Bicycling | johnozed

Well Bill just came home. I’ve been home for a while. Went bicycling this afternoon. First time in a few weeks. Rode up to North Bergen, a little north of the Galaxy apartment complex.

I rode along the Hudson Waterway. The neglected side, the New Jersey side, not the Manhattan side. It’s changed since last summer when I last rode up there.

Buildings sprouted up, fences erected. Still could use a lot of work. It’s not a continuous walkway. There are parts where you have to ride on a sidewalk next to River Road. The cars go very fast on River Road, almost but not quite highway speeds.

I believe the law states that the people should have access to the river. The developers and I suppose the residents of these new buildings would rather the people did not have access to the river, so parts of the walkway are incomplete. Suddenly ending.

No signs saying the walkway is ending. It just goes from pavement to rocks. That’s fine if you have a mountain bike, it’s fine if you have a hybrid, but I have a street bike with thin tires so it doesn’t make for an easy ride.

I made the most of it of course, carrying my bike on my shoulder when needed. I went as far as I thought I could without having to deal with cars zooming past and then turned around and headed back south.

On a break I sat on a bench and looked at the river. Another cyclist clad in a Campbells Soup cycling attire stopped by and was taking pictures of Manhattan. I saw he was trying to take a photo of himself with the city in the background, so I asked him if he would like me to take his picture.

He was grateful and I took his picture. We chatted, his name was Chris and he was from Belgium. He was staying at a hotel in Jersey City and I remarked I was on my way to Exchange Place. He didn’t know about the waterfront walkway and had ridden up through the streets.

Luckily Weehawken and Hoboken was better suited for bicycles and I showed him the way back, past where I am usually strumming my guitar by Pier A. There was some event going on Pier A and it was crazy crowded. I was glad I wasn’t there.

We walked our bikes through the train station and I got Chris headed in the direction of his hotel. He went his way, I went mine and sat for a little while in the Exchange Place area just chilling and watching the river flow.

After a little while of that and talking with my sister on the phone I headed back up towards Hoboken. While riding through Newport I passed Juan Melli who I know through Facebook and we chatted for a little while.

I congratulated him on his new job in Hoboken City Hall, telling him that I too have a job, being the director of a new Manhattan Project, being a nuclear physicist and all that entails. Juan was headed to Liberty State Park and headed off in that direction and I headed north to Hoboken.

Pier A was still hopping as I sat an a bench nearby. Some guy asked if he could take my photo with a professional camera and I said sure. I asked him what it was for and he said it was for his own use so I guess I might be a pinup in Nuclear Physicist Fancy one of these months.

Came home, helped Julio bring in some stuff for Alexander’s birthday party tomorrow in Van Saun Park. I also saw my friend Lois. We had a much needed talk and things were ironed out quite nicely.

That’s about it. Right now watching a recap episode of Lost before the big 3.5 hour finale tomorrow night.

I will start work in one of these buildings on June 1

Or maybe one of these buildings

Self portrait

Clarice Starling

Hoboken from Jersey City

Well here I am writing again even though I said I might not. Force of habit I suppose. Today was somewhat different. I got my bicycle together, inflated the tires and went out for a ride.

Lovely day for it. I decided to stay away from the guitar as much as possible today. Just a break. Will return to it fresh tomorrow.

But in honor of Albert Hoffman and his fateful bicycle ride on April 19, I decided to take the bike out for a spin on April 20 (4/20 for some). I rode up Park Avenue, feeling a bit naked since I didn’t have the rear view mirror that I usually strap to my left wrist.

I had a feeling it was somewhere in my backpack and made a note to check it when I had the chance. I found the strapped mirror and put it on. I bought three of these things at Farfetched back in the 1990’s, one for me, for Julio and one for my then roommate William. I know I still have mine.

I rode up to 15th Street and Park Avenue making a right to head into the Lipton Tea Building complex. No one around except for nannies and their charges. Beautiful day, blue skies, a few clouds. Rode along the river past more nannies, past Maxwell Place onto Sinatra Drive.

The skateboarders were out as I rolled past. Decided to head into Jersey City and pedaled over to the train station. Had to walk through the station but once I got back to the light rail station I hopped on and started pedaling again.

Saw a baby blanket on the river walk and asked a few nannies up ahead if they lost a blanket. If they did I would have turned around and picked it up. They said they hadn’t but each nanny thanked me for asking.

I rode along the Newport river walk, past office workers out having a smoke. Found a nice spot across the river from the Winter Garden and sat for a spell, just staring across the river. It was nice and quiet, no one else around, save a guy who decided to take a nap a few yards down.

Back up on the bike, I rode around again, past OfficeTeam when I was interviewed by Omar Castillo back in November and who called me up about a possible job, or a lead in Hoboken. Told him I was interested and sent an email back to see how it went but haven’t heard anything yet.

Perhaps if he Google’s his name he’ll see this. Then again the name has been changed to protect the innocent.

Back up to Hoboken. On te way I bought a banana. In Hoboken at Natural & Plus they usually cost 45¢. On weekends they weigh the banana and will charge you the extra 2¢. From a cart in Jersey City it was 25¢. (I do like Alt 155).

Back through the train station where I bought the Daily News and sat by the river and read the paper, had a banana and smoked a cigar. Even rode the bike down the bike path to see if Tariq was out with his guitar but I guess he was singing ‘Melissa’ across the street from the Plaza Hotel.

Just rode back home after all that and had an earlier supper than usual since I was plenty hungry when I got home.

That’s about it. An easy peasy day.

Tomorrow night is the Specials concert. Have to figure out whom I am meeting and where.
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The bicycle
JOT Bike break
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