Cafe Minneapolis: Now Serving Bike Culture

The weekend served up a big ol' slice of Bike Culture Pie. Ummm ... delicious! I got the chance to enjoy the opportunities to the fullest since April and Sylvia were out of town. Friday night began with a tour of the downtown area with Anthony, Tony, and Tony's friend, Nick. We staged at Tony's place. Nice decor ... Tony certainly has his priorities straight.

We headed into the city but hadn't gotten very far before Tony snapped his chain. Things were hopping downtown and we had plenty of entertainment while he put everything back together.

Here's a rather artsy shot of the skyline from Nicollet Island. We speculated on the hauntings of a nearby building with a door leading in from river level. The island is quite a remarkable place.

Anthony sporting a face that reveals the mood of the evening. We all had a great, mellow time exploring the riverfront. He and I split off from Tony and Nick. On the way home we stopped off at Grumpy's just before last call and I had two more pints that I really didn't need, but it was a nice end to an awesome evening.

Anthony called me later that morning and left a message that a car had passed him on 31st St, thrown something at him out the window, and cut him off at the next corner. He called the police who arrived and summarily told him he had no legitimate complaint to register. Now, I know I was in no shape to be negotiating with the police by the time we parted ways. However, I can't speak for Anthony. Still, the law should protect all citizens equally and the fact that (from Anthony's account) the cops did all but laugh at him is bullshit. What a wonderful, juvenile privilege drivers have -- they can assault cyclists on the street and cops brush off the unlawful deed as nothing. I guarantee that our wonderful cycling senator Jim Oberstar, or Mayor R.T. Ryback would get a different response if they phoned in a complaint. I'd like to challenge them, and any other high profile, "pro-bicycling" PUBLIC SERVANTS to fight for equal rights for bicyclists. Get it straight people -- and cops alike -- justice, equal justice is necessary for everyone, everywhere, at every time.