I took the subway in this morning. Not my favorite. I usually end up drenched from sweat regardless of the weather and somewhat annoyed when I reach work. I do like the reading time, that’s the one bonus. I’m engrossed with a new book called “Fire Season” by Phillip Connors. It’s a memoir of a season that he spent as a fire watcher in the Gila NF in New Mexico. Really, really enjoying it, he’s a great writer and has a real sense of explaining the emotional peaks and valley’s of his time as a fire watcher. Passages that are feeding my desire for some adventure.

Reading it and riding the subway actually got me thinking about why I ride my bike to work. First, I enjoy it, I enjoy seeing that my travels to and from a place are not just about using a “time capsule” to travel, there’s an actual process for me to get there. In New York when taking the subway, it sometimes seems that you get into your time capsule, your subway car, at the beginning of your trip and then emerge from your capsule once you’ve hit your destination. When my wife first moved here, she said she was constantly lost. Understandable, by taking the subway, you loose all sense of perspective and relativity because there are no landmarks that you usually use to guide you as you travel.

The other big reason I ride is that I need some adventure in my life. I spent 40 hours a week sitting at a desk, playing with numbers and statistical formulas, not very adventurous. Being on the bike gives me a sense of adventure, especially when the conditions are bad. Riding in the rain or cold is always exhilarating. When the weather’s in the teens or in the high 90’s, riding gives me something to hold onto that not many other people do. Stuck in this city with 8.3 million people having that is something I like.

I also like the competitive nature of biking. Every time I ride there’s at least one or two small competitive encounters with other bike riders or drivers. It’s a give and a take for sure, sometimes I’m not even thinking it but someone will pull up to me, draft for a while and then pop by me as we start up the incline of the bridge. I’ll think “it’s on”. We all do it, it’s just a bit more pronounced when your legs are what’s making you go. You have to be committed to giving that extra power to get your bike to move. You can't just extend your toe and watch as your miles per hour rise. You feel it. and I guess that's one other reason I like riding too.

Anyway, I took the 2/3 IRT line to Bergen Street this afternoon. I was meeting my father, his partner and my family in Park Slope for dinner. I got off near Pintchik Paints, which has been there forever. It's right on the corner of Bergen and Flatbush and I've been driving, biking, walking by it for decades. I walked down Bergen Street which has a ton of (fairly new) boutique's. There's a comics store, a bike shop, a sex shop and a couple places to eat, maybe a bar. The whole transformation of Bergen and, even more so, 5th Avenue is incredible. I remember growing up and never, ever going down to 5th Avenue.

I would never go below 7th Avenue. First of all, there was no reason to go but secondly, it was fucking scary or maybe it wasn't but I sure as hell wasn't gonna find out. The only time I would go below 7th Avenue was to go play basketball at the park on 3rd Street between 4th and 5th Avenue. One thing that makes me a bit sad is, I'd bet good money, that the majority of the shops on 5th Avenue are gone once the Barclay's Arena comes in. The rents are going to skyrocket and many of the shops will get forced out. Welcome, ESPN Zone, Heartland Brewery and Madame Tussauds!