#flightvsbike

Well, Carmaggeddon was the non-event that anyone who really thinks about traffic could have predicted.

If you build it, they will come has a flipside-  if it's not available, people will find other ways.

I had heard about the ridiculous Jet Blue cross town flights stunt.  I had not heard about bikers and transit users taking the opportunity for a multi-modal race, and whupping the plane. As anyone who has flown into Houston's Intercontinental airport knows- flying doesn't take nearly as much time as all the folderol involved in flying (driving an hour to the airport, getting your bags, security etc etc).

I thought that this article by Tom Vanderbilt had a wonderful conclusion about what this kind of challenge can show us:

"the reasons people give for not cycling in America are often as much failures of the imagination, or a priori rationalization, as anything else"

In other words,  people think biking is harder than it actually is. 

Traveller

This bike was just stopped at the grocery store, but it had features that made it look ready for a long distance adventure at the drop of a hat:

Sturdy  rack, and I love the red and white bar tape (red anodized hub and cables too!)  The stem mounted bell is a nice touch.

Red blue and yellow saddle lacing

Red chainstay guard and nice rear rack (tubus?  Painted white?)

A perfectly customized saddlebag- I'm curious about both the image, and the pin,  which when blown up says "Christian" with a cross and a crown.

R-R-R-R-R-RED rear hub (sexy!)

Someone who also loves playing the guitar?  Note the red headset too.

I'm not such a fan of the turquoise and red color scheme of the Betty Foy  (whoa- newsflash, looks like current production are cream with turquoise accents), but this appeals to me, partially because it seems so bespoke (no pun intended).  This is someone who put a lot of thought into the details of their bike, with a fabulous result.

Hubway is Here!

I don't know exactly when it went live, but the new Boston bike share system website is up!
I checked it out a couple of days ago when they asked for input on station locations (when is cambridge coming on I wonder...)
Annual memberships are $85, although pre-enrollment is $ 60.  I'm not sure when the stations are actually opening, but I suspect any day now!

I'm slightly tempted to buy a membership just to promote it,  but on the other hand, I rarely don't have my bike.    A couple of weeks ago though, I had not ridden in because it was pouring when I left in the morning.  In the afternoon, I needed to meet someone on the Longfellow bridge.   I ran out of time to take the T,  so I ended up taking a cab :(    The bikeshare would have been perfect as a way to get there quickly and simply.
A compromise might be to sign up for a pre-enrolled membership this year ( thinking of it almost as a charitable donation to support a good cause)  and then using the 24 hour passes when the need strikes after the first year.

One demographic that I think would really be well served by this is people living in teeny tiny apartments without a place to store a bike.  I was at a jobsite in Beacon Hill this afternoon,  and bike parking is made tough by all the "ye-olde" lamp posts and signs (too big to fit a lock around),  and the lack of parking meters.  Apartments are small there, and elevators are infrequent.  If I lived there, a bike share might be a better solution for getting downtown than dealing with the hassles of storing a personal bike.

Re-Cycle

I've seen this biketruck around a couple of times but never been able to get a picture.

I chatted a moment with the rider for just a moment,  and it's a project of the city of Cambridge to collect the recycling from bins on the street using bikes as the collection vehicle.  A lot of the dense city squares (Harvard, Porter, Central) have on street recycling cans,  and no parking, so this is probably a pretty efficient way to empty them.  It's a Metro-Pedal Power bike.  It seems like they've gotten to be a pretty big business here- I'd love to go see their facility sometime and see what all they're up to.

I like the wheels, although I couldn't quite make out what they said.

How I stopped worrying and learned to love the Kale

I'll have to admit that until recently Kale and Kolrhabi were in a close race in the "vegetable least likely to succeed" competition in our CSA bags. Yeah yeah, I know it's good for me, but still.... We tried blanching it, then sauteeing it with garlic and olive oil: meh.  Tried cooking it with Indian spices and chickpeas,  kinda chewy, not that exciting.  I'll admit that a lot of it went to waste- to the point that sometimes I just didn't take my allotted bunch at the CSA stand.

But I've seen the light,  and it's yummy, and I want everyone else to know, that you too friend can enjoy Kale!  The answer is KALE SALAD.

But wait, you say,  isn't Kale tough and chewy, and don't you have to boil it into masticatable submission?
The secret is to get the right kind of kale.  Eschew the curly stuff that looks like it belongs along the edges of a sad buffet line, and look for the dark dark green,  narrow leaved, pebbly textured "Tuscan Kale"  (aka Cavalo Nero, or Dinosaur Kale).

You want to create very narrow strips (almost a chiffonade),  which is easily accomplished by rolling the leaves and slicing into 1/4" wide strips.  I wouldn't use the parts that are stem only, but you don't need to remove the entire rib.
Make a lemony garlic dressing- juice of one lemon,  2x that volume olive oil,  1 large clove garlic, pepper and salt, whisked together until emulsified.  Let the dressed kale sit for at least 10 minutes before serving -the lemon juice will help tenderize the fibers.
While the salad sits, make croutons.  Tear stale bread into smallish chunks (1/2" or so),  Heat a bit of olive oil or butter in a heavy skillet,  add the bread and toss to coat with fat,  stirring occasionally until toasty brown (or place in a low oven for half an hour).

Toss in the breadcrumbs, a lot of pecorino cheese (1 cup grated fine to one normal bunch of kale), and enjoy!

Honestly,  this was so good the first time that I made it that I had seconds for dessert.   And when there was no kale in last week's CSA, I actually bought some at the farmer's market.  I made it for our July 4th party, and everyone was skeptical, but we actually finished most of a giant double batch,  and I even saw people getting second helpings, which has not happened with any other dish I've made with Kale  Yes, it was that good!

And unlike most salads that are lousy the next day, this one is still good (a bit less crisp) as leftovers.  YUM.

Fixed!

I've been complaining for a while about a busted bike rack at the grocery store near me.  I tried the city of Cambridge, and then the customer service person at the store, without any luck.  The bike racks were always full, and having a pole, without its ring was a real wasted opportunity.
Finally, about a month ago they put up "comment online" signs everywhere at this store,  and so I did.

Not only did I get a nice email from the general manager promising to follow up,  but yesterday when I was there:

Ta-Da!  Back in action and doing double duty for customers!

Hey it's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

There's efficient, and then...

There's really efficient:

puts electric cars to shame !