The BeltLine, or Atlanta grows a spine

The promise of the BeltLine started to come true last saturday. Although the eastside section of the path wasn't quite finished - entrances weren't paved and there was no lighting - it was open to the public during Atlanta Streets Alive.  As always, I was astounded by the latent bicycle culture that materializes anytime there are nice routes provided.

If you thought the only potential path riders in Atlanta were some spandex-clad athletes and maybe a few people with a cheap bike in the back of the garage, well, nothing could be further from the truth. Friends and families zipped along, going to restaurants, visiting neighbors, and finally stopping at the party at Ponce City East as it got dark. The bicycles rolling past me were as diverse and as stylish as the people riding them. I was with hope for the city's future.

What I've been busy doing...

April 7th:

A Bicycle Built for Two

I have been really bad about posting lately. I've been a bit busy. This is why:

Yep, that's me and my sweetie, leaving our wedding reception on a tandem bicycle! There are some clearer photos around - I'll post them as soon as I can. All I can say is that riding away on that thing (and going about a mile back to our cottage) exemplified all of the teamwork and trust that we'll need for a lifetime together!

Friends

On the Town

There's a good reason why people who ride bicycles have friends who ride bicycles - it's more fun to go out on the town that way! Everyone can ride together, but they are still independently mobile. You don't have to split up into cars or worry seriously about parking. And if dinner is particularly rich, you can just burn off the extra calories on the ride home.

On Friday night, we started off with part of our group heading east. We were getting together for Japanese food and drink with some friends we hadn't seen in a while. Our destination was Miso on Edgewood Avenue. The fun thing about doing anything along Edgewood is that you can watch the bicycle traffic using the popular bike lane there. As we were leaving, several groups of people whizzed past us in the dusk.

Soon we made our own twinkling entourage and headed over to FLUX in Castleberry Hill.

What a scene! Block after block of art, tucked into every little corner - shipping containers by the railroad, empty storefronts, and between buildings.

Tons of people were out having fun. Many of them had made the unfortunate choice of driving there, and were stuck in traffic. The bicycles ruled the night, however. I saw more bikes parked there than I've ever seen in one place in Atlanta. They were stashed in the bike valet parking, piled on railings, and clustered around signposts. I really enjoyed wandering around and seeing all of the classy vintage bicycles and shiny new city bikes, and the wide range of people who arrived on them.

  

There was even a bicycle-powered food cart.

 

Everyday Bicycle Dates

The Beau and I have had many opportunities to ride around town together, lately. Cycling with someone creates an interesting conversation pattern, as you pause for a moment to negotiate traffic, or punctuate your thoughts with "oh, look at that". Serious points are made at traffic lights, one-word comments are tossed out as you catch up and then zoom past each other. Talk slows on steep hills and becomes intermittent on the path where we constantly ring bells and dodge dog leashes.

On Thursday, The Beau was making a trip over to A Capella Books, in Little Five Points, to pick up the newly-released, much-anticipated Southern Foodways Alliance cookbook. This was a perfect excuse to ride there together after work. We picked up the book and then wandered over to The Porter for a beer or two. We ran into several people we knew there, all cyclists. What I would call "avid" cyclists, people who put on special cycling clothes and go on organized rides and buy special bicycles just to use on those rides. There were clearly other people who had arrived there by bicycle as well - it's funny how you notice these things if you are aware of them - they guy in a button-down shirt and jeans with a reflective ankle strap on his right leg, the couple with a helmet resting on their table.

Anyway, we had a great time hanging out and socializing with folks. Afterwards, we made a stop into Sevananda for some groceries and headed off into the evening. On the way home, I discovered a gang of folks making temporary crosswalk and bike lane markings for FLUX 2010, a "one-night public art celebration in the streets and empty spaces of the Castleberry Hill Art District" that takes place tonight - October 1st.

Seersucker Style!

And a good time was had by all...

Atlanta's first "Seersucker Social" started at Woodruff Park at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Including me!

And Atlanta City Council member Kwanza Hall.

Indra, the organizer of the event, looked smashing in a straw hat, dreamy organza top, seersucker tap pants, and fishnet knee-highs. She was riding a custom city bike with her nickname on the chainguard!

 

We rode up Peachtree Center Ave., through the midst of the Dragon*Con crowd - they were staring at us as much as we were staring at them! Nearly everyone who saw the ride seemed delighted and intrigued.

The riders were pretty delighted, too.

There were a few families along. This little gal had great traffic skills and easily kept up with the group.

We headed up Peachtree Street, over to Piedmont Park, and then through Virginia-Highland.

Eventually I had to slip off and run some errands...the rest of the group proceeded over to Oakland Cemetery for a picnic (with a popsicle stop en route). Very cool!

Sunday Romp

Ahhh, Sunday, the last day of fun before the work week starts again. It's a good day for shoving your chores aside and having fun. My friends were going to see a band at Vickery's in Glenwood Park on Sunday afternoon. The area is pretty bicycle friendly - a quiet neighborhood with traditional street layout at the junction of two bike lanes.We all met up by bicycle. The band never showed, but the setting was perfect for a beer and a game of bocce in the courtyard. We could see traffic along the Glenwood bike lane, a block away, and passing by the courtyard. There were lots of families towing a kid or two.

After a few games, we headed out of Glenwood Park, up Bill Kennedy Way and down Memorial to Carroll Street Café for dinner. Great food, but only bottled beer? Where are their priorities?

We wrapped up the evening at the new Ziba's Wine Bar on Boulevard (formerly Solstice, formerly Taqueria Nayarit and home of the best handmade tortillas in town). There wasn't much bicycle parking there, so I grabbed the one available railing, while the waiter invited Stephanie and Reeves to roll their bikes inside. There was a perfect spot by the door for them.

Party Time!

My friend Katie has set the bar pretty high for bicycling around Atlanta in style. But don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to show off your own style this weekend, starting on friday... So put on your party clothes, grab your bicycle, and scroll down for a couple of options.

Any time on friday, swing on over to Loose Nuts Cycles. It's a new bicycle shop in Grant Park, and they are having an opening party with free New Belgium beer! Allegedly, one of the owners is the "best wheel builder in Atlanta." Also, they list vintage bikes as one of their specialities. Looks cool. You can stop at Grant Central Pizza for dinner across the street.

On saturday, the Brickstore Pub is having an anniversary party - 13 featured casks to celebrate 13 years of business! It's a great pub and Decatur is a relatively good part of Atlanta for cycling - but be sure to call up the city staff and let them know that they need more bike facilities on their major roads.