Sick (ick)
Update: So I got in touch with Patrick, the bus driver, and got his address. I sent him $100 as a reward and also wrote a letter explaining what he did to the president of the MTA and the head of the MTA bus company. Just for good measure, I CC'ed the NY Times city desk (or whatever it is called). Hopefully, Patrick will get something good out of this deal.
Wednesday morning, Valentine's Day, I woke up to about 6" of snow on the ground and freezing rain falling from the sky. I was supposed to be closing on my new apartment that day and had to get to downtown Brooklyn - and then had to get to my office at 26th & Fifth Ave. I decided my bike was a better bet than the subway so I suited up and took off. I went about half a block on Flushing Avenue before deciding that it would be smarter to ride on the sidewalk as much as possible. You aren't supposed to do that in NYC, but there were no pedestrians and the drivers were sliding around quite a bit. Probably something to do with STILL DRIVING 50mph IN A 30mph ZONE. Jeepers, people!
I got to the closing about 30 minutes early, basically not looking remotely like someone you would want to trust with a mortgage: helmet hair, about twenty layers of clothes, messenger bag, wearing olive green spats over jeans and unshaven. Remarkably enough, everyone made it to the closing and I am now the proud owner of my very own loft. Contractor starts work in about a week.
Wednesday morning, Valentine's Day, I woke up to about 6" of snow on the ground and freezing rain falling from the sky. I was supposed to be closing on my new apartment that day and had to get to downtown Brooklyn - and then had to get to my office at 26th & Fifth Ave. I decided my bike was a better bet than the subway so I suited up and took off. I went about half a block on Flushing Avenue before deciding that it would be smarter to ride on the sidewalk as much as possible. You aren't supposed to do that in NYC, but there were no pedestrians and the drivers were sliding around quite a bit. Probably something to do with STILL DRIVING 50mph IN A 30mph ZONE. Jeepers, people!
I got to the closing about 30 minutes early, basically not looking remotely like someone you would want to trust with a mortgage: helmet hair, about twenty layers of clothes, messenger bag, wearing olive green spats over jeans and unshaven. Remarkably enough, everyone made it to the closing and I am now the proud owner of my very own loft. Contractor starts work in about a week.
After the closing, I decided I should avoid the streets as much as possible and rode over the Brooklyn Bridge, across Chambers Street, and up the west side bike path to 26th Street, where I rode east until I got to my office. It was slow-going, there was a lot of wind and the ice pellets really stung my face. The fenders were clogged with snow and slush, which rubbed against the wheels, making it even hard to keep up any speed. Also, the snow that caked up on the tires was being shaved off by the brake arches, creating still more resistance.
So now I feel a little sick, a chest cold - no fun, but not too bad. Would I do it again?
Oh yes!
posted by Roberto at 7:48 AM
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