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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Perspective

Doing the same rides over and over each week can get pretty boring and repetative. So tonight I thought I'd mix it up a bit and head out on the fixie. I even managed to talk Emily into joining me for a night time ride through the city.

I may own a fixie, but I am no hipster. I'm not rolling around in my skinny jeans and tight shirt- it's summer! Instead, I donned the casual shorts and shirt, whacked on a super bright light and headed out.



Its been a while since I have ridden at night and I had forgotten a few things. Firstly, there is a heck of a lot less traffic on the roads. Secondly, there is no sun so it is a heck of a lot cooler too. With everyone already home from work, there is no one else on the bike paths trying to win the 'Bikeway 500'.



We cruised around the bike paths and headed through Kangaroo Point and over the Story Bridge. Despite having ridden the exact same route countless number of times, everything seemed different. Not being focused on getting from A to B meant that I was able to enjoy the surrounds for once and with strategically positioned lights everywhere, I noticed a lot more than usual.



The buildings were all lit up like Christmas trees and it was like looking into a doll house as you could see everything that was going on inside each room. People still sitting at their desks, people watching TV, people preparing dinner and even people preparing to have a shower! I wonder if they realise just how open they are to the outside world when their lights are on at night!



After the Story Bridge, we rolled along the water front and into Eagle Street Pier. It felt like we were riding straight through the middle of a fancy restaurant as we passed through Jade Buddah and Groove Train resaurants that were surprisingly busy for a week night.

After passing by all the love birds sitting on the benches in the Botanical Gardens, we headed up over the Green Bridge and back towards home. We stopped briefly at the top to soak up some of the cool night time breeze and enjoy the view. The city is very different at night and I rarely get the chance to appreciate it. It was good to get another perspective on a common ride.

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