Alembic

I love this place. Old-timey cocktails to die for, made like nobody else makes them.

We were in there on Saturday, and had little roasted duck hearts on a stick. It made me feel like a dark pagan god receiving burnt offerings from my worshippers.

The wait staff and bartenders are pretty well illustrated. When the waitress slipped my Old-Fashioned (Rittenhouse 80, no garbage) onto the table, I saw this on her forearm.

"Money doesn't talk, it swears." -- Bob Dylan

It made me wonder how to tip her.

News of SUV's Death Greatly Exaggerated

The US Dept. of Transportation's CARS program, popularly known as "Cash for Clunkers," reports that the top four clunkers being dumped are Ford Explorers, and top new vehicles being bought are mostly foreign-made economy cars like the Toyota Corolla and the Prius.



Cash for Clunkers (Yahoo)

Is it the death of the SUV? Well, not quite. Edmunds challenged the numbers, pointing out that if you count simply by make and model, instead of treating each configuration (e.g., 2WD and 4WD) separately, the top vehicle purchased is actually another SUV, the Ford Escape, and two pickup trucks actually made the top-10 list.



Analyst disputes top replacements for clunkers (Toledo Blade)

Edmunds: DOT’s Cash for Clunkers Top Ten List Gets It Wrong

Well, it is a bit smaller.

Valencia Hit-and-Run Suspect Arrested

Many other blogs have covered the story of Andrew Bennett, who was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding with his 4-year-old son on July 1. The driver was reportedly talking on a cell phone, and ran a red light.

The good news in this story is that a suspect was just arrested by the SFPD.

Hopefully the medical costs of Andrew's injuries won't break his family, and he'll be able to work again. I suppose we should simply be glad he and his son are alive at all.

No props to the Chron on this one, sadly: not only did they not cover the story, but actually published several anti-cyclist Letters to the Editor on the days following.

I'm especially impressed with this comment of Andrew's:

"... even if you ride a little bit around the city it makes you feel really good. I really miss the best way to move in San Francisco."

Amen.

Soft Rain: Detroit goes Feral

The photographer James Griffioen has been documenting the beautiful waste that is Detroit: abandoned homes and workplaces being reclaimed by vegetation.


This photo in particular reminded me of Sarah Teasdale's poem, "There will come soft rain":

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly.
And Spring herself when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

What has this got to do with biking? Nothing. Oh wait, there's a biker in one of the photos.

Road Rage Redux

Another place not to go riding: Naperville, IL.

A 67-year-old tried to run over a kid on a BMX bike, got the bike wedged onto her car, and fled the scene. Just look at those dead eyes -- this lady would as soon kill you as look at you.

I love the air-quotes around 'intentionally', as though the editor were audibly sneering at the kid's version of the story.

Driver Shoots Bicyclist, Film At 11

A guy is out bicycling with his wife, and their three-year-old kid in a child seat. A driver argues with him about "child safety," and SHOOTS HIM IN THE HEAD. Well, that's showing him!

After three readings, I'm still puzzled by this story. If you actually care about a guy keeping his kid safe, how do you end up deciding that shooting him is the thing to do? It doesn't make sense. So I think it's basically all bullshit.

This is what I think actually happened. The bicyclist did something that pissed off the driver. The driver went berserk and shot him in a fit of road rage. Then the newspaper BENT OVER BACKWARD trying to justify it:

• He's a firefighter! Those guys are HEROES! 9/11!
  
• He was concerned about the child's safety!
• Hey, it was a busy street!
• And anyway, he didn't kill the guy -- his helmet stopped the bullet! Maybe it was just a warning shot!
  

So he was arrested for attempted murder, and is now out on bail, enjoying "paid administrative leave" (i.e., vacation).

What did I learn? Never, ever try to go on a family bike ride in Asheville, NC.

Oh, and WEAR YOUR HELMET!

Today's Sightings

In the Park Panhandle: a girl with ketchup-red, waist-length hair, pushing a Papasan chair down the path in a baby carriage. This thing is SIX FEET WIDE at least, and takes up most of the path.

Moving day?

Found it abandoned on the sidewalk, and decided to bring it home?

Another Cacophony Society impromptu drive-in movie?

On Kezar: a teenage Goth, complete with eyeflop jet-black hair, black t-shirt, black shorts, and black Chuck Taylors with skulls, dribbling a basketball.

Solemnly.