I'm Back! Let The Indifferent Shrugging Commence.

You'll be thrilled, nonplussed, or indifferent to learn that I'm now back from Portland, having stepped off the redeye mere hours ago and currently fighting off sleep as I type this.  It was a fruitful journey, and while I've visited numerous times now it was the first time I've experienced the city in summer, and the effect was rather beguiling.  The sunny skies and warm temperatures were also conducive to bicycle cycling, and I was able to steal away on more than one occasion astride the Specialized Diverge I rented from River City Bicycles:

The bike served me very well, and in particular the Shimano Tiagra was something of a revelation.  It's the newest Shimano stuff I've used aside from the Di2 on the Renovo, and in addition to having the same lever shape it shifts nearly as well.  It's genuinely hard to see what you gain from more expensive components, except I guess an extra gear--though frankly I can't tell the difference between 10 and 11 speed without counting the cogs.

There was also the exciting moment when the Steel Bridge opened for a passing boat:

And some guy scurried right up the girders:

See?

He then disappeared into a hatch in the roadway above:

Indeed, Portland has some tenacious vagrants.  (Or maybe it was some viral Nike parkour thing, I really have no idea.)

Even more tenacious are the gentrifiers, and I saw not one:

But two luxury bicycle-themed apartment buildings within blocks of each other:

None of which is to say Portland is failing to live up to its reputation; indeed, the dream of the '90s is still alive and well there, especially when it comes to show flyers:

At first glance all the fliers appear identical, but upon closer inspection there are in fact subtle differences:

I find it amazing that there are people who can not only discern these differences but also find significance in them, even though decades ago I myself was one such person.

Anyway, you'd think my now they'd have run out of morbid-sounding similes but clearly they have not.

But of all the things there are to love about Portland, few are more endearing than Bloody Marys with bacon in them:

Thank you, Portland, for your gracious hospitality.  You certainly know how to live.

from Bike Snob NYC https://ift.tt/2L6qCek