Cold morning, warm clothing, whey powder power drink and some oatmeal for fuel…felt great getting to work through Central Park and city streets. Even midtown seemed okay, though those potholes seem to be getting worse.

It’s nice to be able to look over your shoulder and see your bike waiting for the ride home.

So this morning I took it out for a maiden voyage, with my son Milo, down to Shopsin’s for breakfast. Here it is on the street outside:

And the riding? I love it.

What struck me was how different the riding feels without gears. There are things I’ve always liked about the lower center of gravity and small wheel size of those bikes, and now with the single speed it just fits together right for a kind of muscular, slow-balanced weave and acceleration. It feels kinda sexy, slinky.

And I found that I could charge up small hills pretty well by getting my weight forward and up over the handlebars (though these were short hills). But for city riding it is totally fun, well-suited to stop/start and sudden swerves to avoid shoppers and obstacles. The fold is really simple and the bike feels very clean without a derailleur, like the internal hubs. No fenders, no rack. The combination of the coaster brake and the hand brake in front are still not super strong for stopping power, but workable. I really like it.

Barcelona, mmmmm.

Love these rail to trail conversions. Brilliant, and the barons must be turning in their wealthy graves.

Sofra is the bakery owned by the Oleana folks, and it is a knockout food experience. Over the Watertown line from Cambridge and worth the trip. Gorgeous varieties of baked goods coming sweet and savory in a Turkish way. Like Berkeley with an eastern sensibility. A few tables, lots of spices and treats for sale, order at the counter.

Lovely museum, so welcoming and enjoyable. Especially the cafeteria garden.

What really impressed me was the character of the museum, evident in both the thoughtful layout and organization of the collections, the voice that came through in the printed descriptions of each piece, and way it all came together to make me feel excited and appreciative in a way that doesn’t happen at heavier, more staid old institutions.

And the musical instrument collection is a total joy of discoveries and subtle human education.

Here’s a shot from the ride coming back down Perkins Drive, over the Hudson about 1200 ft below:

And here’s the full map. If you click on the end point you get the stats, including 4000+ ft of elevation gain (felt like it):

View Harriman Hill Climbs With John Cool in a larger map

Hard to say what is best here, the food or the people, but it feels like love and it is some of the best falafel in the city. But get the Sabich sandwich because it’s even better.