MY OWN TOUR DE BROOKLYN

Many events were on my calendar yesterday.  Transportation Alternatives had its Tour de Queens while Bike New York had a Learn To Ride class for kids at Brooklyn Bridge Park.  So many choices!  I volunteered at Tour de Brooklyn before and thought about also helping out at Tour de Queens, but I didn't feel like making the long trip to Queens.  So I rode my bike to Pier 5 of Brooklyn Bridge Park for the kiddie bike class.  I had my own tour of Brooklyn, even though most of the trip was along Ocean Parkway, a route that I have become very familiar with these days that I ride the bike a lot.  It was more like tour de South Brooklyn.

I was worried that my help wouldn't be accepted since I didn't attend some orientation class for trainers.  I had a conflict that day, July 1, when I helped a club member move.  It turned out the training could be done on the spot.  Let the trainee learn to balance first then the actual pedaling can come later.  I recall how my back ached when my young niece learned to bike, because she used a kiddie bike so I had to bend down as I pushed her and the bike.  No need with that using the Bike New York method.  The technique sure worked as by the end of the day we had 100% success rate.  Happy biking, kiddos!

Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn's own Superfund site, polluted from years of abuse by nearby industries.  Not nice to look at, but worthwhile to know.

Pop-up pool in Brooklyn Bridge Park, perfect for the hot days!

Basketball, au naturel.

AT&T StreetCharge, free solar-powered charging station, with connections for iPhone 4/5, USB, and micro-USB.