Sodo Murals

This week I've been taking a break from bike commuting- the weather has been awful, and I'm trying to recover from this not fun bronchial aftermath of the flu. Plus, there is much preparation to be done for our gigantic pirates vs ninjas party and that means meeting Chad in the evenings to run party errands.

A few observations about Light rail- first, ridership is growing. I'm amazed by how many people are getting on during rush hour, especially at the Beacon Hill station. Evidence captured by the iphone:






Second, the murals popping up in SoDo along the rail line are living, evolving peices of art. One this morning encouraged passers by to vote, while another has incorporated lit up electric signs. Many of the murals have distinctive Seattle themes- mountains, apples, recycling.

Why bike, why write?

There are lots of extraneous reasons for my bike commuting habit- for idealistic reasons (staying car free and keeping a small carbon footprint); for a vain desire to look better in my jeans and the related guilt of not doing any workout other than the commute; and because bussing/ walking just takes too damn long and requires me to get out of bed at an ungodly hour if I hope to make it to work on time. Yet, I think the real core reason I ride to work is because it creates space every day for me to experience and interact with my world. I find I'm a much better observer of details of city life from atop two wheels than from behind one, and I tend to have more lucid thoughts when I'm grinding out pedal strokes than while grinding through traffic in a metal box.

The bird has landed.... a sweet homecoming

Lately I've been thinking during my morning rides to work that there is much to share about life though the eyes of a velophile, and that such thoughts would be appropriately shared through this blog.

But first, given the nature of my last post, I feel I owe blog readers an update (admittedly a much-belated one) on the status of my Indy Fab, my beloved stolen bicycle.