about a year ago, i was riding my bike home from the gym and http://www.fotolog.net/jenbee/?photo_id=3409. i was pretty banged up, but fortunately it was nothing too horrible. the worst of it was that in the aftermath of the accident, my beloved blue bianchi bike was stolen. i bought that bike when i was living in san francisco, flush with money from the mouse. (i was working for disney at the time). it isn`t a super fancy bike, but it`s nice and it`s more than i can afford these days. i didn`t end up riding it much while i lived in sf, but it became indispensible to me when i finally got settled back in nyc (and overcame my fear of riding on city streets).
i was never able to replace the bike with something equal. i`ve been broke as of late, and let`s be real - having a beater in nyc is much lower maintenance. i`ve run through three beaters in my bike`s absence. i guess it seems dumb to be super attached to an inanimate object, but i was. also, things were not so hot to begin with when i had the accident, and afterwards it went from bad to worse. (i lost my job about week after it happened).
flash forward to today, a nasty humid nyc summer day, about 10 months later. i am having a bad week (not as bad as things were back then maybe, but i`ve been pretty low lately). i am late getting to the gallery after having a very frustrating morning of decidedly unfruitful errand running.
i was walking down bowery talking on the phone with someone about a press release and, lo and behold, there was my beloved blue bike locked up to a lampost outside a restaurant supply place i knew it was mine because it was very distinctive: it still had the sticker on it from freewheel, the place i bought it from in san francisco, and it still had it`s sparkly orange seat and it`s little pack that went under the seat.
i asked the guys in front of the store who`s bike it was and they said they didn`t know maybe it was a guy`s inside so the owner or whatever came out and said "oh i think it`s my guy`s". so, eventually this guy comes out and is like "i`ve had that bike for 5 years." i said "don`t lie to me , it`s my bike, it was stolen from me." then i showed him all the identifying features of it and was getting really nuts and trust me, i`m pretty formidable when i`m really angry and/or upset. he walked back into the store and i followed him in and stood there waiting, he was facing the back of the store like he was thinking and then he turned around saying "i paid $200 for that bike" and i said "well you shouldn`t buy stolen bikes" and he came back outside and unlocked it and gave it to me.
i am stunned that this happened. stunned that i happened to walk past it (which i would`ve been unlikely to do had i not opened the gallery) stunned that i noticed it. stunned that he actually gave it back to me. this sort of shit never happens, especially in new york. and considering how low i`ve been lately, it couldn`t have happened at a better time.
so, that`s it - my blue bike with the sparkly orange seat, shot while safely ensconced in my gallery this afternoon.
MSBEEBER@AOL.COM said on 7/16/03 6:25 PM …
DID YOU SLUG THE GUY????
eshepard said on 7/16/03 6:39 PM …
goodness!
shasam said on 7/16/03 6:45 PM …
You rock Jen and I`m glad your bike found you again - it`s a beauty.
mily said on 7/16/03 7:19 PM …
INCREDIBLE!
frogdogdog@hotmail.com said on 7/16/03 7:22 PM …
now that you`ve helped that emmereffing thief partially restore his karma, the next step is getting some art on his walls
frogdogdog@hotmail.com said on 7/16/03 7:24 PM …
now that you`ve helped that emmereffing thief partially restore his karma, the next step is getting some art on his walls
lmc said on 7/16/03 9:20 PM …
what a great story! i`m so glad you got it back!
Daddy`O said on 7/16/03 11:11 PM …
I swear its an omen!!
heif said on 7/16/03 11:54 PM …
wow, can`t believe it. say hi to your bike for me.
kayo said on 7/17/03 12:56 AM …
What a happy ending!
vard said on 7/17/03 1:10 AM …
jenbee, what an amazing and deeply satisfying story!!! It makes me so happy on so many levels. Congratulations!
peztone said on 7/17/03 1:44 AM …
That`s fantastic! Big ol` smile on my face as I type, damn clever some inatimate objects.. (They make films about dogs wholk across the country to be with owners that left them.. what would they do with this story?)
techgirl said on 7/17/03 3:51 AM …
oh jen! so happy for you, dollface!
inkbox said on 7/17/03 6:53 AM …
you are the bike witness, honey! and, inspiring!--viv
therese said on 7/17/03 7:21 AM …
That`s a great story.
kcat said on 7/17/03 10:09 AM …
a wonderful story!
dc5 said on 7/17/03 10:40 AM …
Cosmic justice!
kafclown said on 7/17/03 11:18 AM …
Great story! And a great example of how sometimes an object in a photo can mean a lot more than what it seems to mean. Without the story, I might have thought the photo was more about the picture above it (or about where you live) or about storage solutions for urban bicycles.
Anyhow, great story, and I`m glad you got your bike back!
geester said on 7/17/03 12:33 PM …
you hvae good karma, jen! great story.
artpaws said on 7/17/03 12:55 PM …
thank you for that great story
jimwich said on 7/17/03 4:59 PM …
Jen, you just completely rock. You deserved to have that bike all along, and so circumstances conspired to bring it back to you. Excellent story!
kyee said on 7/17/03 5:30 PM …
That`s such a wonderful wonderful story! Bike!
reva said on 7/17/03 6:33 PM …
Amazing! Smilin` bigtime here.
fotodogs said on 7/17/03 9:18 PM …
welcome home little bike!
amzo said on 7/18/03 12:18 PM …
Send your bike in to the NY Times` Metropolitan Diary - they love that stuff.
digiruben said on 7/18/03 4:38 PM …
excellent story and great addition to the gallery!
basykes said on 7/18/03 4:43 PM …
That`s amazing. Kind of an O.Henry kind of story. I love happy endings!
limone said on 7/18/03 5:41 PM …
this is a really good story!
iride said on 7/18/03 7:14 PM …
Amazing story. I know how it feels to get a bike stolen. Nice to hear the happy ending!
ceekay said on 7/18/03 7:28 PM …
Wow. That`s amazing. You are very luck and I`m happy for you. I have several of the beasts and I know how I would feel if one was stolen. But to get one back in NYC - simply amazing.
maggieandthecats said on 7/18/03 11:14 PM …
Wow, that`s pretty awesome. I`m glad you got your bike back!
tigerbunny said on 7/18/03 11:20 PM …
hooray for happy endings and new beginnings!
billyb said on 7/19/03 1:50 AM …
rock on jen - & believe.
-best to ya.
alwayslookaround said on 7/19/03 4:36 AM …
holy shit, that is a great story! i can`t believe the guy just gave it back to you. glad he did. and i know how it is to be attached to inanimate objects, especially such a useful one like a bike. i develop odd sentimental attachments to all sorts of inanimate objects. it`s my worst habit.
jheif said on 7/19/03 9:14 PM …
right on
sugarkat said on 7/21/03 6:16 PM …
Actually, this story could ONLY happen in NYC, as it`s the only place where you`d be WALKING by.
sugarkat said on 7/21/03 6:17 PM …
Congrats on your groovy, Only-In-New-York story and getting your beloved bike back.
madhoman said on 7/23/03 1:16 AM …
as a fellow biker, i applaud you for knowing your rig and fighting to get it back. Let me know when you`re up for a ride and I`m down.
madho
(Cannondale Super v900)
luluvision said on 7/23/03 9:36 PM …
that`s great that you got it back! yay!
giori said on 7/24/03 12:12 AM …
what an incredible story! I`m so glad your bike is back home.
carljohnson said on 7/25/03 4:42 PM …
Wow! What a nerve! But definitely worth it . . . I live in terror someone will steal my beloved Bianchi...
squaremeals said on 7/26/03 11:11 AM …
I don`t believe in luck (well, maybe for the time I won a ParkHarrison print in a raffle), but this story is great. Be careful on those NY streets.
leylach said on 7/28/03 9:08 PM …
What an absolutely amazing story...and what a beautiful bike!
hoyumpavision said on 7/30/03 12:18 PM …
GEESH what a story! AMAZING! What are the odds?! Dang!
reedster said on 7/30/03 9:58 PM …
passion trumps possession - right on!
daisyjellybean said on 8/5/03 10:03 PM …
i wish i had a bike in nyc... i left mine in arizona... and guess what... my friends dog is named bianchi! (after the bike)
strangerswcandy said on 8/8/03 12:06 AM …
That’s an excellent story. Seems you really are a lucky person. Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling low, send me an email – maybe I can make you smile
strangerswcandy said on 8/8/03 12:07 AM …
That’s an excellent story. Seems you really are a lucky person. Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling low, send me an email – maybe I can make you smile
hillspan said on 8/11/03 2:19 PM …
There was an article in the NYtimes about a month ago about some guy whose bike was stolen and recovered by him I think 3 times!
inthegan said on 8/11/03 3:42 PM …
amen...
courtneyutt said on 8/20/03 2:24 AM …
lucky you!!
derplau said on 7/16/03 6:24 PM …
Wow. That`s an amazing story at so many levels. Go Jenbee!