Belated 27th Birthday Quarantine Ride

hopped on a citi bike with gloves and bandana. had a speaker playing dua lipa and my half marathon playlist. sun was out, no cloud in the sky, vibes are good given the circumstances. brooklyn was more deserted than usual, maybe people are finally staying in. brooklyn bridge was beautiful and maybe there were 10 people max. but of course there was still the influencer couple trying to get a picture. i screamed 'bike lane' at them. biking to the west side highway was a breeze, barely any cars to worry about. the west side highway was gorgeously empty, flowers a bloom. some runners, some bikers, some tanners. was able to bike without my hands for a good mile maybe. bike bike bike. got to the intrepid museum. some weird police checkpoints. keep biking up the west side highway until 72nd street where I go up to cut across to central park. notice that people are out and about. make a mental note that uws-iders are priviledged motherfuckers. i enter the park. fucking gorgeous. some trees are in full bloom, some are still budding. the sun rays reflect off the pond. a bit more crowded compared to the roads but thats to be expected. as i circle around the park, i remember the two laps from the summer triathlon. i wonder if i could have done it in a citibike. when i get to the hill at the top central park, im reminded that im riding essentially a non electric zamboni. exit the park by columbus circle and bike down broadway. eerily empty. have never seen midtown this dead yet somehow its a familiar sight. its peaceful. its probably a result of the perfect weather. the billboards of time square and broadway are still shining yet the doors shut and the surroudning sidewalks quiet. i bike right through the red steps of time squares. no one around besides a lone cop. i continue down and snap a pic of the new elevated bike lanes for collin. i reminesce using broadway as one of my transportation arteries when i lived in what is now hudson yards. approaching ktown, i finally notice how lovely this area can be with the trees and flowers as im not preoccupied by dodging tourists and cars. theres no one around. i owned the roads. biking to union square, signs of life begin to emerge. the farmers market still open, providing activity to the odd park. i contineu down broadway and cut across to 3rd ave. didn't even bother with the bike lanes. just biked straight in the middle of the roads. there is no traffic. i could do as i pleased. i bike over the manhattan bridge and back home. vanderbilt now is active with neighbors grocery shopping. i dock the bike on underhill. a fun ride.