Some of y’all already know that I am one of the instigaters behind KC’s annual Bike Week events, and I enourage you check it out if you are a cyclist in Kansas City.  If not, you can still participate in the Car-Free Challenge to see how many drive-alone car trips you can replace with walking, bicycling, taking the bus, or carpooling.  We have some cool prizes lined up for the people who log the most trips, plus a big bash this weekend at Boulevard Brewering Company.

Such a great use of the Intertubes!  A 50 best list with video documentation.  Lots of great SNL parodies like Coin Slot Cream, Oops I Crapped My Pants, and I Wanna Be a Ho.

50 Greatest Commercial Parodies of All Time

This is the new folder in front of the Missouri State Capitol. I took it with me on the train to Jefferson City this weekend for our quarterly board meeting of the Missouri Bicycle Federation. The little guy travels great on the train, folded up and stowed in the luggage rack. However, the train conductors were a little perplexed to see a folding bike, and wanted to charge me the fee for a full-sized bike.  Fortunately I had done some research and brought a copy of the Amtrak policy that says folding bikes are treated as carry-on luggage. Here is the policy, and an Amtrak employee memo on the topic.

The train trip was as enjoyable as always.  Coach was a bit noisy, so I spent another $10 for business class. On the outboudn trip I was the only one in business class, so it was like having my own personal train.  Unfortunately Amtrak still struggles with coal train congestion on the Missouri line, so the train to Jeff was an hour and a half late and the return train was an hour late.  But it was still better than driving, and I had the bike to get around town.

This was the first time I spent any appreciable time exploring beyond the city, which has some awesome historic neighborhoods and a decently-maintained High Street in the Downtown area. It’s sad to see so much energy focused on the suburban-style sprawl on the edge of town, but at least they seem to be making some a few attempts to improve the city’s core.

It’s the Dahon Speed D7. I picked it up at Family Bicycles in Waldo, where they still had some 2007 models left.  That’s good thing because the 2008 models are going up 20% in price thanks to demand for raw materials in China and the cost of transportation.

Anyway, it’s a great little gizmo. I took it down to the hardware store and it was a joy to ride.  It runs surprising well, especially for quick trips. Riding RAGRAI might be a bit of stretch.  And it sure has a novelty factor.  I’m used to getting some funny looks every now on then on my full-sized biks, but everyone I passed by did a double take or pinted at my little green friend.

If KC was flat, I’d ride the hell out of this thing. The 7 gears were OK for cruising the neighborhood, but I might need to get in a little better shape before I try riding it Downtown and coming back up the bluff.  I think it will come in handy on my short commute to work, riding to the bus stop, or on Amtrak trips.

• Finally throwing out that big stack of Zip disks that have been gathering dust since about 2002. #
• Dear Lucky Strike Lanes, you are certainly the sexy young thing in town, but I’ve decided to stay with my dear old Ward Parkway Lanes. #

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• New poison: Jim Beam Rye. #
• There is a Starbucks inside this Target. Am I really in KCK?!?! #
• why is it so hard to find non-fugly furniture? we are contemplating moving to an Ikea city. #

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• Clipping fingernails in the office should be subject to lethal injection. Groom yourselves at home, folks. #

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• Radar totally looked like I could make it to the hardware store on the bike. Oh well, the bike needed a bath anyway. I probably did too. #
• Maid-Rite is opening in KC this month!! Bring on the awesome loose meat sandwiches. #

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Photo by Josh Thompson

It seems like a lot of folks judge a city by what chain stores and restaurants is has.  For example, Starbucks.  For some people a place might as well be uninhabitable if it doesn’t have a Starbucks.  Others think city is a cultural wasteland without a Cheesecake Factory, Pottery Barn, or Ikea. For me, it’s places like Maid-Rite.

This Midwestern chain of loose meat sandwich joints is finally making it to Kansas City.  The first one is opening in Gladstone sometime this month. 7121 North Prospect Avenue, to be exact.  I got addicted after living in Des Moines for five years, so I am totally stoked that have the loose meat much closer to home.

• wow! Tracey Ullman does an awesome Arianna Huffington impression. #
• who wants to join me in a pub crawl on the first night of the new KC smoking ban? #
• Willie’s got a 3am license. Now if I could just stay up that late. #

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