The ride to DC from my home is not hilly and there is very little auto traffic to deal with so I tend to pedal there often. Last Friday I rode to Friday Coffee Club which is held at ME Swings House of Caffeine at 17th and G Streets Northwest, about a half a block from Donny Dementia’s house and construction site. I don’t actually see the White House because Donny has blocked off Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park.
On Sunday I rode to Lincoln Park in Capitol Hill to participate in a rolling protest organized by Hill Family Biking. It seems that without warning Donny’s henchmen had decided to tear out the 15th Street Cycletrack (which I use to ride to Friday Coffee Club) from Constitution Avenue to the 14th Street Bridge. This cycletrack is a two-way bike lane that is protected from auto traffic. It crosses the National Mall at the Washington Monument, continues to the Tidal Basin, and ends on the rear of the Jefferson Memorial. Since the famous cherry trees are at peak bloom today, the destruction of the cycletrack would have been incredibly ill timed. Data shows that the cycletrack has significantly reduced bike crashes as well as vehicle crashes. The administration claims that tearing the cycletrack out would improve transportation in the city..
The protest was led by ride marshals who took us on two laps around the park before heading west past the Capitol to the Mall, where we stopped at the base of the Washington Monument. Speeches were speeked. Conveniently, the president’s motorcade came by while we were there and we treated him to vigorous boos and jeers.
On my way to the ride, I ran into Kevin who is a long-standing member of the 50 States and Cider Ride posses, at the Jefferson Memorial. At Lincoln Park I met up with Robin, a Friday Coffee Club regular. I broke off from Robin during the laps around the park when I thought I saw Beth. Since we were riding in a big crowd it took a half mile before I confirmed that it was her. Beth used to work on my bikes when she was at Bikes at Vienna. She built the wheels that I used on The Mule to ride across the country in 2018. Although she has lived in the DC area for over ten years she is only now becoming familiar with DC itself. (She has an open invitation to join the posse for the 50 States.) One of the ride marshals was Jeanne, who, by day, is a realtor on the Hill. One of her selling points is the fact the Capitol Hill is a walkable, bikeable small city within a city.
After the speeches, Beth took off to explore the entire length of the cycletrack which continues north (except for where Trump’s East Wing construction debacle interrupts it) for a mile or so through the city. Thousands of people use this piece of infrastructure to get around town safely.
Yesterday I rode to DC again to check out the cherry blossoms in East Potomac Park. The trees which line Ohio Drive through the park were in fine form.
Today I rode back to DC to check out the Tidal Basin cherry trees. After I walked around the Basin, I rode to the east side of Capitol Hill to try out what is purported to be the best Italian sub in the area at Mangialardo’s on Pennsylvania Avenue. I rode over to Lincoln Park to dine under the cherry trees there. I am happy to report that Mangialardo’s makes one awesome Italian sub. I have to go back soon. Oink. I rode the cycletrack to get around the Tidal Basin. There were literally thousands of tourists and blossom-distracted drivers to contend with. How did the city ever get by without it?
Back at the ranch my tired body was happy to hang in my recliner and watched the first game of the Washington Nationals season. They beat the Cubs in Chicago 10-4. Alas, this is likely to be the high point for the team as the next 161 games will almost certainly put their many weaknesses on display. I also learned that after firing most of its sports department (and nearly every columnist I read) the Washington Post has hired a beat writer to cover the Nationals. Too little, too late. After over 40 years, on April 1, I will no longer be a subscriber.
A couple of weeks ago I did a meandering ride through the city. Along the way I stopped on Florida Avenue Northeast to check out the ghost bike that commemorates the death of Dave Salovesh on Good Friday 2019. The protected bike lane was not there when he was hit by a driver.
The removal of the 15th Street Cycletrack is on hold thanks to a legal challenge from the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 