The Bite
Yesterday, DH and I decided, on a whim, to attend "The Bite of Portland" which allegedly is an opportunity for the city's restaurants to present their cuisine in bite-sized portions to the general public. I found the selection surprisingly limited, the prices wildly inflated ($6 for a cupcake-sized salad? I think it should contain gold leaf at that price!) and, since it had been scheduled to coincide with the nation's second-largest bike-a-thon (18 thousand participants)which finished right in front of the main entrance, it was impossibly crowded. Yo! People with bikes! Watch where you are pushing that thing!! I had tire tread marks on my calves!
Portland Oregon is very bike-friendly. There are many, many bicyclists. We need to teach these folks basic bike courtesy. When you are passing a pedestrian, please, please holler, "On your left." (or right as the case may be.) Your right hand is the one you put over your heart when you pledge allegiance. If you can't remember in time, take remedial classes. Do not holler "On your left." and attempt to pass on the other left side. It hurts. Do not try to speed by silently. Pedestrians can fllinch you right off your wheels if you startle them. I would love to hear from bicyclists what sort of courtesy pedestrians need to offer. Aside from abandoning the sidewalks alltogether, I am willing to comply.
I thought I had prepared sufficiently for the expedition. Comfy shoes, lightweight clothes, sunblock, hat, water. But a combination of the heat and the short steps necessitated by the crowds produced uncomfortable chafing between my cheeks. DH noticed my fidgety wiggles and cocked an enquiring eyebrow. "I should have used some talcum powder before we left," I admitted, "but it's so hard to apply that I didn't bother."
"What you need," he announced, "is a butt duster."
I laughed all the way home.
Portland Oregon is very bike-friendly. There are many, many bicyclists. We need to teach these folks basic bike courtesy. When you are passing a pedestrian, please, please holler, "On your left." (or right as the case may be.) Your right hand is the one you put over your heart when you pledge allegiance. If you can't remember in time, take remedial classes. Do not holler "On your left." and attempt to pass on the other left side. It hurts. Do not try to speed by silently. Pedestrians can fllinch you right off your wheels if you startle them. I would love to hear from bicyclists what sort of courtesy pedestrians need to offer. Aside from abandoning the sidewalks alltogether, I am willing to comply.
I thought I had prepared sufficiently for the expedition. Comfy shoes, lightweight clothes, sunblock, hat, water. But a combination of the heat and the short steps necessitated by the crowds produced uncomfortable chafing between my cheeks. DH noticed my fidgety wiggles and cocked an enquiring eyebrow. "I should have used some talcum powder before we left," I admitted, "but it's so hard to apply that I didn't bother."
"What you need," he announced, "is a butt duster."
I laughed all the way home.
posted by roxie @ 6:29 AM
2 Comments:
At 8:14 AM ,
Amy Lane said...
whaaaaaayyyyy, a little Boudroux Butt Paste should take right care of that... (I bought it for the babies because the name just cracked me up...much better than Desitin:-) I always feel so clumsy around bikers--whether they're etiquette is perfect or no, my first response when they say something is to freeze like an opossum and then dance in the middle of the road like a demented frog... Sometimes, I'd rather just get hit...
At 12:57 PM ,
Lucia said...
It's nice that you live in an environmentally friendly city, but everyone should realize that, hello? pedestrians count as part of the environment. I wonder if rude cyclists are like children screaming in public: much rarer than the ones behaving themselves, but unfortunately not seeming that way.
Sounds like something my husband would say -- and then he would suggest using the tail of a cat. Ouch.
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