I managed to accomplish more with this than I expected. Normally I would just run to the next sector and get mowed down on the way there.
Fun game. It has some serious flaws that I hope get worked out.
Category: Hobbies
Tour de Bronx 2024
I think the last time we took part in this event was in 2019. Or 2018. Probably 2018, because we did the Bronx 10 Mile Run in 2019 so we probably trained for that instead. Last time, we chose the 25 mile route and wound up out by Pelham Bay Park, but we haven’t been doing as much riding so we went with the 10 mile route this time instead. We’re forever trying to find time to get back into the shape we were in before COVID lock-downs happened.
The Tour de Bronx was very good for a free event. There were a lot of conflicts between the emails they sent out and the event website, like whether people could use Citibikes, how many free event t-shirts were available, and even what time the event was starting. Start times for the three routes weren’t announced until around 2 AM the day of the event. That’s poor planning. Plus, the roads were open to vehicle traffic. Weirdest of all, the 10 mile route was only 7.5 miles.
However, there were trailing vehicles, including a pickup truck and an ambulance. There were route marshals at key junctions, the route was marked on the road with spray paint, and the route was available to follow in the Ride With GPS app. There were also free refreshments at the end of the course. Plus, the weather was perfect for riding and the other riders were friendly and helpful. We even made two new friends that we’re looking forward to seeing at next year’s Tour de Bronx.
Hopefully next year we’ll be back to doing the 25 mile route.
Summer Streets Bronx
The event was kind of sad and empty. I did my Summer Streets Bronx ride on the last day of Summer Streets at almost the last hour (Sunday August 25th at 1 PM), so maybe attendance was down, but I also did my Summer Streets Manhattan ride on the last day of that event at literally the last hour and the route was jam packed with people until past the end of the event.
In comparison, Grand Concourse was pretty barren and most of the people who were there were clustered around the two southern event hubs listening to music and sitting around in camp chairs while their kids chalked the road or looked at their phones. I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s nothing that can’t be done in one of the nearby parks or on the corner of the block like you’d see on any regular Sunday afternoon in the Bronx.
It seems like people in the Bronx missed the point. Or it could just be that there was less to see along the route, which was truncated from the original planned route of of 165th Street to Mosholu Parkway to just East Tremont to Mosholu Parkway, so there was less interest. Grand Concourse just isn’t that interesting, especially compared to riding your bike down the center of Manhattan, right through the Financial District, and then onto the Brooklyn Bridge if you want. At least not to me, anyway. I wasn’t too thrilled with the Bronx 10 Mile run route, which covered a lot of the same ground back in 2019. The Tour de Bronx bike ride was really fun, though, because you got to experience more of the borough, and to me it feels like Bronx Summer Streets should have offered at least a taste of the same.
It was hard to say no to the Bronx route since we live nearby. Still, I kind of wish we’d driven down to Brooklyn and checked out the last day of Summer Streets for that borough instead, but I guess that will have to wait until next year.
In the meantime, there are plenty of bike routes in and around the city to enjoy. The old rail trail running north out of Van Cortlandt park is a good example, and I’ve still never ridden along the south Brooklyn waterfront.
Great radio!
“the Kurosagi corpse delivery service”
I borrowed volume one of this from the library. I was hoping it would be a more complex manga with more mature (not pornographic) themes, but I was disappointed. The story just isn’t very complex or interesting and I have no interest in the characters after 200 pages. It just felt flat.
I’m going to try No.6 next. Hopefully that will be more entertaining. I’m also going to give One Piece a try, considering how entertaining the Netflix live adaptation was. It’s a long one, though!
Fun in the sun today, out riding
We parked on Riverside Drive and then rode up and down the Hudson River Greenway this afternoon. It was nice to get outside and feel the sun. The riverfront was packed with people, which was great because one of the best things about riding in New York City is people watching. It’s kind of weird when you pass someone else doing the same thing, though, because you both look at each other as you go by. It’s nice to see so many people out picnicking or just sitting in the shade and reading or talking. I wish I had more time to just sit and enjoy the day like that, so I’m glad we’re taking advantage of the time we have. Especially with this being New York City, where summers are way too short.
We saw one of the red tailed hawks sitting on a railing at Riverbank State Park. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the same ones that hatched in Washington Square Park that had that live video feed from NYU a few years ago. I’d seen one of them previously in a small park on Fort Washington Avenue called J. Hood Wright Park. It was eating a rat or a squirrel or something. Today, the hawk had a tuft of fur or cotton in its mouth when we first saw it. I moved in slowly to take a few pictures. I didn’t want to spook it, or get attacked by it. It got tired of being eyeballed, though and took off.
It was a beautiful day with beautiful weather. I’m sad the weekend is over.
Diablo IV updated impressions
This game is dark and the scenery is amazing. The characters are fairly well done, both in terms of complexity and voice acting. I’m enjoying it, but I feel like it doesn’t have the same impact as Diablo III, somehow. It doesn’t have the same grim feeling. Maybe I’ve just consumed too much media for it to have the same impact?
I hit level 51 now, so I’m getting Paragon points, and I’m working my way through the main story. I’m on Act III now. I want to finish the storyline and then move up to higher tiers of difficulty. I’d also like to get through the main storyline before Season 1 starts. I wonder if it’s going to be the same as seasons in Diablo III.
My main gripe with the game so far is that the cosmetic designs in the game Shop seem really uninspired and not worth the money, except for the Ranger, but I don’t play Ranger so I’m out of luck. Maybe that’s a good thing. I’m sure my wallet is thankful that the armor designers have no imagination.
Rediscovering cycling with folding bikes
Moving to the Bronx was the right move at the time, but it came with some costs. One of those costs was the inconvenience of having to go somewhere else to do anything and everything, because let’s face it, the Bronx isn’t really that fun or friendly a place, and that’s especially true for bike riding.
That wasn’t so much of an issue when we had a car with a bike rack, but thanks to someone who slammed into it while it was parked and totaled it, we have a new car with no hitch and no rack. Between that and the pandemic, our outings to go cycling basically came to an end for quite a while.
Then we discovered folding bikes that actually ride well. We can throw them in the trunk of the car, pull them out, unfold them and be riding in less time than it used to take me to strap up our full sized bikes onto the old Allen rack we had. Granted, folding bikes have different capabilities and limitations, but it’s opened the door for us to get outside and do something we both enjoy again.
We went out riding around in Edgewater, NJ on Sunday before having lunch and getting groceries
There are some great views of New York City from the waterfront there. I particularly enjoy seeing the old piers mixed in with the new ones. Some are only visible at low tide.
Solid start for Diablo IV
Man, I think I’m going to enjoy this one even more than Diablo III. The graphics look a lot better, the storytelling has been great so far, and I’m enjoying that they put in the effort to have so much voiced dialogue. I’ve tried all of the character types except the sorcerer, and so far my favorite is the necromancer.
The intro to the game was great too. It had some serious The Last of Us vibes in the first encounter with people.
I also like the MMO elements, where you run into random players while out in the world. That’s a nice touch.
You can keep Legend of Zelda. This is the game I’m going to be putting time into.
Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog 