling can allow you to meet all kinds of interesting people. Maybe next time you see him, you could ask to test ride his bakfiets. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat to meet you. See you around the neighborhood, hopefully.
ReplyDeleteE-mail Henry Cutler at Workcycles and he can figure out the best way to get a bakfiets in Boston.