Hope

Seven hours in the glass studio. Then a couple of badly needed PBRs at the Babes in Bikeland after party. 10 PM on a nice Saturday, downtown MSP was hopping. Hipster bikers at One-on-One. Tight clusters of snugly-attired ladies on the streets. Cars cruising three lanes wide.

I turned on my blinky lights and pedaled into the mix, headed for Cedar Lake. With traffic crawling and the post-everything buzz, I kept up perfectly. Switched to center lane to avoid curb-side stop-and-go nonsense. A block later a Porsche pulls alongside. The passenger looks approvingly and she says a slow “Nnnnice”. Not particularly at me in my grubby glass-shop clothes. We’re all just part of the whole scene. But me, a guy on a bike, is part of the scene.

As I wheel off down a dark 11th I’m thinking people are starting to accept bikes as a legitimate part of the landscape. Cool.