New #25: Bike to Work Day

This was definitely a new I wouldn't have tried if not for my New Year's resolution. Even after I'd committed to it in my mind, I woke up that morning with butterflies in my stomach and debated backing out of it all together. It was Bike to Work Day, a national initiative that encourages people to park their cars and pedal to the office instead. This wouldn't be an issue if I worked, say, in the same city as where I live. But I don't. Even with a car and 60 mph speed limits, it takes me about 20 minutes to commute one way. I couldn't imagine what this would be like from a bike - hence why I was so apprehensive about the whole idea of it. But Wednesday, I decided to suck it up and give it a try. And like every other new before this, I'm glad I did.

Before my feet hit the pedals I had to change my usual lazy morning routine. To start, I had to wear different shoes to just get to work, because I certainly wasn't going to give this a go in heels. And how was I going to get this extra pair of shoes - and lunch, and wallet - to work with me? I hadn't thought about it until that morning. So I moved everything I'd usually throw in the car seat next to me into a back pack. I found another hiccup when I went to grab my lunch ... from the freezer. I always have a frozen lunch, which I was pretty sure would become an unfrozen one on my ride. But it was too early to think up an alternative, so I just stuck the thing in my pack too and hoped for the best. What's wrong with a little melted pizza, anyway?

Posing next to the bike before the ride.
For all I knew, it would be the last picture ever taken of me.

Once out the door, the first few block of my ride were easy enough. Just a cruise down the sidewalk of wide and welcoming streets. But as soon as I crossed over Harmony Road, I knew I wasn't in the safety of suburbia anymore. Immediately, the road led into the rural part of town, a six-mile, two-lane road of my drive that lets cars speed up to 60 mph. Great for cars, not great for cyclists riding along the side. Needless to say, this made me nervous. As I road down the street, I kept thinking that all it would take is one little piece of gravel to trip up my bike and throw me on the ground in front of a passing car that wouldn't have enough time to stop and couldn't avoid running my head right over. So maybe I am a bit of a chicken - but it really could happen! With this fear ringing in my ears, I made sure to break all the way down each hill - which, by the way, there were way more than I'd anticipated.

This is a route I drive everyday, but my perception of it totally changed once I traveled it via bicycle. From the car, I would describe the ride as a jaunt through the lightly rolling hills. But pedalling my ass on the bike, those" little rolling hills" become treacherous, steep mountains that I had to slowly work my way up each one. And even once I reach the peaks, with my legs burning and face sweating, I couldn't enjoy the cruise down - not only because I was scared of rocks making me fall, but because the wind of passing cars pushed me so hard I felt like I had no control.

Really, this part of the ride was not pleasant. Just long and scary. I've never been so happy to cross 57th Street into Loveland and make my way back into a civilization with bike lanes. Here, I could once again enjoy the ride. One thing I did really appreciate was all the sensory stimulation along the way. From the bike, I could smell the cut grass in fields, hear birds chirping in trees and feel the wind on my face as I powered forward. I also got a big kick out of the passing train. I usually don't pay much attention to it, but this day I was able to watch it chug across the field next to the road. I even tried to race it until it veered behind a hill.

It felt like hours, but I finally turned the last corner on the homestretch of my commute. I was so happy I cheered out loud. It took me exactly 1 hour to make the 11.5 mile ride. I was sore and sweaty when I walked into work, but wide awake and full of pride. Although the ride was arduous, it felt so good knowing that I alone had gotten myself from one city to the next. There wasn't help from a gas pedal or power steering, just my own feet pushing on the bike pedals to move forward and my own muscle power getting me to my destination. I don't know how soon I'll make the ride again, but it was an awesome way to start my day. That morning, I definitely did not need coffee.

New #24: Celebrate in Cincinnati

Spending my childhood summers in Indiana and Michigan, I've always had a special place in my heart for the Midwest. So when my cousin Anne invited me to her graduation from the University of Cincinnati (Go Anne!), I decided visiting this new city would be the cherry on top of seeing my family and helping them celebrate. And it totally was - especially with the random adventures we found in the fabulous city along the way.

Meeting in Indianapolis, the family (cousins, parents, uncles, aunts, grandmothers and all) drove to Ohio through a long stretch of farms, meadows and lots of plush green trees. It was obvious when we arrived in Cincinnati because we started seeing buildings higher than two stories - and these structures definitely weren't something you'd find in a suburb. Remnants of the Industrial Revolution, these rugged brick buildings looked just like something you'd imagine while reading stories like The Jungle, constructed totally for function and mass. Today, many of them are worn down, some with graffiti and others literally burnt out. It was a little eerie, but I loved history and personality of the urban forest.

The history continued to stand tall into the city. The houses in Anne's neighborhood were all red brick with wooden trim. Each one was really narrow and tall, and together looked like lines of dominoes. I was told they were built this way because people were once taxed by how wide their home was, so they were constructed as skinny as possible. Today, some of them are falling apart - but all of them add so much character to the area.

Above is Anne's apartment. Below is some of her neighborhood.

It wasn't until we reached downtown Cincinnati that the new started to sprout around the old, creating a kaleidoscope of brick buildings and soaring skyscrapers. It made for an awesome combination.


We stayed at The Cincinnatian, a downtown hotel built in the 1880s. Walking out the door to explore, Ben, my dad and I stumbled upon Fountain Square, a great promenade area where people were sitting, eating, drinking and even dancing - yes, dancing - around a giant sculpture spewing water. It was great! We loved it so much we grabbed a beer to celebrate our find.

The Fountain by day and night

Later that night, with the whole crew in tow, we wandered our way to the Ohio River. Through the mile or so walk we passed by all sorts of people out and about enjoying the city and bringing it to life. Sometimes city's don't transfer well from day to night, but Cincinnati definitely has it down, with both crowds adding a great flavor to the city's stew.

Soon we stumbled to the bridge, only to find that it was under construction. But being the adventurous and somewhat stubborn family we are, a little red tape wasn't enough to stop us. Once on the water, we could look over to see Kentucky on the other side. I had no idea Kentucky was that close to Ohio, so it was a nice surprise. On the walk back to the hotel, we had an illuminated view of splendid Cincinnati - a city I found to be perfect for celebrating in and worth celebrating itself.

The cousins!