Who would have known that something so insignificant could be such a coveted item and better yet what an ordeal it could be to replace it. Some not-so-nice person stole Elizabeth's bike seat off her bike in Alameda. I guess that in itself isn't that big of a deal, more of a lesson to us suburbanites that if it's not locked down, it's free game in a real city. We accept that fact and go to replace it. Little did we know, the non-bicycle enthusiasts that we are, that they make a bunch of different sized seat posts, so the lady at the bike shop really can't tell us what post to buy unless we bring the bike in; which is obviously a little more difficult now that there is no seat on the thing. We feel fortunate that we have a car and stuff the bike into the Little Volvo; Ellie holds on from the front seat while the bike hangs out the back of the trunk and I drive. We get there, they measure, they tell us they don't have the correct size. The bike goes back into the trunk, but at least now we know the size we are looking for. A few calls latter we find it in Oakland, not too far away. Off we go; a few one way streets and some good luck latter we find the store, they have the post and we are set...Almost. I don't know if we have the right size hex wrench on the boat so E runs back in to have the nice guy attach the seat to the post. While this goes on I sit in the car in a no parking area as the parking ticket guy writes tickets to a couple of other cars, gives me a mean look but carries on. E come back seat & post attached and we head back to Alameda for a quick bike ride to Lucky13; a cool bar with great beer.
This all leads me to think how much more difficult everything must be in a real city, and I can't even imagine how this would have gone down without a car. It takes a mind shift from small suburban Reno where everything is a car ride away, traffic isn't bad, you can park where-ever for free, your bike is safely locked in your garage and all you tools are organized and ready to use; to living in a bigger city and a smaller boat.
