williamsburg... and in trouble with the po po

after a few trips to astoria park, i decided to take my bike on a slightly more challenging trip, so i rode to williamsburg. the route, through queens plaza, the pulasky bridge and greenpoint, was surprisingly smooth and traffic-free. after a little rest at El-Beit, a new coffee shop serving proper french press coffee, i browsed a few boutiques and book stores, then headed home.

the problem started after i took a few random detours to make my trip a bit more exciting, and got lost. just as i got onto the sidewalk to park my bike and open up my map, i spotted a police officer, so i approached him, only to be told i was violating traffic laws by riding on the sidewalk. i wasn't actually on my bike, i said, but it wasn't any use arguing... so i have a pink slip demanding my appearance in court! i'm planning to plead not guilty. we'll see how that goes.

obviously, my trip back was slightly less fun. but i did get a nice view of the sun setting... this is a view from the pulasky bridge which connects greenpoint with long island city.

why i want to travel

it might be the cold weather, or the crazy hours i've been putting in at the office this past week, but i'm dying to travel. you'd think that in a cosmopolitan city like new york one would feel less of an urge to venture out, but that's not been the case for me. i do have business trips to washington d.c., las vegas, san francisco, and possibly san antonio lined up for the next few months,
but i want to go some place new, somewhere totally different to anywhere i've ever been...

i'm thinking india or iceland. i know that sounds a bit extreme... i have a few friends living in bombay and new delhi, and i'd love to visit them. and i've heard rajasthan is gorgeous. iceland, because of the amazing scenery i've heard so much about (and seen in photographs). i'm intrigued by the mix of volcanoes and ice. but what makes me want to travel so much anyway?

the other day i stumbled upon a blog written by dave greenwood, who was on stephen merchant's radio show last year during his walk from land's end to john o'groats:


"What do you do when you realise that you’re not the person you imagined you would become? We can be so immersed in the daily struggle to maintain and improve our lives that it’s possible to lose sight of who we wanted to be, until we look up one day and realise that years have passed and the chance may be gone. And the comfort and ease that we may have created for ourselves through the years of hard work compels us to accept our fate, rather than risk losing everything by stepping away from it all."