I Want to Ride My Bicycle

David Byrne (NYTimes)

Bikes are so in right now. As much as it makes me cringe hearing, "gas is $4 a gallon" (enough already, we all know!), but bikes have become a problem solver to this crisis. The U.S. is catching on to the way of Amsterdam (if you've been there you'll know what i'm talking about) and cycling is becoming more than just your vacation outing or childhood social activity. As a week-end resident of Dewey Beach, I can testify myself that biking is the way to get around. It not only helps me feel less guilty about overindulging in Fischer's caramel popcorn, but also saves me the 8390402 dollars I'd throw into the parking meter in Rehoboth.

Besides the tangent I just went off on for a bit, there's an artist up in New York that just loves to bike. His name is David Byrne and he is also an artist. If you're ever in the Lower East Side or Brooklyn you may catch this tall, lanky man riding around town. He's become so passionate about biking and this passion has caused him to really think about the role that cycling plays in urban life. Recently he's been making moves in Manhattan with commissioners to put a stop to this traffic madness of cars.

These moves have led him to be asked by the Department of Transportation to judge a bike rack design competition for the city. He agreed of course, but couldn't help submitting some ideas of his own. A little sketchy (no pun intended) right? Well, the Dept. of Transportation liked them so much, they went ahead and installed them before the competition was even over. Therefore, he could still continue in his capacity as a judge and his designs would be placed throughout the city. His designs are different icons of Manhattan's neighborhoods. Some of them are:
“The Jersey”: A Car near the Lincoln tunnel.
“The Wall Street”: a dollar sign in the Wall Street section
“The Hipster”: a guitar in Brooklyn
“The MoMa": a modern abstraction near the museum
“The Coffee Cup”: by the Hungarian Pastry Shop in Morningside Heights
“The Villager”: a dog in Greenwich Village
“The Ladies’ Mile”: a single high-heeled shoe, cooling its heel outside Bergdorf Goodman.

The Jersey (NYTimes)
If you're in the city check these out, the finalists for the contest have been posted also. You can see some other awesome racks. http://nycityracks.wordpress.com/

Oh and P.S.: Always wear a helmet!