Pre Holiday Trip: Part One

So with my recent change in employment status I've decided to do a little road (or rather Air) tripping through the end of the year. My journey was mostly dictated by seeing family and friends before the holidays, but I've managed to schedule a little ME time in there as well. The first leg of my journey took me to New York, to visit Scott and Ashley and take a class at the Bamboo Bike Studio. I'll write a second post about the bike building.



My journey to New York was an uneventful one. Delta, as always, did an average job of getting me from Albuquerque to La Guardia. I got in at midnight, and jumped in a cab (or rather jumped into line for a cab) t0 get to Scott and Ashley's place in Brooklyn. Upon arrival I discovered that Scott is an exaggerator (or rather, re-discovered). He's always said that his place is sssooooooo smmmmaaaalllllll, but really, it's a reasonably regular sized New York Apartment. I had a lovely place on the sofa bed, and after a few beers I crashed for a few hours sleep.



In the morning I woke up amped for the class, but still goggy from the night before. Scott suggested a little diner down the street from his house for breakfast, based purely on the time I would be leaving (translation: early enough that no place good would be open!). After a sub par breakfast and burned coffee, I had a lovely ride through Brooklyn and ended up in Red Hook.

(Bamboo Bike Building info in another post)

I left class that day tired and hungry at about 10:00 PM, and had again a great bike ride back through Brooklyn. First stop was Fairway, which is a ridiculously large market, where I managed to pick up some spectacular beer and Belgian chocolate. Then off for a quick deli dinner, and back to Scott and Ashley's. They had another couple of friends in town for the evening, so I was banished to the kitchen (see photo) for the evening. Note: sleeping in the kitchen is actually pretty awesome. There are good snacks nearby, and there's a sink for brushing your teeth (and if you can hit the drain straight on, taking a leak). Note 2: two therma-rests are way more comfortable than most sofa sleepers, so if you're staying with a couple of save backpackers, you're set.

The next morning was an early one, with class starting again at 8:00 am. I made a quick and shameful stop at Starbucks, but when faced with the alternatives, it was the best coffee around. Spent another long day finishing up the bike, then headed off to dinner.

The most suprising about my time in New York was how easy it is to get around on bike. Drivers are friendly, lots of bike lanes, adn you don't have to find a place to park a car. Perhaps I've just lived in the worlds most bike unfriendly city for too long. If you go to New York, you certainly should rent a bike to get around.