I remember in the last 80’s I took a trip in high school to the Soviet Union. I remember all over Moscow witnessing people standing on line for basic things like bread.
It felt like deja vu all over again this past Thursday. I got to work early today and found this at Penn Station.
That’s right…a line of people waiting for their turn at a bike being delivered by a rebalancer. It was depressing. Here’s a solution that’s supposed to save me from the time of walking and the annoyance of waiting for a crowded subway, and it manages to be more of a waste of time and a bigger annoyance.
After about a 10-15 minute wait, I finally got my turn, as a bunch of rebalancers came at one time.
Lesson learned–do not take the early train again.
I decided to bike crosstown and up the East side again.
The annoyance du jour going crosstown were food trucks and moving trucks blocking the bike lanes–when there was plenty of room in the shoulder for them to park. Another annoyance–since there’s no bike lane on Third and lots of cars double- and triple-parked, I found myself weaving and and out of cars to stay moving, and there’d be times I’d literally be within an inch of my life because a truck is squeezing itself as tight as it can.
It’s funny, but I’ve heard that one of the reasons Citi Bike isn’t doing well financially is because not enough tourists are buying passes. To the bright folks who projected hundreds of tourists plopping down money for the privilege to ride their bike across town, I’d invite them to ride up Third in the morning.
After a harrowing ride, I figured I’d treat myself to another Frappucino. I love how Starbucks has convinced all of us that this is a legitimate coffee drink and not just a chocolate milkshake in disguise.
I decided to take Lexington home and cross over on 35th. Pretty uneventful ride, except for a few more tight squeezes and a lot more hills than I figured were in the City. I parked the bike my Macy’s and enjoyed their cool AC as I cut across to Penn Station.
Cost per ride: $95/31=$3.06/ride
Aggravation level: 6 of 10
Stress level: 6 of 10