Today I finally got on my bike again after not riding all week (except briefly on Monday to NWH). I did pretty much the same ride as last Sunday except riding on the Watertown/Cambridge side of the Charles all the way both down and back.
As I was riding, I realized that this ride is very similar to the bike commute Dad used to do back in the 70s when he worked in Cambridge. I thought of the drawings we made of him riding his bike to work and I remembered that the one I drew was of him riding past what is now the Arsenal Mall but at the time was the actual arsenal building that was abandoned and had lots of broken windows. Here's a picture of me at the same spot where I drew him riding when I was little.
5 comments:
Wow, I didn't even know dad used to ride a bike to work. What do you think his average mph was?
Yeah, he did. It was probably during the gas shortage. He worked on Brattle St. with Mr. Redman. Given the jalopy he rode, his mph was probably about 4! I don't think speed was one of Dad's concerns.
I saw Chuck Redman in Harvard Yard about 2 months ago apparently giving some woman an architectural tour. Wierd, because as far as I know he lives and teaches in Tempe, Arizona for the last 20 years or something.
I do, however, remember both the bike and your drawing.
I think it was long before the gas shortages. I think it was because we only had one car then. I have only the vaguest recollections of him riding the bike, but I do remember driving along arsenal st to take him to work & pick him up. I remember drawing the pictures (because I wasn't sure how to spell "Prudential") and referring to the arsenal as the "broken-down bronco bruce." I believe there was a song about it. That place used to be pretty scary. The bike was white. A little bit off-white actually. Although maybe he got that bike later. Mom had a brown one.
I remember that cream colored bike too but I think he had a red one before that and then maybe he got a new(er) one and mom got the brown one.
You're probably right that his bike riding had more to do with us having only one car and mom needing it during the day. When he worked downtown he took the train, of course.
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