My weekend East by Northeast loop

This is a weekend ride that I’ve been doing a lot lately from Westport to Budd Park in the Old Northeast. It’s almost entirely on boulevards and the BikeKC network, so the roads are good and most storm drain grates are fixed.  The terrain is mostly flat, the traffic is low, and the route is scenic. It’s 17 miles as mapped below, but you can easily take a side trip to the City Market, Berkley Riverfront Park, Cliff Drive.  The Old Northeast has many small Mexican, Vietnamese, and Middle Eastern restaurants.

Some of the highlights along the way include historic apartments along Armour Boulevard,the Scottish Rite Temple, Troost Lake, 18th & Vine, The Paseo, the Women’s Fountain, the mansions along Gladstone Boulevard,  the KC Museum, The Concourse park and fountain,  and the Colonnade and JFK Memorial.  Some of the neighborhoods include Hyde Park, Beacon Hill, Pendleton Heights, Scarritt, Indian Mound, and Valentine.  If the weather is hot, bring your swimsuit – you will pass by public swimming pools in Budd Park and Benton Plaza Park.

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Sometimes harassment can be funny

While it doesn’t happen often, sometimes I get harassed while bicycling.  Normally it’s an asshole motorist.  Yesterday it was a homeless guy.  It was early in the morning I was pedaling through the South Plaza neighborhood, in front of the Plaza Branch of the KC Public Library. I startled a homeless man who was bent over in the street apparently looking for cigarette butts.  The guy jumped up, shook his fist, and yelled “I’m gonna pull your pants down and make you fall off that damn bike!”

I actually almost fell off my bike from laughing so hard, and I seriously considered turning around and giving the guy a $20 for creativity.

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Tour of KC photos

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Bike the Drive

This past weekend I took the Dahon folder on Amtrak to Chicago for the annual Bike the Drive bike ride.  Lake Shore Drive is shut down for four hours and taken over by 20,000 bicyclists.  It was a great time in a great city.

More photos

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Take the Car-Free Challenge

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.

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