My friend S is doing this incredibly brave thing: learning to ride a bicycle. It's true that there are other activities that adults can try that contain within them similar opportunity to fail or trip us up and land us on our faces. But maybe none quite so literally or with such rapidity.
It was love at first sight for S and her new Raleigh Roadster step-through. Now she's riding alleyways and learning to avoid the newbie-cyclist's tormentor: the telephone pole!
And with the trying, balance becomes more possible. And the potholes don't seem as scary.
[northside alleyway, Chicago]
All summer my trips through the city took me by this little seafood joint on Chicago's southwest side. And every time I passed by, that gory shark on the roof called my name. I was always on my way somewhere else and didn't feel the freedom to cross lanes and stop to poke around until winter came and I was no longer passing by so often. I was—again—in the middle of a morning's checklist when I spotted the bloody jaws of Langostino's shark, but this time the siren's song was loud because I wasn't sure when I'd be back by again.
I leave for a few weeks in Peru this Saturday and reading about that country's ruins and plazas and cafés has reminded me how fun it is to see with the eyes of a traveler. Even to see one's own city anew. Winter in the city seems to be a particularly good time to be reminded of how with just a little exploration, even familiar terrain can become fascinating.
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