Bike Miami Days for May, 09

For a number of reasons, I’ve been, literally, off the bike for months now. We’ve also missed the last three Bike Miami Days, including the April edition in Coconut Grove alongside the Dutch Consulate, which I hear was nothing but a spectacle. That’s why when it came to today’s Bike Miami, the last one for the current season (summer’s here, so it’s officially time to go inside), we were both incredibly pumped for the occasion.

It started a bit off, given that during the month of May, the Venetian Causeway has been closed to all-but-local traffic, cutting off our one way to bike down to Downtown from the Beach. Rather than face Biscayne Blvd., risk the MacArthur Causeway, or waste time taking a bus, we decided to drive (which, on reflection, provided a bit of a bookend to our Bike Miami experience for this year, as we also drove down to the first one). We used one of the Pay-to-Park spaces since it was cheaper than the parking at Bayside, and off we went.

This is the first time we’ve been there early enough to attend the customary rally, this time on the steps of the Courthouse. There was live music and some kiosks with varied information. We got to see some of the “regulars” and were greeted by Kathryn Moore, tireless Bike Miami dynamo that she is for Mayor Manny Diaz (did you know the Mayor’s on Twitter?). We saw some folks dance for the chance to win three bikes and a dude pull a Ford Fiesta while on a bike. Then, off to ride.

The route by now is well-known to us. It extended once more to the Miami River, though there was nothing going on there this time around. The riverside was, however, preened and very inviting, though Lummus Park was, still, closed to the public. I was once again reminded of the potential for that area of Downtown Miami and the idea my wife and I dreamed up for a Downtown Riverside Marketplace, which I wrote up for Miami Metblogs (Part 1, Part 2).

Around this area we suddenly found the entrance to the Miami River Greenway, right under the I-95 Overpasses, except it was fenced closed after maybe a little over 100 feet. The paved walkway I know continues along the river all the way to the bay, but it is broken up in parts by construction and gaps that yet need to be bridged. If there’s a project the City of Miami (also on Twitter, by the way) needs to put attention to and get done as soon as possible, the Miami River Greenway is it; being able to highlight and drive traffic to this wonder of our city, the one urban river we have, would do wonders for Downtown and the City in general, not to mention that it would create another great addition to the route for future Bike Miami Days.

The rest of the day was spent riding around the usual route established by now. We visited Mary Brickell Village again, and marveled, as we walked around, at how many empty retail spaces it has and what a shame that is (note to developers: open a Kosher eatery here–or frankly, anywhere Downtown–and we’ll heap praises and money every time we visit Downtown/Brickell) given how beautiful the Village is. We noticed the smaller attendance to this event than in months past, and speculated that it had to do with the heat (it was HOT today) and the fact that it was the seventh event; both are good reasons why it makes perfect sense to close up Bike Miami for the summer and wait for the cooler climate of the fall to restart. There were hardly any kiosks and those that were left fairly quickly with less than a handful sticking around till the 2 PM closing time. Once again, Bayfront Park was not a part of the Bike Miami route due to a conflicting event.

We rode around, enjoying the chance to be on our bikes after about a three-month hiatus, but by 3-ish PM we were ready to head back home. We packed the bikes back on the rack, and said goodbye to Bike Miami for the time-being.

I’d like to do a review of Bike Miami as it’s grown since its inception seven months ago, but overall, we’ve been very pleased. Even this event, which by all accounts was the least attended, was successful in its stated goal of allowing people to explore the city in a new way and promoting bike culture in Miami. The summer break will be good for everyone, allowing excitement to build over the next four to five months. Come the fall, I know we’ll be ready to bike down again and party on two wheels.

Also, check out the post I wrote for Miami Metblogs: Miami Tops U.S. City for Cycling Events Thanks to Bike Miami Days.

You can check out the photos in the slideshow below or at Flickr: Bike Miami Days – 05/17/09.

Bike Miami 3

Yesterday was the third edition of Bike Miami and I think it was the best one to date. Yes, the first one was really popular, but it had the newness of it to draw people, and the second one had to contend with the holidays for attendance, though even with that it was a cool event. This one, though, this Bike Miami, proved beyond a doubt that the institution is here to stay and that people are now going to expect it and reply in kind.

This Bike Miami featured a slightly different route than previous ones: Bayfront Park was not included due to an event there the night before, but the Flagler St. corridor was extended all the way to the Miami Riverfront and to Lummus Landing, an area I simply had no idea was back there (the southbound corridor ending at Mary Brickell Village remained the same). Road signs and water stations made a welcomed comeback, and the support of the Downtown Miami merchants was palpable and evident, energizing the streets and the riders in turn.

There was a steady stream of bikers throughout the length of the route during all hours of the event, even way into its final few minutes. Attendants included everything from families with multiple children, to casual/slow bikers, and lycra-clad cycling packs, everyone enjoying themselves, everyone showing their support for a more bicycle-friendly city of Miami.

As usual by now, we rode our bikes to Downtown, leaving the Beach at around 11:00 AM. The ride through the North Beach area was actually pretty uneventful this time around, thankfully. The one thing I did observe was the significant number of people riding their bikes around this area of the Beach, just going about their business. It was a very welcomed sight; it made me feel like a part of something greater, a movement that is slowly expanding, growing every single day.

Knowing we’d have to face the dreaded Dade Blvd, I decided every bit of it we could skip was a welcomed respite, so we went from Prairie Dr. to N Meridian Ave, which borders the edge of the Miami Beach Golf Club and saved us a whole block of Dade Blvd. Once on Dade, we rode on the sidewalk until we could cross Alton Rd and join the Venetian Cswy. bike lane.

Upon entering the Venetian Isles area (a very ethereal boundary that, to me, is signalled by the sudden appereance of the bike lane at Dade Blvd and N Bay Rd. (see map), even though this is still mainland Miami Beach), we were very pleasantly surprised to see a Bike Miami info kiosk and water station at the corner of Gibb Park. The folks there were talking to as many of the cyclists (and pedestrians) riding up and down the causeway as they could, giving out flyers for the event and brochures on cycling education, asking riders as they passed by, “Are you headed to Bike Miami?” I keep up with all the info coming out of the Mayor’s office on this event, and I had no idea this kiosk would be here. Whoever thought of it and put it into action, thank you, it was a great idea; I hope it had the desired effect. Frankly, I’d love to see more support for Bike Miami like this from the neighboring cities.

Our time riding around Downtown was just great. The route extension into Lummus Landing was a welcomed addition and frankly, a perfect example of what this sort of event can achieve, exposing participants to an area of the city many did not know about, myself included (I mean, we had a Public Fish Market by the river? Really? Why is it closed!). It’s too bad Ft. Dallas was closed for renovations, but it was cool just learning that it was there. We also saw the Scottish Rite temple (we have Masons in Miami?!) and the City of Miami Mounted Police stables, having a chance to pet the horses. There was a rally at Lummus Landing at 10:30 AM that we missed (we’re gonna have to leave the Beach really early to able to make it on time for one of these) and other events there and at Mary Brickell Village. There were also sponsors at Lummus Landing, including the now-ubiquitous Florida Bicycle Association, and stores like Mack Cycles, showing off the new Electra Townie Holiday bike that has me salivating.

We managed to see various of the friends we’ve been making over the past Bike Miami events and everyone was excited about the turnout for this one. The weather was once again gorgeous; we are getting spoiled, we know, but we’re going to enjoy it while it lasts. I mean, this was the weather on Sunday!

We decided to head back relatively early so we would not get caught riding in the dark. Heading down Venetian Cswy with a bunch other riders was a neat experience, actually. We decided to stop at Publix on Bay Rd. and 20th Street, and after that, deciding we really did not want to take Dade Blvd. again we vacilated with using Alton Rd, since it has a bike lane (another one of those that simply pops up out on nothingness), but instead we decided to use a backroad suggested by Neil from Urban Bike – South Florida, take N Bay Rd. And that we did, taking it from 20th Street all the way down to Chase Ave. That saved us from Dade Blvd completely, and Chase drops you at 41st Street in no time, from where we can catch our established route. We’re definitely going to be using N Bay Rd from now on to head Downtown. And a bonus, we got to see a starfruit tree!

We made it home while still daylight (for a change) and chilled out for the rest of the evening. We had a fantastic day of bike riding, and many thanks go out again to all the volunteers who work so hard to make Bike Miami such an awesome event.

You can check out the photos in the slideshow below or at Flickr: Bike Miami 3 – 01/18/09.

I also wrote a report for Miami Metblogs which you can read here:

Bike Miami Days Strong in 09

Just announced by Mayor Manny Diaz over at the Bike Miami blog are the dates for Bike Miami Days in 2009, not only January, but the first half of the year, all the way through May! In addition, the programs offered in conjunction will also be expanding, and then we get this awesome bit of news:

The tentative dates for Bike Miami Days 2009 include February 8, March 8, April 26 and May 17. We are hoping to bring the event to Little Havana, Wynwood, MiMo, Coconut Grove and other neighborhoods, too!

A big hurrah to Mayor Diaz and his entire team for supporting Bike Miami Days. See you there!

January Bike Miami Days & A Year Later in Miami Cycling

As being reported on cycling blogs all over the Miami area, Bike Miami Days has set its date for the third event.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 18, 2009 for Bike Miami Days 3 (Tokyo Drift or The Search for Spock, you pick).

Also, Mike Lydon of TransitMiami.com has written an excellent Op-Ed piece titled “What a Difference a Year Makes”, chronicling the incredible strides the City of Miami has taken over the last year to turn itself into a bike-friendly place.

Mike submitted the article to the Miami Herald, but given they have not published it (the Herald has been downright horrible about helping to promote bike-friendly news, including Bike Miami Days), he put out via his column at Planetizen.com.

Go and read the article and be sure to join us in January for more Bike Miami Days.

I’m a Metblogger for Miami

I have joined Metblogs, a network of city-focused blogs for a number of metropolitan areas around the world. My friend Patricia is a contributor for the Seattle Metblogs and that kinda gave me the impetus to do the same in my own city. Given how the Miami Metblogs was downright suffering for lack of content (the last non-news post was in March 08) I decided this would be a great way for me to connect more with my hometown and a way to talk about the city aside from the topic of cycling, which I already cover in my Slow Bike Miami Beach blog (though I also expect to cover some cycling stuff on Metblogs as well).

So drop by Miami Metblogs and check out whatever I end up writing about there (and hopefully we’ll have more contributors joining up soon as well). You can check out my Author Profile page which includes links to articles written by me, or go to the front page and see what’s going on.

I’m a Metblogger for Miami

I have joined Metblogs, a network of city-focused blogs for a number of metropolitan areas around the world. My friend Patricia is a contributor for the Seattle Metblogs and that kinda gave me the impetus to do the same in my own city. Given how the Miami Metblogs was downright suffering for lack of content (the last non-news post was in March 08) I decided this would be a great way for me to connect more with my hometown and a way to talk about the city aside from the topic of cycling, which I already cover in my Slow Bike Miami Beach blog (though I also expect to cover some cycling stuff on Metblogs as well).

So drop by Miami Metblogs and check out whatever I end up writing about there (and hopefully we’ll have more contributors joining up soon as well). You can check out my Author Profile page which includes links to articles written by me, or go to the front page and see what’s going on.

Miami Book Fair

Last week was the Miami Book Fair International, a world-class literary event that brings together hundreds of authors (of all stripes, nationalities and levels of accomplishment) and thousands of fans of the written word on the streets of Downtown Miami. The activities are divided between talks and conferences during the week and the street fair during the weekend. As much as we always want to make it to one of the weeknight events, we always go to the street fair and revel in our love of books. After Bike Miami the week before, we resolved to bike down to the book fair, and given Sunday’s amazing weather, we hoped on our bikes and made the trek.

Riding from Miami Beach to Downtown was actually incredibly easy (and no, it did not involve Biscayne Blvd., a road I prefer to avoid on two wheels). We left Normandy Isles and took Indian Creek Dr. up to 63rd St. From there we took La Gorce Dr. to 47th St. where we were finally able to use the various bike lanes in that area of the Beach, namely the ones on Royal Palm Ave. and Prairie Ave. We rode on Prairie up to Dade Blvd. which we then took all the way to the Venetian Causeway, the cyclists’ highway between Miami Beach and mainland Miami. Once we emerged in Downtown Miami from the Causeway, we simply rode down Biscayne Blvd. to the Wolfson Campus of the Miami Dade College, on NE 5th St. That’s 10.5 miles from our door to the MDC Wolfson Campus and it took us about an hour and forty minutes to make the journey.

Of the entire trek, the points where the bike lanes were obstructed, and the segments at Indian Creek (from 71st St to 63rd St) and Dade Blvd. (from Prairie Ave to the Venetian Causeway) were our least favorite, being by far some of the worst spots to ride your bike in Miami Beach. This is a topic I will write more on at a later time.

A cold front passed through Miami during the weekend, and where Saturday was insanely hot (as described to me by a friend who went to the street fair that day), Sunday was in the mid- to high-60’s and breezy, which made the ride Downtown a joy. In true Slow Bike fashion, we took our time riding and enjoying the scenery (especially at the Venetian Causeway, even if I forgot to take any pics there), never breaking a sweat (okay, maybe a little, but literally just a little). We crossed paths with lots of fellow cyclists all over the route, but especially once we hit the Venetian Causeway; with bike lanes stretching for the entire 2.5 miles between Miami Beach and Miami, the Causeway was hands down the best part of the entire ride.

Once Downtown, we had to use a makeshift bike rack to tie our bikes, since there are practically no actual bike racks in the area. On the plus side, there were quite a number of bikes tied to makeshift racks all around the perimeter of the street fair, which was great to see. The more people ride their bikes as a means of actual transportation instead of just for recreation, the faster we move towards creating a bike culture in Miami. Bikes secured and helmets strapped to our backpacks, we went in for an entire afternoon of books.

My wife and I are certified blibliovores (and I have the shirt to prove it) so we were in heaven for the next five hours, browsing pretty much every single booth on our path (and we did a full circuit of the street fair) and buying lots of books at great prices. Of note this year was the inclusion for the first time of a comics and graphic novels area, which simply made my heart dance with elation. I spent almost 45 minutes in there and emerged with 6 graphic novels to my name, plus two other comic-related books (one of them signed by the author), and that was just less than 15 minutes after arriving! My wife got a couple of cooking-related memoirs dealing with Julia Child, plus we got a pair of gorgeous handmade leather journals, one for each of us. It was simply a wonderful afternoon in the company of thousands other book lovers. That’s one of the reasons why I love the Miami Book Fair, it is such a slap to the face to the notion that Miami is only defined by its superficiality.

By 6 pm we headed out back towards the Beach. The light was going away fast, though thankfully the roads we took were very well lit (note to self: need to get a new headlight); except for a few idiots driving way too fast on the Venetian Causeway, the ride was a safe one. We made it from Downtown to 41st St in about an hour, and we stopped there to have dinner at Lofty Latte with my mother-in-law, who had spent the afternoon with us at the fair and driven ahead.

With happy tummies and sweaters on, we rode the rest of the way back to our home. We rode down Pine Tree Dr. using the sidewalk, though on that particular road, I think the actual street is a far better choice, since there are way too many hedges that force you to make really sharp turns at times, not to mention the amount of cars blocking the way. On 63rd St we had a forced drawbridge break, and then we had to ride the Indian Creek Dr. segment again, which was no fun at all. Once on 71st St though it was all smooth sailing and soon enough we were back home, a full 10 hours after we had left in the morning. Even better was that, though we were as tired as you’d imagine us being after 10 hours out and about and having cycled for 21 miles, we weren’t in pain or overly sore, which just goes to show what Slow Biking can accomplish.

It was a great day of bike riding and books, two of our favorite things. This Sunday we proved to ourselves that we can indeed make it Downtown on our bikes for the next Bike Miami. At least while the weather remains as nice and we take it slow, it should be a fine ride. I can’t wait.

You can see the photos in the slideshow below or at Flickr: Miami Book Fair 11/16/08 set.

Bike Miami Goes Monthly

Well, it didn’t take long at all! Based on the attendance at the event, and the overwhelming response via emails, posts, blogs and a survey put up by the office of the mayor, Bike Miami was declared a success and will now be expanded into a monthly event!

The next Bike Miami happens on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, and we plan to be there for sure. With a declared monthly schedule, we can now look forward to additions to the formula to be tried out little by little. At the top of my list? An expansion of the streets closed for the event.

Awesome news indeed. Thanks to everyone that worked to make this happen.

Bike Miami

Today was Bike Miami, an event that made part of Downtown Miami car-free for 5 hours, from 10 am to 3 pm, opening it up for cyclists, skaters and pedestrians, taking a page from such events as Ciclovía in Bogota, Colombia. By all accounts the event was a success, with attendance estimated at around 2000 people, give or take, given how everyone was zipping around.

Overall, I am elated at how well Bike Miami turned out, and at how many people came out to enjoy an area of the city that most of us, in general, rarely ever visit with any kind of regularity. It was just amazing seeing all the different kinds of cyclists–Lycra lizards and slow bikers, mountain bikers and BMXers, singles and couples and families, old and young, men and women–everyone just sharing the wonderful experience that was Bike Miami. I cannot think of anything that went wrong during the time I was there, and if you force me to, the only thing I can recall is one dude who tried to take the intersection of Flagler and Biscayne, in front of Bayfront Park, at a moment when the cops were letting cars through. The cop asked him, “What do you think we’re here for?” So yeah, save for that one guy who thought the laws applied to everyone except him, the day was without a hitch. Which reminds me to send out special thanks to the City of Miami Police, all of whom were super nice to us riders and even shared the ride at times.

We arrived shortly after 11 am and parked at Bayside Marketplace. The lady at the entrance asked us for a Bike Miami flyer in order to give us the special discounted fee, something I had not seen was a requirement for the reduced rates at either Bayside or Mary Brickell Village. “I need a proof of what you’re here for,” she said; we simply pointed to the bikes strapped to the back rack. A few minutes later, we were riding down to Bayfront Park, heading towards the trong of bikes, huge grins on our faces.

One of the big bookends of the Bike Miami route, Bayfront Park was packed with people riding and walking about, enjoying the simply wonderful weather we had: low 70’s, breezy and sunny. There were a number of kiosks from various sponsoring groups, including the Florida Bicycle Association, which had a bike valet service, as well as a tune-up station for quick-fix issues. Though I wasn’t able to use their services on-site, I was very glad to have been able to talk to the tech at hand, who told me precisely what is the problem with my rear tire and what I need to ask for when I take it to the shop.

While we waited for some friends to arrive, we took a look at The Moving Wall, the touring copy of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. Though my wife has seen the (much larger) original in Washington, DC, I have not, so I welcomed this chance to take in the sobering sight of so many names, each one an individual who perished in this horrible war, each one a life with all the potential in the world cut short abruptly, violently. Most sobering of all was thinking of each of the names being added practically daily to a wall-to-be recording the toll of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them, much as it was in Vietnam, barely into adulthood. I found myself wishing silently for that future wall’s expansion to be stopped as soon as possible, with the help of G-d.

Still waiting, we decided to ride around Bayfront Park, mingling with the hundreds of fellow riders, stopping here and there to look more closely at something or other, reveling in one of the most important points of this event (and excellently put in the logo, above), being able to “explore the city in a new way.” We were having a lot of fun just checking out all the cool bikes around, and even meeting special attendees like Mr. Clucky, the rooster who likes to ride perched on the handlebar. Once our friends finally showed up, we took off up Flagler St. to check out the rest of the route (after a quick Starbucks pit-stop).

When I first moved here from Puerto Rico 13 years ago (wow!), I used to take a bus and the Metrorail from Kendall and go walking around Downtown just for fun; it was a way for me to get to know my new home city. I did that for maybe a year and then stopped. At the time Downtown was a somewhat decaying place with a few interesting spots but devoid of non-9-to-5 life. My, how have things changed. Bike Miami attendees aside, there was a lot of people walking around, going about their daily business, shopping at stores that now gave life to former empty or abandoned storefronts. Downtown was quite lively, especially given how many shops were closed (note to Downtown merchants: open your stores for the next Bike Miami and enjoy the benefits of the increased traffic).

After riding to the end of Flagler St., we decided to follow 1st Avenue all the way down and over the bridge. I will say that all these mornings of riding to synagogue across the Miami Beach-North Bay Village bridge have certainly paid off; I was able to put some initial speed into it and climb the slope without any overt effort (remember, my bike has a single gear).

On the way down the slope, a pair of riders shouted at us, “Long live the Slow Bike movement!” To which I shouted back, “YEAH!” It took me a moment to wonder why exactly had they said that, figuring that it was because of the style of our bikes (i.e. not mountain or speed bikes). A few seconds later another rider shouted, “Hey, I know you guys from the Slow Bike Miami Beach blog!” What?! That’s just wild! To those of you who recognized us, thanks for saying hi and for following this blog. If you read this, say something in the comments!

When we reached the Mary Brickell Village (aka. Lil’ Cocowalk) we parted company with our friends, who decided to ride down to Key Biscayne. For our part, we parked and walked around the village, just checking it out, enjoying the de-factor mini-street fair at the other bookend of the Bike Miami route.

The rest of the evening we spent simply riding around, exploring as much of the city as we could, especially the waterfront promenade and Bayfront/Bayside. We walked the entire length of the marketplace, something we hadn’t done in more than 5 years, and bought a few things and had some (very expensive) drinks at a waterfront bar.

As we were leaving Bayside to take one last ride around Bayfront Park, we got recognized for the blog again, which doesn’t stop being weird and cool. We then rode around the waterfront promenade, across the bridge onto Brickell (checking out the Miami Circle along the way) and quickly into and out of Brickell Island. And because the day wasn’t awesome enough, right before we left we spotted a pod of dolphins swimming very close to the shore.

After spending almost half an hour strapping the bikes to the rack again (personal note: need to get a new bike rack with longer posts, as well as a new camera that doesn’t take blurry photos), we went back home extremely pleased with the wonderful day we had and figuring out that for the next Bike Miami we’ll just ride our bikes into Downtown Miami.

I eagerly look forward to a next Bike Miami, and then the next one after that. I want this to be more than a one-time event, I want this to be something that becomes a part of our culture. Miami has the perfect set of circumstances–flat terrain, year-round nice-ish weather (especially during the autumn and winter) and a desperate need to have its people connect across all its many cities and neighborhoods in order to breathe new life into it–that could make it another Amsterdam.

So thanks to Mayor Manny Diaz, the City of Miami and all the volunteers that made this such a fantastic day. Now, let’s get ready for the next Bike Miami!

You can see the photos in the slideshow below or at Flickr: Bike Miami 11/09/08 set.

Dividing the State

This came up on my local news feed:

Mayors Want To Turn Florida Into Two States

NORTH LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ? The City of North Lauderdale is taking a tough stance on home rule, and because of this they are spearheading an effort to split Florida into two states. They have passed a resolution, asking that a boundary line to split South Florida from the rest of the state be drawn at the Palm Beach County line. They’re taking it so seriously that they want counties in South Florida, such as Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe to join in supporting them.

Read more.

I’ll be very succinct: YES, PLEASE!

South Florida is a very different place than the rest of the state, yet we get lumped in with the rest. I say cut us loose and let’s get our own state going!