bike lessons from David Byrne in Atlanta

So in the midst of bike month, we also have the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) here visiting the ATL. I'm not exactly sure how they picked our fair city given our regular struggles with massive sprawl, as neatly wrapped up in this video, but hey, the Census shows folks are moving back into the city, so that has to be good, right?

Anywho, our music buddy David Byrne is here in Atlanta with CNU to give us a few cycling lessons. Not sure how he became the expert, but he is a damn fine musician who rides a bike in New York and wrote an entertaining book about it - Bicycle Diaries. Check out his interview and video with the NY Times where he talks about the beauty of riding a bike in the city. Gotta love how he set up that nice basket on front of his bike to hold his helmet.




Next Wednesday evening, May 19, he'll be on stage to enlighten us, and he'll be joined by a few other local experts, including Charles Brewer - the developer of Glenwood Park, a frequent Zone 6 Pedalers haunt. $25 in advance tickets doesn't seem so bad. Anyone going to check it out? Here's more info.

May is Bike Month!

Hey Zone 6 P'rs, May is Bike Month, and that means it's time for us to celebrate the toys/tools/vehicles that get us off our lazy asses and out seeing the city in a whole new way. There are some super cool bike-themed happenings going on around town in the next few weeks, and I personally think they're worth some Z6P presence.

May 16-21 - Bike to Work (etc) Week The whole week, darnit!

May 18 - BikeFest at Woodruff Park from 11a-1p. A gathering of cyclists and others downtown taking over the park.

May 21 - Bike to Work Day. Register here to participate. Okay, so if you can't make the whole week, this is your day!

May 23 - Atlanta Streets Alive. This will be Atlanta's first ever ciclovia! Don't know what that is? Well, then you should definitely check it out. This event is being put on by both Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Atlanta Street Food Coalition - they're taking over downtown streets for play time, and this means absolutely no cars! The streets will be filled with food, other vendors, street performances and more. Some of the same folks behind Artichoke Bliss (the guerilla garden on Edgewood) are behind this event.



Let's get some Zone 6 Pedaler action going for the month of May!

Twelveth Gathering - Young Augustine / Cotton-Enzor Residence

Enticed by the interesting gastropub menu and vast beer selection featured at new newly minted Young Augustine's on Memorial Drive - we Z6P'ed it. That's just what we do.

Breaking with past tradition of patronizing public houses, we chose instead to hang around the fire pit at Kelly and Dave's place, and ultimately, their kitchen.

Eleventh Gathering - Porter/Kavarna/Universal Joint

There is very little evidence of what occurred during the eleventh gathering of the Z6P on March 3rd. All we know is that the storm started at the Porter, tore through Kavarna in Oakhurst, and spiraled out of control at Universal Joint. Perhaps the lack of photos is for the best.

Tenth Gathering - Across the Street / Bookhouse Pub

We had a balmy October night for our tenth gathering - as you can see by the summer clothes worn here outside the Mexican restaurant Across the Street. We were also happy to have Andrea and Marco (from Italy) join the Z6P for the first time.



From Across the Street we rode along the Freedom Park bike path across the Carter Center, down Ponce for a few blocks and over to the Bookhouse Pub. We were impressed with their outdoor tiki-themed deck, where we hung out for a while until Matt G noticed that doppler radar on this phone showed an impending storm - at which point we all bolted in various directions.

Ninth Gathering - 529/Noni's/Miso/Milltown Arms

Gary, Brian and I started things off on the patio at the 529. Band's were just loading in, and the place was pretty empty, which meant we were able to quickly knock back a few beers without any hassles. No photos document this magnificent chaper in Z6P history. From their we cycled through Glenwood Park, Reynoldstown, and into the Forth Ward via the Krog St Tunnel where we met up with Andy, Molly the eventually the rest of the gang at Noni's. Above you can see us brightening the dingy alley next to Noni's with our Z6P spirit.




At some point we got a wild hair for late night sushi and sake, so we stopped into Miso on Edgewood. We were the last people in the door, but they gave us great service and the food/drink was fantastic. Had my favorite sake of all time there, but I can't recall the name (big surprise). After Miso, a few of us rode over to the Milltown Arms in Cabbagetown for some completely unnecessary late night whisky. Good times!

8th Gathering - The Standard / The Earl

Santiago had the idea for a ride last friday, which we started at the Standard. Above Santiago and Tim consult with Natasha (from St Pete, Russia) on the finer points of Z6P culture, since this was her first ride with us.


Shortly after this photo of Bree contemplating life was taken, we all headed off to the Earl through the neighborhood of Grant Park... it was quite lovely to see the gang ride in formation.

As soon as we arrived at the Earl there was a massive downpour. We tried to wait it out while listening to Ponderosa and Tom Collins in the back room, but it keep comin' down.

Eventually I went and got my van for safe transport home... not sure if that's cheating.