More Adventurous:
I got a bug in me after I found out that Rilo Kiley's new album was released several weeks ago. I ended up hopping on my bike and riding to Best Buy in New York, on 86th and Lexington. Going there I took the scenic route, 12 miles, but took a more direct route back, 9 miles. Contrast that to where I lived in San Francisco, where a ride to Best Buy was 3/4 of a mile, and are you kidding me? I wouldn't even consider buying a CD at Best Buy. I'd ride the 3 and a half miles to Amoeba. Needless to say, there is nothing like Amoeba around here.

It's a pretty good album. It's par for them. That is to say the best material on the album is probably the best new material I'll hear this year, but the lesser material, like on their previous albums, just don't hit the mark. It remains to be seen whether I'll like this album better than "Execution of All Things". Blake is singing even less on this album, so apparently they haven't found my online advice that they do something ballsy like having an album on which Blake does all the lead vocals. This is despite my loving Jenny Lewis's voice, and Jenny Lewis, and wanting to have like a million of her babies.

So that's too bad. It's the total opposite of Rainer Maria, where the less Kyle Fischer sings, the better. Dude, a cracking voice isn't "character". But I can't cut on peoples' vocal abilities. My vocal range is about five notes, but I end up singing around 27 notes once you factor in the unintended microtones.

Nine miles to Best Buy on the East Side! That's probably closer than either of the Best Buys in Paramus, and is a safer ride since New Jersey drivers are too confounded seeing "bi-cycles" to avoid hitting them or having near-misses. It's just that weird psychological barrier thinking that riding into Manhattan is a big deal and so far. Central Park was closed to cars today, and that made it super nice riding in the park. In general, Central Park is too overwhelming for me to like more than Golden Gate Park, but when there's no car traffic, it's dreamy.

The route I took home was a new one, riding to the north end of Central Park and getting on St. Nicholas which is bike laned all the way up until it hits Broadway right near where I get off anyway to cross the GW Bridge. It's a great route if you don't mind riding through Harlem and Spanish Harlem, and I'm not sure I don't. The bike lanes are almost meaningless, because I don't know what sort of business goes on in those areas, but cars are standing in the bike lane for pretty much the entire stretch.

("don't know what sort of business goes on in those areas", indeed!)