Bicycle Diaries

by David Byrne

Hilariously, I assumed it was a different David Byrne from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Who knew he was such a bike nut? Well, apparently he is, and a a big NYC bike advocate to boot. And I learned later that my dad met him on the way up to a studio and David was always sweaty and clutching a bike helmet. Badass! He travels with a folding bike wherever he goes. This book was his reflections on the cities he had traveled to, with short snippets of his experience of the city and its design via bike. From there, Byrne riffs (hah) on the history, culture, and personal relationships to the place. I read it at a point where I was returning to my love of bicycling, so I especially appreciated this lens. As a nice cross-over, he mentions city planning via Robert Moses (one of Caro's subjects) and references Caro's work, as well as The Life and Death of Great American Cities which I look forward to media.

Then, suddenly, we’re out of town. Herons skim wetlands and wade in brackish water. East Coast second-growth forests appear—skinny little trees, densely packed.