tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37609943621502114222012-01-31T11:27:39.538Zquestioning America's monogamous commitment to the automobileAnna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-87054157047234731902011-10-19T11:57:00.016Z2011-10-19T13:10:23.249Z

I recently returned from a shoot with the ACLU in Alabama where I was documenting the impact of the state's new draconian immigration law. You can check out these stories on the ACLU's website, but what I wanted to take this space to comment on how the new law has made legal transportation a near-impossibility for undocumented immigrants in the state.While some aspects of this new immigration law

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-31081405164922685122011-10-05T16:23:00.017Z2011-10-05T17:12:14.746Z

Check out the stain caused by the diesel emissions on the side of Christie's warehouse. Eww!Back in May, Joel Weinberg, the manager at Christie's Fine Art Storage in Red Hook, assured me that Christie's would only be running their "temporary" "emergency" generator another four to five months.Nearly six months later, the generator is still here, burning through 40 gallons of diesel an hour, 24

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-21041574503585767942011-10-05T12:44:00.008Z2011-10-05T12:55:51.430Z

I edited together this video that streamed live during "Love Night" last Friday at the BMW Guggenheim Lab co-hosted by one of my favorite orgs - Project for Public Spaces. From the event description: New insights in brain science suggest that we are hard-wired for altruism and trust—even among strangers. We invite neuroscientist Paul Zak, psychologist Emanuele Castano, and Kio Stark of NYU’s

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-53438628114238819712011-07-12T12:14:00.004Z2011-07-12T12:27:12.601Z

A video from my most recent car-less travels out to my home coast.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-81414004735956908992011-06-12T17:45:00.003Z2011-06-12T18:06:22.367Z

I'm posting to promote a fundraising campaign for my latest film project about my family's farm in Indiana and my efforts to reconcile my interest in promoting local, more sustainable food production with the reality of the commodity crop agriculture in the Midwest.Mumford FarmsIn a world obsessed with local food production, is there a future for my family’s corn and soybeans farm in Southern

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-19460189814426233062011-06-01T12:36:00.005Z2011-06-01T12:48:30.117Z

From a previous life, a bass amp speaker cabinet had been sitting around our studio for the last two years. Finally, it was admitted that it probably wouldn't be used again for it's intended purpose since the bass ended up in LA with former bandmate, so after a trip to Home Depot for a jigsaw saw, the conversion began.Now the cabinet is beginning its new life full of tomato, lettuce and squash

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-65913693358224130592011-05-25T12:08:00.003Z2011-05-25T12:10:19.323Z

It's a vintage Ross, stolen from in front of the Kamwo herbal pharmacy on Grand St.Any leads, let me know. My friend Teresa would be very happy to get it back.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-62439389177242256212011-05-20T19:56:00.002Z2011-05-20T20:03:35.110Z

Don't miss it!2011 Stanford Alumni Film FestA night of short films, drinks and socializing to celebrate Stanford's finest cinematic talentHosted by Stanford in Entertainment New YorkTUESDAY MAY 24th, 20116 p.m. Happy hour with two-for-one drinks7 p.m. Film screenings and filmmaker Q&As10 p.m. Afterparty with two-for-one drinksat: Katra217 Bowery Street (between Rivington and Stanton Streets)212-

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-25734399424208585222011-05-18T16:55:00.002Z2011-05-18T17:00:05.920Z

My friend Alyson recent had her bike stolen. If you see it around town, let us know.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-77964494601724477222011-05-16T17:33:00.003Z2011-05-16T17:39:35.084Z

My film is screening tonight at Hungry Filmmakers V at Anthology Film Archives in the East Village. From the Hungry Filmmakers website:Hungry Filmmakers V kicks off the spring season at Anthology Film Archives on May 16, with our latest installment of film screenings/discussions of seven unique, up-and-coming food-related films....The panel will be moderated by George C. Stoney, NYU Professor

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-1315318019884342622011-05-15T20:29:00.005Z2011-05-15T20:45:27.999Z

Letitia Productions' tech guru happened to bring his camera to the Rally to End Tourist Helicopter Noise in Brooklyn today at Pier 6. Here's a few highlights from the event.As someone who teaches yoga down on the Brooklyn waterfront over the summer, I have to comment that the helicopter noise this year has been particularly atrocious. For more information on the ongoing organizing against the

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-30190083591437860482011-05-15T00:12:00.003Z2011-05-15T00:25:40.916Z

I had a shoot for Letitia Productions in Peekskill today and figured I should post a photo of our out-of-NYC filming setup.We've had some pretty terrible luck with weather in the past - a rain/snow mix in April on the way to a shoot in Syracuse and monsoon rains on the way from New Haven to Sayville - but today we lucked out and only had a few sprinkles on our ride up the Hudson.Although as a

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-12694971319756799532011-05-13T17:45:00.009Z2011-05-13T18:21:41.057Z

Last weekend, my partner/technical adviser for Letitia Productions made me this fabulous Pelican pannier with Arkel (top) and Ortlieb (bottom) attachments.Now, rather than taking a cab or car service, I can bike to my shoots around NYC. (DSLR camera + sound equipment in the Pelican case, tripod, lights and cables in the Ortlieb bag).Maybe I should hop on the enviro-friendly bandwagon with a

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-31563435526616449922011-05-10T23:34:00.007Z2011-05-11T18:45:04.093Z

The bad news: A new permit (issued May 9th) appeared at the Christie's generator today, giving them permission to operate the generator continuously until April 2012.The better news: Yesterday, I got a call from Joel Wienberg, the general manager at the Christie's Fine Arts Storage Services, and he assured me that he is just as unhappy as I about the fact that Christie's is using the diesel

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-30113091610443732082011-05-09T21:00:00.007Z2011-05-11T18:44:44.827Z

This photo of local Red Hook residents in front of Christie's constantly-running diesel generator was taken on Sunday afternoon.The generator, which is only permitted to be used as an emergency backup, instead is being used to provide cheap power to Christie's Red Hook, Brooklyn warehouse and has been running continuously for the last year. (According to its recently posted permit, this generator

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-58621775076862500992011-05-04T20:52:00.014Z2011-05-11T18:44:30.905Z

Since last April, Christie's has operated a very large and very loud diesel generator outside their Red Hook, Brooklyn warehouse.Here's a video of what we're talking about.The generator was originally operated under a temporary construction permit (image 1), but after construction was completed (and all the DOB construction permits came down) the generator kept running. The temporary permit

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-1209025063320529162011-04-16T22:52:00.005Z2011-04-16T23:05:11.656Z

On my walk home today I noticed some fresh white paint at the intersection of Summit and Columbia Streets in Carroll Gardens West.Two weeks ago, a pedestrian was killed by a van while crossing Columbia Street at this intersection.It's truly tragic that it took a death to get some paint on the ground.My partner and I have called this intersection (which has always been a four-way stop) the "

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-43174710885669517882011-03-19T23:53:00.004Z2011-03-20T00:07:11.076Z

I just returned from a great (but chilly) ride on the Washington Secondary Bike Path, one of the rail-to-trail bike paths in the greater Providence area. Riding for miles and miles of car-free and rarely intersected tarmac makes the Prospect Park loop seem pretty boring by comparison. Wish NYC had more of these, though I guess if they did exist they'd be too crowded to be very enjoyable.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-67453894051097149272011-03-17T23:12:00.009Z2011-03-18T13:44:25.655Z

I got a new bike this week and I'm already sort of in love. It's a steel-frame commuter bike - a 2009 Jamis Coda. Nothing about the bike was obviously sexy to me, but my husband found a really terrific deal on eBay, and it met all my specifications of being something light enough to ride around the city, but with a steel frame and low enough gears that I could use it for longer, fully loaded

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-14239737254146527552011-03-15T19:00:00.005Z2011-03-17T23:38:12.155Z

It's been a rough biking week for me. Last Wednesday, I got SUVd by an asshole speeding off the Brooklyn Bridge and turning left on Chambers. No signal, no stopping to check if I was okay, which I was, thankfully. My iPhone wasn't so fortunate. Then this morning I managed to break a spoke on my commute into midtown. Luckily, this didn't involve a crash, just a nasty unavoidable pothole. These

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-86507100947211996932011-03-08T00:09:00.004Z2011-03-08T00:25:02.098Z

I was completely blown away by the energy, the commitment and the diversity of the 600+ attendees at Just Food's 2011 CSA in NYC Conference this past weekend. Watch the video above to get inspired.There's a lot of interest in building a food economy in New York that's not based on the trucking of corn and soybean products from the Midwest. But can our efforts - both to preserve affordable

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-4734686316715142492011-02-23T05:13:00.004Z2011-02-23T05:18:16.928Z

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-8901495598102730092011-02-16T22:12:00.004Z2011-02-16T22:18:53.339Z

A short clip with highlights from the panelists at Food System NYC's Food Almanac Event on February 2. See more food policy videos at Letitia Productions.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-83523092776076755802011-02-15T00:44:00.004Z2011-02-15T00:52:50.071Z

I haven't commuted on my bike since before I left to go home for Christmas. Usually, I bike all winter, but it's been so snowy and ice-y this year, that I decided to play it safe (especially since I was going to London to teach yoga and I really didn't want to show up with a broken leg, or worse).But the giant snow drifts in my neighborhood (see photos of my street this evening) really started to

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-2523503418576164182011-02-10T01:30:00.010Z2011-02-10T02:53:03.777Z

I just got back from a trip to Europe where I spent a lot of time in London with quick visits to Zurich and Dublin. And while I could go on and on about how lovely the streets were because of the smaller cars, on-time buses and plentiful bike lanes, what shocked me the most were the bike lanes at airports.Can you imagine pulling up to the passenger retrieval area in JFK on your bike? The notion

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-77798017923772367222010-12-09T21:56:00.004Z2010-12-10T21:13:27.987Z

Just for fun, rigged up a little video camera to the Bianchi to record my commute. No fancy maps like Clarence Eckersen's great video. Just the commute at 8x speed.

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-7595891063180802192010-12-01T22:11:00.004Z2010-12-01T22:25:13.913Z

This fall I spent some time out West, in both Indiana and Montana looking at different food systems. The video below features Barb Brant and Pam Gerwe, founding members of Montana nonprofit Farm Hands, on building a community around local food production and consumption. It also includes footage from the Whitefish Farmers Market and Purple Frog Gardens, both located in Montana's Flathead

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-88273613367492595572010-11-22T16:48:00.006Z2010-11-22T18:05:05.692Z

This is the sight I biked past this morning, just two blocks from where I live in Brooklyn.For just a few blocks on my daily commute, closest to home, I'm faced with a decision. Ride on Van Brunt, which is usually quite busy and fairly narrow, or Imlay, which is much less busy. So, I usually choose the less-busy Imlay. The problem with it being less crowded is that cars, trucks, and buses take it

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-21503617372314771812010-10-21T15:46:00.005Z2010-10-21T16:06:36.462Z

I shot this video for Added Value, the community farm in Red Hook, after a devastating hailstorm last week destroyed much of the fall harvest. Check it out, and then if you live in the City, consider attending one of the dinners hosted by local restaurants to benefit the farm. Details (and more video) below:From Ian Marvy, Director of Added Value:On Monday October 11th a dramatic hailstorm cut

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-73501024722429598212010-10-20T20:44:00.007Z2010-10-20T20:59:04.763Z

I've spent some time of late doing a series of interviews with NYC chefs, farmers and other local food activists about why they support local agriculture efforts, and specifically why they would like a vegetable garden planted in front of NYC's City Hall (just like the First Lady's White House veggie garden).Here are a couple of my favorites - Annie Novak from Eagle Street Rooftop Farm and Chef

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-85455603457664201722010-10-18T13:46:00.004Z2010-10-18T14:02:51.898Z

After four years of committed bike commuting, in an effort to reduce the amount of stress in my life, I've pretty much stopped riding into Manhattan on my bike. The Brooklyn Bridge tourist congestion has gotten so out of hand, and to cut over to the West Side bike path from the Manhattan Bridge is such a congested, threatening mess, that I've reached the point where I mostly just use my bike

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-40320817862643447672010-09-30T00:50:00.004Z2010-09-30T00:58:54.630Z

Because I know how violating it feels to have your bike stolen, I'm re-posting this from my friend. If you have any leads, please contact Daniel. From: Daniel Bowman Simon Date: September 29, 2010 14:42:12 EDTSubject: My bicycle was stolen last night...Sorry for the mass email...My bicycle was stolen last night from E11th St between 3rd & 4th Aves while I was at the amazing James concert at

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-83128156544139937502010-08-13T16:42:00.007Z2010-08-13T17:13:27.724Z

I had a video shoot in Greenpoint today. Normally, when I'm going somewhere with my camera, I take the train because I'm paranoid I'll get hit and my new and expensive HD Canon will be reduced to a collection of broken black plastic pieces. (I do recognize that it is somewhat problematic that I am willing to trust my physical well-being - and potentially my life - to New York traffic, but

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-13072772371930871252010-07-01T12:04:00.010Z2010-07-01T13:31:04.830Z

Yesterday I was running errands on my bike and picked up a half-pint of whipping cream at a grocery store in Manhattan before heading to Bay Ridge to teach a class.On my bike, I used to always carry everything on my back in a giant waterproof Ortlieb bag, but I started to realize that the weight of the bag was causing a lot of stiffness in my shoulders to say nothing of the fact that my entire

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-466464177282625352010-06-29T11:02:00.011Z2010-06-29T11:28:02.946Z

Biking from Red Hook to Borough Park yesterday, I was amazed by how much of the way I was able to travel down dedicated (and sometimes protected) bike lanes. From Red Hook I headed up 9th Street to the new and sadly controversial two-way protOected lane on Prospect Park West, entered the Park at 15th Street and exiting to take the protected bike lane down Ocean Avenue. Often when I'm traveling to

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-72680025691186258382010-06-27T22:13:00.010Z2010-06-28T13:57:32.842Z

I’m a hypocrite. There. Out of the way. I have bell on my bike. I use it. Cars have horns. I hate them. Having biked in city for a while, I feel like they serve no meaningful purpose.A while back, I was biking on northbound on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, Sunset Park-ish. It’s about 7 am on a Sunday. Not exactly rush hour. I’m in the right hand side of the right lane, next to the lane of parked cars.

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-23305476335838638932010-06-25T19:20:00.005Z2010-06-25T19:46:17.368Z

Biking through the East Village over the past week, I've been pleasantly surprised by how slow traffic has been moving up First Avenue as a result of the asphalt being stripped in preparation for repaving (see photo).Even though the rougher surface makes for slower biking, I actually found myself able to relax much more than usual while traveling along First because rather than racing to beat the

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-25059059912804804232010-06-18T13:55:00.007Z2010-07-01T13:31:36.957Z

Since my cyclecross bike was stolen last month, I've been making do with my folding bike. While I love my little 'Brommie,' it's a lot more work to pedal than a full-sized cycle, and with all the commuting I've been doing lately between Red Hook and UES/UWS, I've been aching (literally) to get back up to full size.As much as I would have loved to go out and invest in something I could use on my

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-80517743596948237942010-06-18T01:44:00.008Z2010-06-18T02:44:44.043Z

I was in the East Village today and was happy to see that construction has begun on the fully-protected bike lane along Second Avenue (see photo). For the last month or so, I've been teaching yoga classes on the Upper East Side. At first, I tried to bike to class, but riding between Houston and 86th Street on First Avenue was so stressful and unpleasant that I finally gave up. Now I bike across

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-34502843799485752192010-06-10T22:09:00.003Z2010-06-10T22:28:55.862Z

This week I finally was able to locate the Toren's bike rack. Here's the photo I promised in earlier posts.It looks like the rack is getting pretty crowded - 0n the day I used it there was barely room to squeeze in my Brompton. Perhaps it's time for some additional square footage of parking lot to be re-appropriated.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-38041937719727722692010-05-21T12:27:00.013Z2010-05-21T13:00:51.607Z

I have had my moments of skepticism about whether the designation of May as "Bike to Work" month does more to fill the "we need to look like we're doing something 'green'" publicity desires of businesses and local governments than it does to actually increase the number of people who become regular bicycle commuters.But recent conversations with my mom, who lives in a small town in Washington

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-8710013501167678242010-05-17T23:51:00.006Z2010-05-18T00:30:17.367Z

I headed over to my favorite New York bike shop* today to get a new bike lock. After the cops who helped me file my stolen-bike police report told me that bike thieves can easily pop a u-lock off with a 2x4, I wasn't sold on getting a Kryptonite lock. But Hal, New York's bike-security expert, convinced me it was wroth the extra cash. And despite how hard-line he comes across on screen, Hal was

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-8229214522024633692010-05-11T21:29:00.010Z2010-05-12T16:10:29.692Z

My bike got jacked today and, while it's not the first bike I've had stolen, I'm pretty torn up about it.I'd locked it to scaffolding on 14th Street and when I came back an hour later, it was gone. The bolts on the scaffolding had been unscrewed and the bike and u-lock slipped off.Although its monetary value wasn't that great, I had a bit of an emotional attachment to this bike. It's seen me

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-60909578119836301142010-05-06T16:01:00.004Z2010-05-06T16:40:04.869Z

I was just informed that a few days ago bike racks were installed on the second floor the Toren's parking garage. The racks are available for residents of the Toren and for guests of the YogaLocal studio. (I don't have photos yet, but I'll post some after my next yoga class.)I'm really glad to hear that the building management team is taking seriously their commitment to sustainability and I

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-31992614495287511242010-05-04T11:32:00.013Z2010-05-04T12:24:13.368Z

I've noticed something really disturbing about the Toren, the new "green" condo building on Flatbush and Myrtle Avenues in downtown Brooklyn - a complete lack of bike racks or other bike parking accommodation. I don't normally go around scoping out the bike-parking amenities around new condo construction, but the Toren tower hosts an open-to-the-public yoga studio that I've been teaching and

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-40040761527122927722010-04-25T14:12:00.006Z2010-04-25T14:58:21.570Z

My 16 year old road bike has finally received a few tweaks to make commuting a bit easier. A bicycle that I once coveted for its clean, classic Italian racing lines now has a bell. Receiving it as a gift, I was excited to mount it as riding daily from Brooklyn to Manhattan - usually over the Brooklyn Bridge - there are occasions when reminding a pedestrian, driver, or fellow bicyclist that you

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-68893599577248111612010-04-21T13:08:00.009Z2010-04-21T14:26:50.251Z

On a recent backpacking adventure in Southern Utah, we passed the most unusual sight on Highway 12 near the west entrance of Bryce Canyon National Park - a separated, paved bike path.The bike path shadowed the highway for five gorgeous miles in the Red Canyon area of Dixie National Forest and although we didn't see any cyclists using the path as we drove past, a gas station attendant in the area

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-30647118898410832092010-03-23T10:43:00.000Z2010-03-23T10:44:04.210Z

I didn't get out to ride much this weekend because I was busy shooting and editing a short video for People's Garden NYC, an organization that is petitioning Mayor Bloomberg to plant a garden in front of City Hall.Watch the video below, where students from Automotive HS in Brooklyn win over New Yorkers with their enthusiasm for the project.After you've watched, please take a minute to sign on to

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-72458539123697143582010-03-19T13:41:00.005Z2010-03-19T14:01:02.098Z

The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals has a new survey geared towards women and cycling (thanks Cyclicious). Please take a minute to fill it out - it only will tak you five minutes and it's important for our opinions to be counted!

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-34313684406152045762010-03-17T16:25:00.007Z2010-03-25T15:55:40.644Z

From a series of posts on exploring New York's neighborhoods, bike lanes and parks. Realizing that if I went for another six-hour bike ride today, I wouldn't get any of my other work done, I decided to keep it simple today with a few loops around Prospect Park.There were a lot of cyclists on the track and I always get a kick out of lapping spandex-clad guys on really expensive carbon fiber bikes.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-52647747806581053882010-03-16T23:22:00.028Z2010-03-25T15:56:00.083Z

From a series of posts on exploring New York's neighborhoods, bike lanes and parks. Today, the clouds finally cleared and so I unclipped my bike from the trainer and headed out into the sunshine. A friend who lived uptown and worked in the Bronx invited me to coffee, and so rather than dread the hour-and-a-half subway-bus ride to meet her, I decided to go by bike instead, using the opportunity to

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-9435587111166767572010-03-14T13:52:00.004Z2010-03-14T13:58:42.386Z

Flooded street on my block in Red Hook, Brooklyn during "rainmaggeddon."

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-33247942147236524662010-03-11T18:18:00.008Z2010-03-25T15:56:20.806Z

From a series of posts on exploring New York's neighborhoods, bike lanes and parks. Cold overcast Seattle weather today. I wasn't feeling very inspired to leave the warmth of my kitchen, so I decided to tag along with my husband on his commute to work in Chelsea (Photo 1). I figured after he peeled off, I could keep going up the West Side bike path, around the tip of Inwood, and then down the

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-63465086770016805242010-03-10T22:40:00.006Z2010-03-10T22:50:34.523Z

I just mapped my last three NYC rides and found the Google bicycle route finder to be pretty darn accurate. Thanks Google!

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-10619372319030314712010-03-10T19:19:00.021Z2010-03-25T15:56:41.044Z

From a series of posts on exploring New York's neighborhoods, bike lanes and parks. It was colder today, the sun muted behind a dense haze. And after the last few days of pedaling, my legs were tired. But the extended forecast promised rain through the weekend, so I decided to head out and put in some more miles before the promised deluge.I began my ride heading north to downtown Brooklyn and

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-10900856630530491562010-03-09T20:56:00.031Z2010-03-25T15:56:57.247Z

From a series of posts on exploring New York's neighborhoods, bike lanes and parks. Looking at a map of New York this morning I realized in all my years of biking here, I've only biked over two of the five major bridges, the Brooklyn and the Manhattan. So I set out this morning on Day 2 of my biking NYC adventure with the goal of remedying this embarrassing lack of exploration.Forgetting that the

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-30100033743632435862010-03-08T20:39:00.029Z2010-03-25T15:57:20.687Z

From a series of posts on exploring New York's neighborhoods, bike lanes and parks. I've been neglecting my bike for the last few months.As it began to snow and the roads got nasty, I had flashbacks of last winter when I refused to let cold weather or treacherous riding conditions force me on the subway. In particular I remember one bitterly cold February day when the West Side bike path was a

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-62739534536186183632010-03-01T12:21:00.002Z2010-03-01T12:32:08.339Z

Discovered on an expedition to get groceries on Friday after the blizzard.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-32939138154529252832010-02-18T23:22:00.010Z2010-02-18T23:31:59.736Z

While visiting Santiago this past week I couldn't help but notice that, like drivers in NYC, Chilean motorists seem to have the same disregard for the dedicated bike lane.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-89241818882243565212010-01-31T18:18:00.011Z2010-03-10T00:01:13.961Z

I want to apologize for my dearth of January posts. It's been a difficult month. I had eye surgery a few weeks ago in an effort to improve my vision. Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction to the sutures they used, which left me bleary-eyed and unable to read or use a computer. Last week, as my vision finally was getting back to normal, I got laid off from my day job as a videographer for the

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-75855055123324223532010-01-08T16:10:00.002Z2010-03-10T00:03:18.257Z

I spent the holidays with my parents in Washington, and although I didn't make it out on a bike to enjoy the unseasonably unrainy (dry is never an adjective that can be used to describe northwest winters), I was inspired by two very dedicated bike commuters.Last time I wrote about my parents' commuting choices, my mom, who has to be at her job at the grocery store at 5am, said she was too scared

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-72960905047490657272009-12-22T20:01:00.014Z2009-12-22T20:37:26.921Z

I've known for a month or so that my brakes have been squealing ridiculously. But I was kind of enjoying the noise they made as it was far effective than my bell as a warning to tourists who walked blindly into the bike side of the Brooklyn bridge path.When I finally got around to taking off and replacing my brakes, I was horrified. Somehow I'd managed to not only wear through most of the rubber,

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-36841029148475901292009-12-16T17:17:00.012Z2009-12-16T17:37:25.002Z

I realize this isn't rocket science, but I couldn't help but notice the relationship between traffic density and air pollution in the New York City Community Air Survey released yesterday by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. This effect is particularly noticeable along the major highways in the outer boroughs. Just another reason policies that encourage car ownership in New York City

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-36011013530446811532009-11-20T16:25:00.030Z2009-12-22T20:39:29.913Z

I don't mind the cold or the rain so much, the worst part of biking in the winter for me is by far the dark.Having myself nearly collided with nearly invisible night-time bikers who were dressed in dark clothing and lacked lights, I've made it a priority to be as visible as possible on dark or rainy evenings.Last year, thanks to Peal Izumi's sponsorship of my Yukon bike trip, I acquired a

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-46072196581197128732009-11-13T21:15:00.001Z2009-11-13T21:31:25.707Z

I've been lobbying a number of friends and acquaintances in New York start commuting by bike, and I finally have a success story.My partner moved to Brooklyn last summer from New Haven. Although he was excited about moving to the city and getting rid of his car, he kept his motorcycle and insisted on using it for his daily commute from our Red Hook apartment to his job in Chelsea.I tried to

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-91762373502760055442009-11-04T16:25:00.009Z2010-03-10T00:08:30.590Z

Yesterday, Libby Maxim at Biker Chicks of West Chester posted a long-overdue critique of the proliferation of blogs that glorify women biking in heels. (Examples here, here and here.)Sure, it may be easier to bike in heels than to walk, and it makes sense if that you should be able to bike to work or around town in what your street clothes. But Libby points out that you don't see a myriad of

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-60192258980450415942009-10-28T18:31:00.011Z2010-03-10T00:08:00.368Z

My mom was going through old photos and emailed me this one to me a few minutes ago.God, how I loved this light blue Schwinn with its terrifically sexy white tires. I'd fallen in love with it the second I saw it in the bike store, and I did extra chores around the house for what seemed like eternity until my parents finally agreed I had earned it.Seeing this reminder of how much I loved biking

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-42312204501599505832009-10-26T14:44:00.002Z2009-10-26T18:46:27.687Z

Last March, as I was riding my Peugeot folding bicycle to the Metro North train station in New Haven, I was doored by a motorist and my bike was totaled. I contacted the police, and Jan Piorkowski , the driver of the vehicle, was ticketed for a traffic violation.Image 1: Diagram from the police report. Assuming this unfortunate incident was nearing a conclusion, I contacted his car insurance

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-31054892464070690572009-10-21T17:21:00.006Z2010-03-10T00:07:31.526Z

I want to apologize for my prolonged absence. Over the past six weeks I've been working overtime on a project for a referendum that's on the ballot in Washington State this November.(You can read more about the project here, and here are links to the videos I produced.) Image 1: Filming on the FDR Reservoir (above the Grand Coulee Dam) in Washington. But I'm back to blogging now, and I have some

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-72653896810128262832009-09-09T18:17:00.013Z2009-09-09T18:30:30.273Z

Check out the new Atlantic Yards stadium design images.Clearly, crossing the six lanes of speeding traffic will be a breeze for you and your tots.

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-62542092794563854152009-09-02T02:26:00.003Z2009-09-02T02:37:37.640Z

I got punched in the face on my commute home today. I had just crossed the Manhattan Bridge and was biking south on the bike path on Jay Street. The traffic was backed up, but the bike lane was open. Right in front of me, a car peeled out of the traffic and began to cruise up the bike lane.At Willoughby, the light was red so the car stopped. I tapped on the trunk to let the driver know that I was

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-69347438882626150732009-08-25T16:21:00.002Z2009-08-25T16:22:58.491Z

As I’ve mentioned before, I was born the visual impairment that causes my eyes to wiggle, thus reducing my visual acuity and preventing me from getting a drivers’ license. Some cities are well equipped for people like me – cities like New York or San Francisco with functional metro and regional transit networks where many people who can afford to own cars chose not to.But most cities are not.

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-83188878503767087432009-08-18T15:10:00.006Z2009-08-18T20:15:05.064Z

On Thursday I returned to New York and to urban commuter cycling after a month-long yoga training and retreat in Connecticut. As I coasted down 2nd Avenue from Grand Central to my office building downtown, I realized something was wrong. Instead of soaking up the lazy hum of NYC's late-August doldrums, I was stressed.Every metal grate and lip of the manhole cover signaled impending doom. Every

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-50627193823565281862009-07-06T21:40:00.002Z2010-03-10T00:05:43.059Z

At a birthday party a few weeks ago, after the latest incarnation of the new Atlantic Yards stadium design was discussed with no uncertain degree of derision, conversation shifted to the history of other large scale developments in the city.Walking through the Lower East Side, my Jacobian sensibilities had always been appalled by the scale of the Coop Village, but when I shared this opinion, an

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-33977803492995334202009-06-30T21:00:00.006Z2009-07-01T13:50:44.243Z

Today's City Room post on the lack of female urban cyclists in New York got me thinking about a comment I received on my earlier post about the possible causes of the biking gender gap.Peter Smith of Google Map's Bike There had suggested I check out the research of John Pucher, the Rutgers Professor referenced in the City Room post whose research shows that men make three times as many trips by

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-10926320979329541132009-06-25T17:54:00.014Z2009-06-26T14:38:26.460Z

To encourage a decrease in American oil consumption and to "smooth out oil's spikes and plunges" the Financial Page in the June 22 New Yorker argued for a phasing in a fluctuating gas tax. The article makes the argument that America's economic wellbeing is closely linked to cheap oil: "Blame for the current recession can be laid in part on the spike of the price of oil between June 2007 and July

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-34519380148993735132009-06-20T10:00:00.002Z2009-06-22T15:46:53.539Z

Infrastructurist and Urban Omnibus recently posted an interview with the co-founder of Zipcar, Robin Chase. If you have the time, the full interview is an excellent read, but what struck me as particularly compelling was what Chase said about the cost of individual automobile ownership:"...according to the National Households Consumer Survey, across the nation it costs $24 per day on average that

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-28300710792591612352009-06-14T11:30:00.002Z2009-06-15T15:18:48.052Z

On weekends, my partner and I usually bike the Farmington Canal Trail that stretches a dozen miles or so parallel to Whitney Avenue through Hamden and Cheshire. The paved trail used to begin near the Stop and Shop in Hamden, but more recently, the trail has been extended further south towards the New Haven Green.The canal path north of the Stop and Shop is so crowded on summer weekends that if

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-91404039127509658482009-06-12T20:04:00.003Z2009-06-12T20:12:05.502Z

I started commuting by bike in New York in February a few years back. The first time I biked in from Red Hook apartment to my job it was bitter cold, the wind chasing newspapers down the avenues. I arrived at my building numb and aching to get my hands around a hot cup of coffee. I walked my bike into the lobby toward the elevator, planning to keep it in my cubicle for the day.Having worked at

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-49794805078611815332009-06-08T19:15:00.005Z2009-06-08T19:31:20.760Z

While I applaud efforts to make biking sexier, I don't believe a fear of lycra is a serious factor in preventing would-be bikers from getting on the road. That being said, there are certain accessories that I think could be better designed to fit the needs of urban commuter. And with the number of bikers on the rise, designing and marketing practical bike accessories is a great opportunity for

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-86316101908636553192009-06-03T21:00:00.011Z2009-06-03T21:19:16.830Z

I looked at my blogroll yesterday and realized that all the blogs I regularly read for the most part, written and edited by men. Being a former feminist studies major, I’ve decided to try to remedy this situation. Maris is a regular reader of CopenhagenCycleChic, so I’ve added that blog to my regulars. But while I think it’s important to make biking look sexy, I’d prefer to read blogs that

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-10596355904762178902009-06-02T23:01:00.005Z2009-06-02T23:19:02.256Z

I've received emails from a couple of folks informing me our blog wouldn't allow them to post a comment. After finally coming to the conclusion that everyone couldn't be technicality incompetent, I sat down and figured out the glitch in our settings that was blocking comments.So now everyone should be able to comment - regardless of whether you're registered with the blogger program. We look

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-32235953967676745452009-06-02T21:31:00.007Z2009-06-03T01:59:17.267Z

I’ve stayed in a few Extended Stays over the last couple of years. The one thing that you can count on when staying at “the Stay” is that you will not be at the center of all the action. You will need a car to get anywhere. This should come as no shock as the Stay is always found somewhere in the suburbs, and they generally pop up where land is cheap, and easy access to a highway is a marketing

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-61126239075369282662009-06-01T20:55:00.000Z2009-06-01T20:54:57.928Z

To replace my beautiful vintage Peugeot that was destroyed in a dooring incident, I recently purchased a Brompton folding bicycle off of Craigslist. It's a lovely piece of engineering, and it folds up small enough to sneak it through the security checkpoint at my office (the building security maintains that they won't allow any type of bicycle, even of the folding variety, past the entryway).

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-22955351983893115242009-05-18T01:50:00.003Z2009-05-18T01:59:13.865Z

Last year, after our friend bought a condo in New Haven, we realized that technically we too could afford the downpayment for a home. Swept into the we should really be building equity mindset, we found a real estate agent and looked at a couple of places. But in the process of poking around closet space and fantasizing about tearing out carpets and knocking down walls, I came to the realization

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-57755491109653723532009-05-13T12:09:00.004Z2009-05-13T13:48:13.942Z

The weak beam of my bike headlight was no match for the dark of the Highway 15-501. Although I could usually see the white stripe delineating the shoulder from the rest of the road, I couldn't distinguish the dark silhouettes of roadkill from the black asphalt. The landscape to the south of Chapel Hill was patchwork of woods, empty fields and McMansion developments, so it wasn't uncommon to

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-18700142399181857922009-05-12T02:01:00.009Z2009-05-12T13:18:59.280Z

There are a lot of policy wonks out there. Heck, this blog does a lot of flapping its gums. For a while, the mayor of New Haven, John DeStefeno, has been talking about transit-oriented development (TOD) as the guiding light for the city’s future. And rightfully so. New Haven had a bit of a rough period when manufacturing jobs fled in the second half of the last century. So, while the renaissance

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-51509415030265407412009-05-11T11:21:00.001Z2009-05-11T20:20:15.413Z

I was really looking forward to Arkansas. From the year I spent in North Carolina, I gained a certain affection for the South, and so as soon as I heard that my colleague and I would have the opportunity to film there, I started fantasizing about escaping the damp end-of-March New York chill and enjoying some good barbecue and fried catfish.But most of my experience in Arkansas could have been

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-70902286725193915202009-05-06T12:00:00.001Z2009-05-10T12:51:10.042Z

While the number of people commuting by bike has risen over the last few years - in New York City, commuter cycling grew 35 percent between 2008 and 2007 - a fear of accidents prevents many potential commuters from venturing onto the roadways.The danger is real. In 2007, 698 bicyclists were killed. This may seem small, considering how many people are killed in car accidents every year, but

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-36726296657474883282009-05-04T23:12:00.004Z2009-05-04T23:22:47.735Z

In the bicycling portion of my brain, wedged between the Daredevil Lobe and the This Is Good For Me Cortex, there exists much neuronal traffic dedicated to picking a line of travel that keeps me alive. It can be a fine line between being courteous to other traffic and being run off the road. Between making sure motorists are aware of your presence and intentions and causing a flare up of road

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-343353487092137822009-05-04T10:08:00.001Z2009-05-10T12:52:45.918Z

My apartment in New York overlooks the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and at our place in New Haven, the traffic on I-91 is a constant murmur. Over time, you stop noticing the noise, and I try not to contemplate the car exhaust residue I’m inhaling, But with the trip upstate last weekend, I was really looking forward to sleeping without the rumble of the highway, and so I intentionally booked a

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-47637102890891140242009-05-03T13:00:00.000Z2009-05-03T13:02:41.495Z

Day 20We arrived in Prince George today, my final destination. While the rest of the group will continue south to Yellowstone, I have to return to the office. While I cannot wait for a twenty-minute hot shower, a real bed with clean sheets, to cut my fingernails, shave my legs and have a fresh salad and a real cup of coffee, if I could stay on the road, I would. I contemplate possible excuses

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-10712527884408521902009-05-02T05:30:00.000Z2009-05-02T17:31:10.985Z

Day 16The landscape now feels so tame compared to the Yukon and further north in British Columbia.. We pass farmhouses with cattle and hayfields, and the road is hemmed with power lines. The rain clouds that move across the sky so quickly, transforming the warm morning sunlight into grey blustery afternoons, no longer seem so threatening. If we get wet and cold we could pedal the next ranch

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-5102646029952637872009-05-01T16:58:00.000Z2009-05-01T16:58:07.471Z

Day 12I’m tired during the last stretch into Fort St. John. It's cold and the sky is overcast. It was sunny when we started, but a storm is building in the south and so we bike towards the dark gray of the storm on the horizon.Small signs of civilization start appearing as we approach the outskirts of town. A school bus stop warning sign. Cows in a mowed field. The smell of wood smoke. I have

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-56048270080313168942009-04-30T13:23:00.000Z2009-04-30T13:39:21.902Z

Day 11We're within 80 kilometers of Fort St. John and the landscape has flattened and become considerably more worn. There are frequent road signs marking truck crossings, and the ranks of RVs have been augmented by trucks hauling timber and natural gas and heavy natural resource extraction machinery as well as dusty pickups transporting workers to and from the extraction sites.For lack of a

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-6957458222983307322009-04-27T11:15:00.000Z2009-04-27T11:15:00.572Z

Day 9The night we camped at Summit Pass, I woke up early in the pre-dawn fog and hiked an old access trail a few miles into an alpine valley of rolling green scrub encircled by the Rockies. The peaks were wide and almost plateau-like with uniformly steep faces of crumbling scree and even though I was only a half hours' walk from the highway, it was completely silent.We biked in the cold fog all

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-67295652206186155012009-04-26T15:07:00.008Z2009-05-10T12:50:53.601Z

Anna and I were excited in planning for our last two motorcycle trips. The purpose of the trips were for Anna’s job, but I agreed to be chauffer and pilot the bike for adventure’s sake.The first trip, a few weeks ago, was actually quite short. We were to leave from New Haven, catch the ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson, NY and then continue on to Sayville, NY. That’s a half hour to

Maris Zivartshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12882568793812270752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-56668521415568490382009-04-26T14:42:00.005Z2009-05-10T12:50:26.015Z

Over the past month I’ve traveled out to Sayville, Long Island and up to Syracuse to conduct a series of work-related interviews. Traveling for work often requires some negotiation, since getting around most destinations without a rental car either means costly cabs, hours spent on semi-functional public transit systems or bumming rides from business contacts. It’s always a little awkward having

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-43576584344959358632009-04-25T12:11:00.000Z2009-04-25T12:11:00.575Z

Day 7The campfire smoke hovers over the Toad River before it moves slowly downstream. The river is silver grey, dusk like the evening sky. Dusk lasts forever up here. It gets dark around 10 pm, but you can still see a bit of light in the southern sky all through the night. Earlier in the day the river was a tropical glacial aqua, a startling dash of color through the grey of the stone peaks and

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3760994362150211422.post-66782833232605441282009-04-24T12:00:00.000Z2009-04-24T12:00:00.734Z

Day 6Ryan’s cousin Alex, whose skills as a bike mechanic have been much utilized by the rest of us riders, is fishing on Lake Muncho in front of me, silhouetted against the grey-blue of the evening sky reflected in the lake. Across the water the dark hump of a peak rises, the top is grey stone with swaths of snow in the ravines. We've entered the head of the Canadian Rockies – this mountain range

Anna Letitia Mumfordnoreply@blogger.com1