Saving the World on LaSalle Street
I’m pleased to once again bring you a fantastically artsy post with a true bicycle flair. Here’s this week’s ride as seen through the eyes of @soozed.
LaSalle Street
by Suzanne Deveney
I love to wake up early on Sunday morning and ride into downtown.
For a brief moment in time, these streets − most often the domain of skillful bike messengers, weekday commuters, and hordes of taxicabs − are mine and mine alone.
At this time of the morning, the city feels like a Hollywood movie set. The lifeless empty buildings seem unreal, and I often think if I peeked through the windows I would see wooden boards holding up the façade.
The city feels completely different before everyone awakes. It’s peaceful and quiet, disturbed only by the occasional rumble of the El trains and the rhythmic hum of my tires on the pavement.
I ride down the center of these streets, like the lone surviving hero in that Hollywood movie.
Just a girl and her bike, left to save the world.
Something I have always wanted to do (ride in the city with the streets empty). FEEL the presence of this amazing place.
Love this.
In the mid 80’s I had moved from small town Alaska to the Bay Area and was tackling the constant culture shock by just being curious and constantly exploring my surroundings. Quite often I would take my 10-speed bike on BART (the light rail system) from my home in the East Bay into San Francisco or Oakland and ride around the cities. Venturing into the Financial Districts that were all but deserted on the
weekends I remember having these same experiences, it was such a surreal feeling of ‘ghost town’ except everything is modern (enter scene’s from a number of sci-fi movies…) I remember the silence being exceptionally eerie, on streets that were so noisy on any other day you couldn’t carry on a conversation there was nothing but the sounds of the pigeon’s, my own breathing and skinny tires
on the asphalt…
I don’t recall feeling too much like a superhero though, maybe I’ll try that next time-
It’s cool that we have similar experiences. The city is so different at “off-times”… love riding then.
And you can do it, too.
The early morning does indeed have it’s own special magic. Thanks for the post and picture.
Good way to put it. Thanks Bob
Completely beautiful in every way. Any cyclist who has experience the magic you describe in this post knows how incredible it feels. Thanks for brining all of us there to LaSalle street with you.
Darryl
Thanks for the opportunity to share