Bike Dérive – Prototype #9

I did my ninth dérive of New York City today. I started this edition in Manhattan, and I made a conscious decision to head West, but despite my best efforts to head in that direction, I ended up in Queens. Details of my trip are:

Start Date/Time: 04.12.2009 / 12:08:26 EST
Duration: 2hr 35min
Distance: 23.1 km / 7.45 mi
http://gpsed.com/track/5278031126518140522

Here is a series of photographs I took while on the dérive. These buildings caught my attention and reflect the surrounding neighborhoods:

Today felt like a reward for the previous dérive because yesterday afternoon’s ride was rough. The road was choppy, the security was tight, and I felt unwelcome. Today was a beautiful ride that felt relatively effortless. When I felt hungry, one of the best food and coffee stops I’ve made during this whole project (Greenpoint Coffee House) was right there. When I wanted to take a picture, it seemed like the traffic and the sun were cooperating.

Today also was the first time I thought about how these rides feel similar to a movie. Even though I am moving through the urban spaces, it feels as though I am stationary and the bike is just a seat (or the gateway) to see the city as it moves around me. But the landscape (besides the construction sites) are the only things that are not moving, while we constantly wander around it.

But then I felt it was more like simple game play. I ride around, control the movements with the handle bars, the more I pedal….the farther I advance through the board. I snap photographs of the environment for later analysis and reflection. There is no real end, but it usually involves an alarm I set before I start the ride to remind me I need to head to a real destination like class. I would say I’m having fun but better descriptions would be puzzled, frightened, ecstatic, euphoric, and freaked-out.