City Dweller

I've entered this new world
known to some as "downtown";
It is a place that never sleeps and
where opportunity is found.

This foreign land exists in distances
measured in city blocks,
Where ferns grow in between bricks
and roots twist the sidewalks.

At night the crushed glass on blacktop
mimics the night sky,
the rough beauty abound often
missed by the untrained eye.

In this place, porches are made
for sitting and neighbors talk;
Gardens overflow with flowers,
tomatoes and beanstalks.

The buildings form a patchwork quilt
sewn by decades of history,
Its residents recalling the changes
through stories told from memory.

Streets were planned at angles that
catch the ocean breeze;
The paths shaded by the graceful
limbs of ancient live oak trees.

Church bells and car radios
provide the soundtrack,
while horse carriage tours
dispense disputable facts.

Gullah men make palm roses
while the women weave baskets,
the tourists struggling to
understand their thick geechee accents.

Yet the best part of this place
is that everything is close;
Making it easier to live with
the car-free life I've chosen.

It is safe to say that I am
very happy living here.
Now that I am in this place
I hope to stay for years.

Bike Month

http://thedigitel.com/news/national-bike-month-here-3941-0505

Living Downtown

I have now been living in downtown for almost two months and loving every minute. Being able to bike to class in under 5 minutes without breaking a sweat is amazing and now I have the farmers market, grocery store, central bus station, bank, post office, doctor, restaurants, bars and hardware store all with-in a mile radius of my place. I have even started hoarding bikes so that when friends come to visit we don't have to drive anywhere! (You can see them all hanging out on my porch in the picture to the left.)

Now that I am out of West Ashley, living car-free is a lot easier, but sticking to my strict helmet and closed toed shoe policy is getting harder. When most of my rides are less than a mile down side-streets, it hard not to just hop straight on my bike with my flip-flops and let my hair blow in the wind. Since this month is National Bike Month It is a good time to remember the importance of bike safety and setting a good example for other bikers. Here is a short video to reinforce my point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ibDFCncmDM

I will posting an article in the next day or two about how to get involved in bicycling here in Charleston on the digitel.com, so keep a look out!