The Return of Mike the Bike

I packed up most of my belongings, including my bike, in late May. Once my pallet arrived in Boston, I took my bike to the shop for a full tune-up, and to be put back together. I'd removed the front wheel, pedals, handlebars, and seat for the trip out here. I also broke my rear view mirror, so I needed a new one. The bike shop has a week and a half lag time, so my bike was finally ready today, July 2. I checked the weather report before I left: hour by hour, it was going to be partly cloudy this afternoon (that's foreshadowing). My plan was to pick up my bike, then ride to the State Building for a rally to get a global warming bill passed. At the bike shop, my bike was brought up from the back, and the mirror was wrapped in my bungee cords to the rack on the rear of the bike. Not really where it's most useful, so I took it to the work space at the back of the shop to be installed. The customer service in this place is not great to begin with, but someone did sort of acknowledge that the mirror should have been installed for me. One of the guys attempted to, but realized the mirror was designed for a wider-diameter handlebar. It wouldn't fit in the opening, so I had two options: I could have one of their inferior mirrors, or they could order another of the kind I wanted, which would arrive in just over a week. I wasn't impressed with these guys, and wanted a mirror sooner than that, so I found out a couple of other nearby bike shops. Out the door and off to the rally. I got about ten minutes away when my pedal came off. Thankfully, I was in a place where I could safely stop. I retrieved the pedal and walked back to the bike shop. I'll interrupt my rant to tell you about Commonwealth Avenue. It's lined with lovely brownstones, but lovelier than the ones I've seen before. I have the impression that this is where the founding families of Boston had, and still have, homes. There's a wide median, lined with trees and benches, and a walkway in the middle, peppered with statues. It's like a long park in the middle of the street. So I biked up it, then walked back down it, back to the bike shop. The pedal was put back on, and I had them check the safety of the other pedal and the front wheel. I hope to find a better bike shop soon. I'll need to get a mirror, but I won't go back there! On the road again, to the rally. There were speakers and a nice sized crowd, and afterwards, I got talking with a fellow who'd been listening also. We talked comfortably, about Boston and such, for a good twenty minutes, and then it started to rain. Just sprinkles at first, but then hard enough to move us under a tree. That held for a bit, then we joined half a dozen other people in a doorway alcove across the street. The rain wasn't stopping, so eventually we headed out and I got back on my bike. I was pretty wet, so a few blocks later, I found an awning from a restaurant and caught my breath. I took out one of my pocket guidebooks (They're perfect; thanks again to Sara and Lauren), and looked for a restaurant or coffee shop nearby. Claps of thunder were so loud, they caused me to jump! I found Tealuxe, a tea shop where I could keep an eye on my bike and warm up. You can't warm up very thoroughly in wet clothes and shoes, so when I'd finished my tea and about half of a scone, it was still raining, but I got back on the road. By the time I finally got home, my toes were pruny and I was thankful my apartment was cozy from being closed up all day. Not the best day to re-enter the biking world, but I saw different parts of the city, had an interesting conversation, and now I have Mike the Bike back. I suppose it was only a matter of time before I saw a rain storm from a different perspective than out my window...