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| The view was a lot better than the "savory bread pudding." |
When I started riding in December, I could have my pick of the racks and signposts just about anywhere I went, and priority parking was pretty easy to come by. With the onset of warmer weather, naturally, bicycle parking has become rather more difficult, and it's not often I get such a clear sight line to my Frida.
I didn't realize just how much this would bother me until the other day when I was at another cafe, again sitting at a window counter but with my bike parked across the street. It was almost completely hidden behind a Mini Cooper-- funny when you think about how gigantic Frida is for a bicycle and how tiny the Mini is for a car (unless of course you're in Italy, in which case a Mini Cooper will start to look like an SUV). I was trying to read but found myself looking up every minute or two and straining to see if I could still make out a saddle through the Mini's windows. As if this weird compulsion weren't bad enough on its own, about ten minutes after I sat down, this red truck double-parked just a few cars down, with a jumble of at least three bicycles tossed haphazardly in its bed. Eep! Why do you have so many bicycles back there? And why are they all tangled up like that? What are you doing?!
It just sat there, idling, for the next 20 minutes, while I began to have visions of a team of organized bike thieves creeping up and down Mass Ave hidden behind a screen of parked cars, snapping U-locks and reporting back to the truck with their loot. Perhaps I was extra jittery from the espresso, but even after the truck eventually pulled away, I wasn't too anxious to linger about while my bicycle was still out there all alone, potentially in danger!
Sigh. I think if I have children someday, I might end up being one of those moms with the kid-leashes.
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4 comments:
I always thought kid leashes were demoralizing and cruel until I had a kid who liked to run off anytime I blinked. Afa bikes, it depends on which bike I have out but yes, I can totally relate!!
I completely understand. I can't stand not being able to see my bike and I have to keep checking on it if it's not easily visible. It's when I realize most how over attached I am.
I think it's smart and sensible to take the time to find a place to park where you can keep an eye on your bike. Although it does remind me of when I had a puppy.
I hear you! : ))
http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2009/07/wed-like-table-with-view-of-our-bikes.html
i know the feeling... the first time i rode my jeunet into harvard square, i had forgotten my lock key, and only realized this _after_ locking my bike to a pole, right in the heart of the square. (it's one of those locks that doesn't retain the key when open... now i know why locks that hold the key are a good idea!).
worse, it was evening, and i had no choice but to take a 25 minute walk back to my house, grab the key, and walk back again to retrieve it. well, it was hot, and when i got back to the house i was sweaty and simply didn't have the energy to walk back to retrieve the bike. instead, i left it there until the next morning. yes, i had paranoid thoughts that night, and even had a little trouble sleeping, but in the end, all was fine! it was such a great feeling to see the bike patiently waiting for me to unleash it!
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