I had to go to to the north end of downtown Seattle – near the base of Queen Anne - yesterday in order to pay for some Schoeller fabric which I’d like to try on the bike pants. Schoeller is top of the line stuff, but it’s also very expensive, so I’ll have to make up a pair and see how the cost-benefit analysis works out. Getting to the base of Queen Anne from Mercer Island is no small matter.
Accessing the south end of downtown – near Union Station and Pioneer Square – from Interstate 90 is dead easy but the three miles from Pioneer Square to the Seattle Center is dicey to say the least. When zipping along a busy downtown street I don’t so much worry about the moving cars – perhaps I should be more worried, but I’m comfortable riding in traffic – but parked cars, now those are scary. Some dude is late for a meeting, spots a curbside parking spot, pulls in, throws the car in park and flings open his door: bam I’m on the pavement. It used to be that while riding along a line of parked cars you could look to see if there was someone in the driver’s seat and take evasive action, but now with every car and SUV having tinted windows you can’t see crap. Consequently I ride three to four feet to the left of a string of parked cars, probably angers some drivers, but that’s better than a door in the face.
When I arrived at Seattle center I stopped to check out the new totem pole, which was erected only a day before. It’s a memorial to a local woodcarver who was inadvertently shot and killed by a Seattle police officer. I’m a big fan of Northwest Coast art, and the pole is definitely a nice piece of work.
I rode with the duck fabric urban bicycling pants over my racing knickers. The thermometer was reading high thirties so I rolled up the pants to the knees and pulled on a pair of wool ski socks. I was warm and comfortable. Rode 29 miles, which makes my year total 370 miles.
Accessing the south end of downtown – near Union Station and Pioneer Square – from Interstate 90 is dead easy but the three miles from Pioneer Square to the Seattle Center is dicey to say the least. When zipping along a busy downtown street I don’t so much worry about the moving cars – perhaps I should be more worried, but I’m comfortable riding in traffic – but parked cars, now those are scary. Some dude is late for a meeting, spots a curbside parking spot, pulls in, throws the car in park and flings open his door: bam I’m on the pavement. It used to be that while riding along a line of parked cars you could look to see if there was someone in the driver’s seat and take evasive action, but now with every car and SUV having tinted windows you can’t see crap. Consequently I ride three to four feet to the left of a string of parked cars, probably angers some drivers, but that’s better than a door in the face.
When I arrived at Seattle center I stopped to check out the new totem pole, which was erected only a day before. It’s a memorial to a local woodcarver who was inadvertently shot and killed by a Seattle police officer. I’m a big fan of Northwest Coast art, and the pole is definitely a nice piece of work.
I rode with the duck fabric urban bicycling pants over my racing knickers. The thermometer was reading high thirties so I rolled up the pants to the knees and pulled on a pair of wool ski socks. I was warm and comfortable. Rode 29 miles, which makes my year total 370 miles.
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