Bike Ride for Two Weeks!

I just found this blog entry that I started but I never finished and never published.  Even though it is a little late, I am going to finish it and post it.  

I was off the bike ride for two weeks and really felt the effects. Remember the post:

I Got on the Slippery Slope: No Bike Ride for TWO WEEKS

Getting started again was hard.  I had bad luck, I was lackadaisical in my planning, that turned out poorly and I had bad helmet hair. But I did get going. The best part is that I kept going.  There is not much to write about and that is also good.

My helmet hair got under control so I felt better about my bike-to-work appearance.  I even got a compliment on my ability to bike and still look chic. I figured out a new route to the new school that works well and I also minimized uphill climbs as much as possible.  (Still not a fan of uphill.) I rode my bike to work for two weeks, no car, no rides, only the bike. TWO WEEKS!  I am a little proud of that.  

Retired Soon: My Son's Handlebar Seat

Riding in the fountain at South Lake Union Park

I love my current bike setup but as my son transitions from toddler to preschool, so must my bike configuration.  My favorite thing about having my son on my handlebars is that I can talk with him and see him.  I know myself well enough to know that I do need this exercise but what really keeps me on my bike is that it can be so much fun!  I hope the next setup is as fun for both of us as this ibert has been.

Another Word About Safety: Honestly, I don't want to write about this.

Since I have been riding my bike there have been three fatalities in the area that I ride.  I wrote about Mike Wang’s death.  It was an actual hit-and-run.  Then on the Fairview (my route), Brian Fairbrother, a manager at Vivace, took a wrong turn, crashed and died.  I ride by this spot twice a day.  I understand how this happened.  Stairs that go down to a dock are not marked; it is a very confusing point in an established city bike route. 

Another cyclist was delivering sandwiches for Jimmy Johns and he was hit by a car.  His name is Robert Townsend and he was 23 years old.  These are just the fatalities I know of since I have been riding, but who knows how many accidents there have been.

That is why I am writing this.  I want to write about happy, uplifting events, but with the three deaths I don't want to gloss over the reality of the state of biking in Seattle.

In Seattle I am seeing more people biking than ever.  On places previously reserved for cars there are new bike lanes and new bike routes are being created.

The city is changing.  Change is hard but I do not think people need to die. 

I know some cyclists fight with cars and are aggressive.  I have seen cyclists ride in front of cars and purposely ride slowly to prove a point.  I have seen cyclists spit on cars and of course yell things that I don’t want my son to hear. 

I have seen drivers that are texting, writing, reading maps and even attending to their grooming. 

What I say is CYCLISTS PAY ATTENTION.  Don’t take anything for granted, give yourself extra time and never ride on auto-mode.  Seattle is trying to be a bike town but it is not there yet.

Drivers, really, you’re still texting while driving.  How is that even justifiable?  I suggest this idea that DRIVERS PAY ATTENTION.  Also, look left and right to make a turn.

I know, call me crazy.

There is one classification of drivers that I never have trouble with when I am on my bike and they are the delivery drivers.  I do not see them texting, they look both ways, they make eye contact and even wave to let me know that they see me.  I so appreciate that.  Drivers, give it a try.

When I ride, I am sociable.  I like it.  I feel more connected to my community and it is nice to wave and smile; it starts the day out right. 

I recommend driving with your windows down -- be sociable, wave to let people know that you see them, make eye contact with other commuters.

I see a lot of progress with integrating bikes on the roads.  Now we need to integrate cyclists and drivers.  City of Seattle, please move quickly on this.   My family is worried and with these three deaths, it is hard to justify biking. 

Serafina Panini Window: APPROVED

It’s about time that I checked out the Serafina Panini Window.  As my loyal readers know, about a month ago I was walking my bike up a hill when I saw an awning that I had never seen before at Serafina.  The awning was red with white letters and said “Panini Window.”  I mentioned it in this blog and I was curious to what this Panini Window was all about. 

The next week, on my bike route, menus for the Panini Window were posted on telephone poles. It was as if Serafina had read this blog and put the answer on my bike route. 

This Monday I tried a panini and I will be trying more and more paninis from this window.

I ate the salami panini and it was perfect.  It was toasted and stayed perfectly crispy while I ate.  I am a very slow eater.  It was not too crispy so it was still easy to bite off and chew.  And the artichoke olivata?  Ahhhh, perfection. 

My friend enjoyed the caprese and it looked so good that I will be eating that next time I visit the Panini Window. Although the Popchetta's pickled onion and salsa verde has got to be amazing.  I can't wait to try that too!  

I would like to see more fine dining restaurants offer good takeout lunches.  Thank you Serafina. 

Check out the other post about Sarafina: 

Orginal Post 

Next post 

Things We See

A great day for truck-spotting.  This is one of my son's favorite hobbies. Today we saw:

1 garbage truck
1 dump truck
1 dump truck pulling a bulldozer
1 double dump truck
1 red streetcar
1 UPS truck
1 fire engine with lights and sirens
1 purple streetcar

Bad Hair, Bad Outfit, Skinned Knees, But Nice Ride

The Tuesday after Labor Day Weekend was the day that my son started his new school. It was also the day that I was determined to get off my slippery slope and ride my bike.

Our morning started out OK. I had trouble finding a bike-to-work outfit so we left a bit later than I would have liked.

We had bought Parker a new lunchbox for school and it did not fit in the little bike bag I was using. I found my bungee cord and strapped the lunchbox on top of the bike bag. That took a little time and now I was leaving much later than I wanted. Still I was determined to ride the bike.

Initially, the ride was pretty nice. Nice morning, not too hot but looked like it would be a nice, sunny and warm day. I felt good about getting on the bike. My son seemed happy to ride.

Then the lunchbox fell off. At this point I'm thinking I should have taken the hint that it was not the right day to be on the bike.


I had wardrobe trouble, trouble with securing the lunchbox and we almost lost the lunch. (Special thanks to the lady who helped me pick up the box and get it back on the bike.)

Next, I overshot the turn for the new school and had to backtrack. I brushed that off too. It is a new routine and I need to create new habits. At the new school, I had trouble with my bike lock and it took me about 10 minutes to lock the bike up.

In retrospect, this ride was not meant to happen. I found that out for sure when I got to the new school and they were closed and having an in-service day.

My son was sad. He cried. That made me sad and I was frustrated.

I contacted my work and said I had childcare problems and would be late. I told my son we would play at the park, this made him less sad but he still was disappointed about not playing at the new school.

I had pushed through many setbacks, kept going and then this! I had trouble, again, with my bike lock and in the ten minutes that I fussed with the lock my son fell and skinned his knees. He cried, again.

I rode my bike home. We did stop at the park and my son played. I called grandma and she agreed to watch my son and by 11:30 I was back on my bike riding to work.

This was a tough morning. It still would have been tough if I had been in the car, but I have to admit I think it would have been considerably less tough.

By the time I got to work I was tired, mentally drained, in a bad outfit, my shirt had blood on it from the skinned knees and I had a halo of helmet hair. I had to work late to make up for the morning. It was a bad day.

I felt good about handling all the snafus. I never felt good about my outfit or helmet hair.

The next ride will be better.

I Got on the Slippery Slope: No Bike Ride for TWO WEEKS

The good kind of Slippery Slope that we use
when we bike home.

What do all the things in this list have in common?

My work got busy.

I had to travel.

I had to lug equipment.

I was tired.

I worked from home.

I had errands to run.

I overslept.

These are all reasons (excuses) I gave over the last two weeks that prevented me from riding my bike to work.  

My son even asked, “Ride bike?” and I said, “No, not today.”  I missed a lot by not riding my bike.  I especially felt the effects of not getting exercise.  I am not sure if there was more stress but I do know that it was harder to shake the stress.  It took longer for me to fall asleep and wake up and I was tired and less motivated to do anything.

I sure missed the whimsical time with my son on the ride.  We do things like stop to look at a dump truck, ride over a bridge that is out of the way, sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame together, talk about the boats we want to ride and what seaplane we will take to the islands someday.  My son wants to take a blue plane but it looks a little rickety to me and I am pushing for a white one that looks like it has a few less miles on it.

My car commute is about 10 minutes one way; my bike commute is about 30 minutes one way.  I spend about an hour each day riding my bike or 20 minutes each day in my car. For a working mom, 40 minutes is a lot of time and time is the most valuable thing to me.  For my birthday, I just want a little time, time to do something or even do nothing.

When I look at all the effects of not riding, the 40 minutes that I added to my commute could be the best 40 minutes of my day. When I am behind or overwhelmed, it seems so beneficial to drive and I get that 40 minutes back. In reality, the benefits of the exercise are what really help me stay on top of things and help me deal with stress, and I get more done with a better attitude.

That’s what I mean by slippery slope -- I am running late so I drive, so I do not exercise, so I take my stress home with me and my stress causes me to toss and turn in bed, and I get to sleep late so I have a hard time waking up, and then I am running late so I take the car, again, and again, and again. 

This week, I will now break the cycle and ride my bicycle.  

Serafina Panini Window: Demystified

Ask the universe and it might just place an answer on your bike route.

A week or so ago, I rode by one of my favorite restaurants, Serafina. I was riding uphill -- OK, I was walking my bike uphill -- and for the first time I saw a sign for “Panini Window.” I love to eat at Serafina and I would like to eat more food from Serafina. I did not know what this Panini Window was, and then I was riding my bike and found this flyer on a post. It was like they had read this blog and stuck the answer on my route. Totally cool for me. Next on the list is to eat food from Panini Window.  I can’t wait. I’ll let you know.

Orginal Post: http://stylencycle.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-long-has-this-been-here.html

Get Going with the Go Pro

I am doing testing with a Go-Pro camera.  By testing, I mean I am trying to turn the thing on.  What this means for you is that you can look forward to a virtual bike ride with me and my son.

Dear Bike Thief: Take the Lock Not the Bike

I now own a nice bike lock.  It is super strong and really heavy, possibly heavier than my two-year-old son.  It is orange and black, and I open the lock with a key.

The sales guy at the store asked me where I was planning to lock my bike and recommended a pretty hefty lock, much heftier than I would have bought. I have not been locking my bike so my sense of security is pretty high. On the other hand, he is a salesperson and I might have been shamboozled.
(Shamboozled is bamboozled but by a sales person.)

This bike lock is probably worth more than my bike.  I am guessing the bike lock is easier to sell than a bike.  So, Dear Bike Thieves, I would recommend stealing the lock, not my old bike.

Reflections on Week Two

Last week I felt I was really getting into this cycling thing.  I was more likely to think of my bike in the morning than my car.  I also managed to keep riding even though my son was sick and that created major schedule changes.

On Friday, I was too tired to ride my bike home and I felt OK with that decision. I did not feel defeated or as if I was cheating. I think with a bike commute you have to be flexible.  Everyone has good days and bad and sometimes I am just tired. I feel good knowing that I can check in with myself and take a bus or call for a ride.

Thank Goodness It Is Friday!

This Friday I hit my stride. I needed to be at work early and I had a long day ahead of me.  It was a gray morning and that didn't even bother me. Even so, I found myself prioritizing the bike commute. I did not consider driving the car a good option.  I am really getting a lot out of riding my bike: the exercise, fun times with my son, and discovering new things in the neighborhood.

There is an annual South Lake Union Block Party and every year I try to go, and every year I forget.  On my ride, I saw volunteers setting up for the block party and this is the first year I made it to the party!

After seeing the volunteers set up for the block party I rode to work and I faced a big project with a tight deadline. I am a video editor and producer. Friday, I had to edit a cooking show on a very tight timeline. I did not take breaks from the computer and I had to smooth out many production problems. I had not slept much Thursday night and on Friday I worked really hard.  My poor brain was done.  I called my husband for a ride home.  This time I did not feel defeated. It was a good decision. I was not in any shape to be sharing the roads with five o'clock traffic especially with the baby on my handlebars.  If my husband couldn't pick me up, I would have taken the bus, with or without my bike.

The lesson here is know your limits, take it easy and take other transportation if you're feeling less than whole. I think that will make for safer cycling; that could be applied to drivers, too.

A Very Sobering and Very Sad Sign: Hit-and-Run

I saw this sign on a telephone pole on my way to work.  The police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed a cyclist.  The cyclist's name is Mike Wang and he had two children. It is very sad.

This has made me really think about what I am doing.  This happened one block up from where I ride. I do see a lot of drivers texting; they look one way to make a turn but not the other way to look for cyclists.  On a bike, I am very alert and I am conscious of everything around me.  Maybe driving should be the same experience.

My condolences to Mike Wang's family. Please drive consciously and bike carefully.

Serafina, How Long Has Panini Window Been Here?

Serafina is one of my favorite restaurants of all time.  LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about this place.  When I was pregnant I did not drink soda pop and it was hard to find an interesting drink to go with a good meal.  I don't like sweet drinks so the standard Shirley Temple is not for me. I told the bartender my trouble.

He asked me what I liked and mixed me up a special mocktail.  Actually, mocktail doesn't seem like the right word because although it was non-alcoholic, it was a wonderful drink, not a mock-anything.  I would even order one now!  It was a little savory, the perfect amount of spicy and a bit of citrus. This was the first time in seven months that I sipped my drink and did not feel left out when everyone had their pre-dinner cocktails.

Oh, I am off the subject, I have never noticed this Panini Window before.  I must learn more. This window has got to be a good thing because I love Serafina.  I love paninis.   This is an example of why I like my bike commute and it is one of the true joys of a bike commute.  I get to see my neighborhood from a different perspective.  I find new things that I don't see when I am on the freeway in my car.

Tomorrow, it is no more solo, back to me and my baby.

Riding Solo: Riding Home

I did not stop for Happy Hour.  I had to get home and start my shift as a caretaker for the little one.  Grandma had been watching him for about six hours and even Grandmas need breaks.

I did decide to try and new route.  The route I usually take is more scenic than direct.  There is a very direct route that even has designated bike lanes and I have not taken it because I like the scenic route.  We go by seaplanes on the south side of Lake Union, ride through South Lake Union and count the scooters at Scoot About.  More importantly the scenic route does not have very many inclines. Sometimes, with my baby on the handle bars, I can go two blocks on an incline.  Even so, usually I walk the bike after half a block.  On my own I decided that I was ready to try the hills.

Downhill was GREAT!  I forgot how much fun downhill was.  On the uphill, I made it over two blocks but ended up walking my bike.  I am not really proud
of that.  I have to consider that the baby is a good excuse for not being able to ride uphill but there is a chance that I am not strong enough to even get my own self uphill.

I am going to stick with my usual scenic route.  Downhill is pretty fun and I am sure my son would love it but I am not comfortable going that fast on a busy street with a baby.  I would have to break the entire way.  That would not be great for the bikes behind be and the joy of downhill is gone and then I still have the uphill to face.

Riding Solo: Found a Useful Fact

MOTORE COFFEE

I am sure this information will come in handy.  I am not going to verify it.  I will stop for coffee.  I really need a bike lock.

Riding Solo: Happy Hour?

I love being a mom but riding solo I thought it could be nice to stop and check out a place that looked fun.  I have been riding by the Venik Lounge.  Have never seen it before.  Maybe on my way home.....

Riding Solo

Tuesday Grammy took care of the baby so our commute together was four blocks to Grammy’s house. Then I was on my own. I sure missed my companion.

Riding by myself I found that I was a little more aggressive and a little more impatient. There is a long traffic light on my route. With a baby on my handlebars, I have no trouble stopping when the light is yellow. Without a baby, I went on the yellow. I do not think I was in violation of any laws, it looked safe and technically I was in the right but I would not chance it if my son was with me. It surprised me how differently I approach the same situations when I am solo.  

Mondays Are Mondays

Monday's commute was canceled. My son had a rash that looked like it needed to be seen by a doctor. (I will not post a photo.) I was correct. He was prescribed antibiotics. I had to work from home and try and find help with childcare for the rest of the day and Tuesday. I am lucky that my work is flexible and I can work from home and change my schedule. Thank goodness for grandmas! Grandma played with the sick little boy so mommy could work. 


Even this font is messed up.  Dear Monday, please be nicer.

A Word About Safety

Of course I worried about starting the bike commute. I had read the safety reviews and other parents' comments before I purchased the child seat. The one I have is made by iBert and it is called a t-seat.

I had bought the iBert the last summer and tried it out without the baby first. Then I rode with the baby for a few blocks to test the balance before I went on a longer ride.

When I ride I know I am not strong enough to go uphill and I don’t try and push myself. I have also mapped out routes that, although they take longer, have less traffic and official bike lanes.  I tested the route on my own before I rode with my baby.