Ride In 8/17: If Sammy Sosa replaced Frank Foer, they could rename it the New Dominican Republic

One ride, three parts. All parts on Bikeshare, except for the parts that involved walking and taking the Metro. First part, not of three bike parts, was a walk from my house to the Bikeshare station. Second part was biking the CaBi from 15th and Independence, around Lincoln Park, down East Capitol, through the Capitol grounds (is this the name of the House coffee shop? shouldn't it be?), down Pennsylvania Avenue (a road that feels like it should always be hosting a boring parade) and across the White House plaza, where I was snarked at by a snarky security guard, snarkily. Yes, I will ride my bike in the 30 foot gap behind the truck which wasn't even backing up yet and if you didn't want me to do that, you'll have to tell me so. This put me in a bad mood. Leave me alone. I docked at Pennsylvania and 18th and walked, the second walking part of my trip, to M.E. Swing & Co. the friday coffee home of that group of people who sometimes ride bikes and drink coffee. I couldn't stay as long as I wanted, but it was good seeing everyone, as usual. After coffee, I walked back to the dock where I had docked my first CaBi (this was the third walking part of my trip), took the bike from Pennsylvania and 18th to Pennsylvania and 20th and then turned right into 20th Street, a one way street heading north and a street that is somehow both over-wide and seemingly too narrow. I found it best to avoid the far right lane as it would become home to turning car traffic and since I had no intention of turning, I decided to stay in one of the middle lanes and made my way through the downtown part of town that I don't really know the name of (Golden Triangle? West End? Blandsville?) up to Dupont Circle, where I docked again.

This was the part of the trip when I decided that I would stop biking and start taking an underground train. It would cost me money, but the time would be a wash (probably) and I wouldn't have to lumber up the hill on a CaBi. I just wasn't feeling it this morning. Also, I had an early meeting and I didn't want to get overly gross biking in and I figured that if I just biked for the short and flat parts, I could manage that.

I arrived on the platform with a moment to spare and the train arrived, emptied and I boarded, sat and zoned out. I recommend zoning out during train and bus travel. I do not recommend zoning out during bike travel. I would also recommend zoning out at a zoning hearing, unless hearing about the zoning is of utter importance. Zoning for dairy farms is of udder importance. If you were at a hearing for dairy farm zoning, you'd probably just hear mooing. Assuming, of course, that they let the cows testify.

I took the Metro from Dupont Circle to Tenleytown and I walked up the escalator and down the street and I had an awkward half-conversation with someone I sort of know from work. It was one of those things where we both just wanted to say hello, but neither of us could think of a pretense to stop after only hello. So it was hello followed by long pauses followed by comments about where we were going (both to work, obviously) followed by long pauses followed by comments about the weather. Conversation is not exactly my forte.

The last leg of my bike trip, the third time I was on the bike, was from Tenleytown to school, a trip of under a mile on a flat and open road where little of note happened. Whenever I ride on Nebraska Avenue, no matter the time of day or whether it's on my own bike or a CaBi, I feel very exposed and very in the way, like I'm likely to be passed too closely by an aggressive driver. I don't know what it is about the landscape (roadscape?) that brings about this feeling, but it seems to be very particular to this stretch of street. Some roads just don't feel conducive to bicycling.