River and I land paddling in Miami Beach

I gave away my skateboard (named River) to a friend who I know will use it well. For years, River has been my companion – together we cruised around new places and made acquaintances along the way.

Giving my skateboard away is like letting go of my youth and officially entering adulthood. I no longer have time to take River out for a stroll and even if I do, I can no longer ride it with ease as I get more conscious about the stigma towards skateboarders.

A similar stigma is true for bus riders as well. How did judging people based on their preferred mode of mobility become so embedded in our society?

#transportation #travel

View Bicycle Diaries – NYC gallery

Of all the attractions NYC has to offer, Washington Square Park remains as one of my favorites. It is just so full of life – a space where both strangers and familiar people connect via a game, music, or the arts. Indeed the best things in life are free, and the city can facilitate for such experience to occur by providing welcoming communal spaces where social activities thrive.

Thank you, Jane Jacobs, for fighting for this gem of a park. Just imagine, if Robert Moses won the battle, this space would have been an expressway packed with cars!

#transportation #travel