Big City Duzer
First of all, read my first article about the trip in the DailyCamera
Where do I begin? By admitting that I cheated? That I haven’t showered in days? That I’ve eaten at Dunkin Donuts more than once or haven’t showered in days?
Let’s start with the nice part. The day started out beautifully, Seagulls squawking overhead, freshly paved roads lined by vineyards and pumpkin patches and constant ocean views. The bike lane was even big enough to ride side by side and there were very few cars.
Unfortunately our idyllic bikers paradise would soon end. About 50 miles down Long Island (heading west) we hit the ugly side of things. Cooke cutter Strip malls replaced the vineyards and the seagulls manifested themselves into aggressive traffic. Uh oh. To make matters worse, it began to rain and the sky darkened to the point that you would have thought it was 6pm (It was noon and all the cars had their headlights on)
A constant rush of cars blazing by my bike is not fun, safe or good for the health. We dealt with the onslaught of traffic for another 20 miles when we stopped to ask if we were close to the city. The man at Walgreen’s (which by the way has the most obnoxious fluorescent lights) said, “Umm, you are about 40 miles from the edge of Queens.” Shit, this is not what we wanted to hear. It was now 3pm and the day needed to be over.
These were the options, camp out in the parking lots of Walgreen’s, cry like babies or get on a train. We chose the train. I had wanted to ride the entire way down the coast but sometimes safety needs to overpower the ego. Mom would have been proud.
The train was an adventure all in itself. Try getting a bike with a trailer onto a train at rush hour. Then try squeezing onto an even more crowded subway. I got a lot of looks; remember how I haven’t showered in awhile. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Melitza; she came to my rescue in Jamaica (not the island unfortunately). Gracias!
Now I’m in the City of Angels, Brotherly Love, Bean town, it doesn’t matter! I’m dry, safe and happy! And if you are wondering, yes, Melitza made me take a shower. I was in her house two seconds before she ordered me to clean up.
Hey there,
I had a similar experience this summer while on the road. Despite my hopes that the power of thinking “traffic will be fine, they will see you and slow down!” there were parts of SoCal that were just not bike friendly. Lots of traffic, no shoulder. Good choice friend. Enjoy your clean self and hopefully you’ll be sleeping a a bed tonight!