Thursday, November 1, 2007

Things I Love About Riding a Bike in NYC

- It's almost always the fastest way to get from A to B
- It doesn't cost anything
- It's great cardiovascular exercise (which I was in great need of, but now... best shape of my life)
- It doesn't have any negative impact on the environment
- It doesn't rely on foreign oil
- It provides a new lens through which to view and enjoy the urban landscape
- It's just fucking fun
- It makes you feel like a little kid again
- The occasional thrilling danger
- The feeling of sheer unabashedly smug superiority as you glide effortlessly up through lanes of untold hundreds of stopped cars when midtown automobile traffic is at a standstill ("so long, suckerz!")
- Riding a bike to work energizes you, speeds up your senses, forces you to anticipate the possible movements of a million things around you and greatly quickens your response time -- it sharpens your mind and prepares you for the challenges of a busy work-day better than all the coffee in the world
- The unspoken bond you share with other cyclists
- The joy of self-reliance
- Not having to wait for public transportation
- The only tools you need to take apart and re-assemble a bike are a screwdriver, pliers and a set of metric allen wrenches
- The west side bike path at sunset

2 comments:

Unknown said...

welcome to the pack:) i cant wait to push hard with you in the streets of nyc!
looove!

Unknown said...

Yes to all of the above! I love sharing the bliss with co-riders because I know that non-cyclists, bless their cotton socks - get tired of my enthusiasm. Naturally, they get it in theory but not on a visceral level.
I'd add to the list:
The wind blowing in my hair (I know I should be wearing a helmet)
Free parking
Experiencing New York City like a road movie

Downside:
Wardrobe management when riding to work