Biking on Broadway

I had the chance to ride my bike down Broadway and back on my way to a doctor's appointment today. I'm not a very good bicyclist... actually this is my first ride on the bike in at least a year and a half. I just had it fixed up again at Velo, and decided it was time to break it out for a quick ride over to Swedish.

Not having had much experience riding recently, I was a little nervous. But I have to say that I found Broadway to be pretty darn bicycle-friendly in terms of other cars. People were curteous... didn't turn in front of me, didn't race to get ahead of me, etc. I did keep a special eye out for people opening their doors in parked cars, however... I'm not that bicycle-naive.

My only qualms about my ride were that the road is uneven and crazy bumpy in some areas. And once I got to my destination (one of the Swedish buildings way south on Broadway), there were no bike racks in sight. I ended up parking in the Seattle U campus and walking a block or so.

Any other bike riders out there? What are the best bike routes on the hill?

Planning the new Broadway post office

Taco Bell, the old QFC and Twice Sold Books aren't the only thing being torn down on Broadway -- you also are getting a new post office. The USPS is starting the public process to discuss the project and get input from citizens later this month. Bring your postal concerns to the Community Meeting Room of the Capitol Hill Library at 6pm, May 14. Or you can mail them to some guy in Texas.

Holiday Shopping: Work Party Gift Exchange

I figured I'd post some Broadway holiday shopping ideas here over the next little while. I'm an over achiever (and an online shopping guru) and pretty much have my Christmas gift list completed. That doesn't mean I won't continue perusing the fun shops on Broadway though.

So, to start...

Store: Urban Outfitters

Lots of funky, random, fun items. Perfect for work party gift exchanges.

What I purchased: A make your own snow globe (with the intention of putting an incriminating photo of a coworker in it, but I ran out of time) and a gold mini piggy bank.

Tree removal vs. Taco Bell removal

As a sidebar to today's Slog about development of Broadway's north-end blight, neighbor John writes:

A little off turf, but did you notice the trees along Broadway, north of Republican, are tagged for imminent removal. (We're talking many big trees. They can't all be unhealthy.)

You'll note the presence of similar trees in the project sketches included in the Slog post. Maybe somebody at the city just has their wires crossed. Seems like a waste to cut them down. Still, we're not planning a protest -- any progress that can kill off the cockroach-like Broadway Taco Bell is progress, indeed.

Hullabaloo

Oh, Broadway and John. You attract so many protesters. How could you support the war in Iraq, Broadway and John? Say it ain't so.

Walking up the street yesterday I thought Rite-Aid was trying an unusual new strategy.

But alas, no. No sale at Rite-Aid. Just some fellows mad at Broadway and John for, apparently, arresting people who use marijuana as a medical drug. For shame, John, for shame, Broadway. Whenever you two get together there always seems to be trouble.