i recently went over to that awesomeness that is
spur (sf planning and urban research associations), to look at their exhibit on
reclaiming market street, where they featured one of
our friends as one "project [that highlights] the many ways in which cities, nationally and internationally, are engaged in reimagining their public spaces through experimental urban planning." ooh, que fancy speak. and here i just thought it was people using the physical urban space they have to work with to make it fun and livable for them. oh wait, that's the same thing ;)
anyway, outside there was this awesome bike. not even parked to anything. after looking at the chain, seems to me only one person could ride it.
makes me wonder about the history of that bike. who the person is, where the bike and the person met, etc.
do you also feel that way when you see a bike that has an obviously fascinating past?
O yes, I'm always curious about such bicycles ... wanting to know each of their origin; something about their past and present owners ( if this could be freely given without the slightest resevations ... need to respect their 'privacy' :p ) and any interesting 'anecdotes' connected with the bicycle(s).
ReplyDeleteI remember waiting for nearly an hour (some 3yrs ago) for one owner of such bicycles , a 'young' lady of about my age :D to return to her bicycle. When I told her of my waiting and my curiosity over her bicycle she looked askance ... maybe in her mind I had a little cuckoo in my skull. :D However, we became quite close friends and now we would meet ocassionally at my home or a cafe for 'high tea' as she is staying just 4 miles away and working in town nearby.
L
Ooops .... line 4 : 'resevations' should read 'reservations' ... sorry huh!;)
ReplyDeleteL
I sometimes wonder about our 'used bicycles' that we now own: most will have been sold as their previous owners upgraded, but some were real 'scrap' bikes whose owners probably couldn't conceive the adventures they have now.
ReplyDeletemy dear joanie was a craigslist buy. the young guy i got it from said it was his mother's bike and she never rode it. it was in pretty good condition when we got it, just some paint scrapes here and there. the bike was an hour north from SF in petaluma. the bike has a sticker from a SF bike store that no longer exists as the name with a phone number on it. makes me wonder about such things, including if the stories you hear from the person selling are the real ones. i have no reason to doubt this young man, but i would have rather talked to the person that actually rode (or didn't ride) the bike, ya know?
ReplyDeleteoh bikes. how i love thee.