Now that it’s finally warm, I’ve been riding my bike to work. My ride is almost entirely through Prospect Park. I live just north of the park, and my job is just south of it. My commute to work used to be the worst part of my day, and now it’s the best. I work in Ditmas Park, an area in Brooklyn with beautiful Victorian houses, and in the Spring when everything’s in bloom, I’m convinced it's the most beautiful neighborhood in all of NYC.
I have a rusty pink bike with a basket. And I love it. Riding the subway everywhere can be disorienting, and I lose spatial understanding of how the city is laid out. I try to take buses when possible for that reason, so I can see where I’m going. The other perk to knowing how to navigate the streets is being able to direct cabbies. For the most part, cab drivers hate taking people to Brooklyn and always claim not to know how to get there. I always love being able to tell them that, yes, I do know how to get home. I’ve come to relish seeing that flash of annoyance on their face when they realize they can’t bullshit me and tell me to find another cab.
Paul had a rapper in the kitchen this Sunday, so I cleared out for the day. I biked to Brooklyn Heights to meet my friend Natalie at Colonie for brunch. It’s one of those cute farm-to-table restaurants. They have an open kitchen, so we sat at the counter to watch them cook. When we asked what the ramps were on the menu, the chef came over and explained that they are a type of wild leek with mild garlic and onion flavors. They apparently forage for them upstate. I love this current restaurant fad of foraging for ingredients. He even gave us some sprigs of ramp to take home and use in our own cooking.
Paul had a rapper in the kitchen this Sunday, so I cleared out for the day. I biked to Brooklyn Heights to meet my friend Natalie at Colonie for brunch. It’s one of those cute farm-to-table restaurants. They have an open kitchen, so we sat at the counter to watch them cook. When we asked what the ramps were on the menu, the chef came over and explained that they are a type of wild leek with mild garlic and onion flavors. They apparently forage for them upstate. I love this current restaurant fad of foraging for ingredients. He even gave us some sprigs of ramp to take home and use in our own cooking.
After brunch, I biked to my friend Michelle’s place nearby and from there we went to Long Island City for her friends Cinco de Mayo party. I convinced myself that since I was biking home, it was okay to gorge myself on tacos, sopapillas, tres leches cake, etc. In general, I have this rule that calories don’t count at parties.
As I biked home full and happy at the end of the day, I wondered how I didn’t get a bike sooner. I love not having to pay the MTA for a monthly subway pass. I love how much faster it takes to get places than with the subway. I love that I can explore areas of Brooklyn that used to be hard to get to because of limited subway access. I love the freedom. For me, having a bike in Brooklyn really does improve quality of life.
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