Bike vs Car (intro)

God, I love biking NYC. Especially springtime. Not too hot or cold, can wear a sharp outfit and still be weather-protected and not sweat up too much of a storm. So, I've already had two bikes stolen this year, no surprise, but with the money I've been making tour guiding, I could finally afford the Bike of my Dreams. A big, bad sonuvabitch, light-weight, good shocks, smooth gear-shift and a tight grip on the brakes, complete with drink-cage rear-view mirror and dinky little bell.

Which of course, lost me ALL cred with the fixed-gear, no-brake, too-small "real" biking Hipsters all over BK. Screw you, I bike for optimum performance.

Also, seeing how my summer job means I need to be at the South Street Seaport at 11am, that means rolling out of bed at 9 and taking a goregous ride across the Wburg bridge, down through LES and across Pike street to the seaport in 40 minutes,easy.

But of course, Spring in NYC also means a couple more things. . . lotsa road work. . . and a whole lotta car traffic.

New York a'int friendly to bicyclists. But that's okay, because we're right and they're wrong. We're using self-powered transport costing exactly ZERO gallons of gasoline for ANY distance while keeping ourselves trim, fit, and appreciative of fine weather. But still, taxis occupy the bike lane, SUVs clog crowded streets, and as good as it may feel to squeeze between lanes while cars are sitting, burning fuel, we're still embattled and fighting for our own in these streets.

And so herein, I shall include a handful of Bike vs. Car tales, where the bicyclists (most of the time) come out on top.

Mangia

-The Urbanist