Ever since we moved to Atlanta I’d wanted to check out the Beltline. Built on railroad corridors that used to encircle Atlanta, it’s a rails to trails project that will ultimately connect 45 intown neighborhoods along a 22 mile loop, with a total of 33 miles of mixed use trails. It’s part way to completion, and they hope to have all parts connected by the year 2030. There are Northside, Eastside, Westside, etc. spokes that are paved and useable. We live 1.5 miles away from the Eastside part of the trail. Last week a new piece of the Eastside trail officially opened. The Eastside trail is now 3 miles long. Those are some facts, but facts can’t describe the charm of a stroll or a bike ride on the Beltline.
When I first found the Beltline I was walking on a Freedom PATH trail (another trail building entity that’s also got a network of trails in and around Atlanta). I was looking for the Beltline and I knew I was close. Because I have ovaries, I have no fear of asking directions. . . and a nice passerby ushered me to the Beltline.
If you are a fan of public art, it is mecca. There are sculptures, photography, graffiti and last Saturday I met the Bardess of the Beltline. Lee Butler, who aims to compose an original poem every week for 155 weeks, (one more than Shakespeare’s complete collection of sonnets.) Every Saturday starting at 1 o’clock, she stands for 2 hours on the Beltline near the Ponce City Market reading her original poetry to anyone who stops to listen. She has 50 hard copies of each weeks poem, printed out on fancy cardstock paper. If you listen to her read it, she will give you a nice copy to keep. I now own Belt Lines #116, and it’s a pip. Not political, not religious, not sappy. She likes humor and I like her.
The Beltlilne is a place to meander. People do bike fast, but there are frequent reminders to go slow. There are also signs reminding you not to walk more than 2 abreast, and to pick up after your dog. It can get crowded, and even though it’s 14 feet wide, there are often clumps of people walking or biking in groups, plus traffic goes both directions, so slower is usually better. If you go too fast you can miss things. Like the tiny red door (fairy size) that’s built into a cement step by the Paris on Ponce store. It was decorated for fall with a tiny pumpkin in front of it. It’s part of #TinyDoorsATL. There are numerous tiny doors all around Atlanta and several on the Beltline.
After I walked the Beltline, I was determined to also ride a bike there, because gosh darn it, that looked like fun. So the next time Glenn visited, he and Mabel and I rented bikes by the MARTA station (Relay Bike share which has bike racks all over Atlanta). What’s not fun about a leisurely bike ride on a mild autumn day, with lots of people watching and no cars to worry about? Nothing is not fun about it. It was fun.
I knew that at some point, Glenn was going to drive another car down here to Atlanta. Mabel and I had been sharing a car, and lack of a car had the potential to cost one of us a job. We often had to flip a coin over who got to use the car and who had to improvise when we worked in separate places on the same day. The other car we now keep here is a 1990 Mazda Miata, and boy do we wish we had sprung for the model that had air conditioning and cruise control, when we bought it brand new in 1990. We are the original owners. When Mabel was a toddler, we sold it to my dad, and when he lost his drivers license due to dementia, he gave it back to us, because by then, Mabel was almost old enough to drive.
Here’s the weird thing. Mabel has never liked the Miata! It has hand crank windows, nothing is automatic, and there’s no aux cord for her cell phone. . . it’s old. She has NO idea. When I was her age I had the occasional use of an extremely large family sedan. If I’d had a sexy red convertible at my disposal back then there’s no telling how my life might have turned out. She just has no idea of what’s cool. Humph.
So, I knew that Glenn was going to drive the Miata down, but our bike rack didn’t fit on the trunk and the car is small. How small? When I drive it, I just carry a wallet because my purse is too big. Kidding. But it is a small car. So Glenn disassembled my bike for the drive, and put it back together when he got here. He’s so smart and capable.
Now I had a bike here and it was fun to ride, but sometimes lonely. Plus, people need fresh air and exercise so my next challenge became how to convince Mabel that she would enjoy riding with me. She was adamant that she didn’t want a bicycle. Until I lured her to the Atlanta Bike Barn that is, and let her test out every bike she deemed pretty. She settled on a cream colored Brooklyn bike with 21 gears and a stylish modern look to it. We’ve taken many bike rides together now, and have discovered the beautiful lake at Piedmont Park. I didn’t realize how much I missed lakes until I saw it.
The weather here is still mild enough (for now) to ride a bike. I can’t tell you how odd it is, to finally live in a place that looks like the picture of the month on the calendar.