FiftySix

These pics are lame, but they show what Saturday morning around here is like.

The one thing to note is everyone seems to be sleeping in compared to earlier this year when things were normal. That means I don't have to leave my house at 7 am on a weekend to avoid weekend traffic.

First pic below is a toll road. 4 lanes each way on the toll road and 3 lanes each side of the feeder, for a total of 14 lanes available. The feeder is likely empty due to tolls being waived while the county lock down is in effect. So, the feeder road traffic is now mingling with the toll road traffic.



6 lane road with traffic lighter than usual.

3S1M

Its a good mission. My wife showed me some videos someone posted from a drone hovering over Downtown Milwaukee and I have NEVER seen it so bare. Even at night in the past. It was spooky but made me want to go ride down there. LOL. Maybe I should. It was during the week in the middle of the day I think. It would make for some pretty great pictures I would think.

JayKay3000

If only less cars and more bikes would last forever.

botty kayer

Here's Piccadilly Circus in central London, normally one of the busiest junctions in London. Behind me is Piccadilly, to my left is Regent St up to Oxford St, the lone bus is coming from Shaftsbury Avenue (theatre land), and off to the right of heads over to Leicester Square and Trafalgar square. This was taken today, a dry Saturday at 2pm and in 20+ years of living here I've never seen it so quiet.

In a city of 9 million people it can be a challenge to achieve effective social distancing because of the Corona virus, and this is one of the last places and times you'd expect to be able to achieve it.

mr_bill

Arlington Center, closed Regent Theater, empty buses (you now board for free at the back door to social distance from the driver, not that anybody is), and St. Agnes spire in the background, also quite empty:



East Arlington, closed Capitol Theater (appeared earlier in this thread), but new popcorn popup, togo theater popcorn for your Netflix/Amazon Prime/Disney+/Apple TV/CBS All Access... pleasure, with one woman waiting for curbside pickup:



Davis Square, Somerville Theater (also appeared earlier in this thread). Usually a madhouse, the traffic is so bad they self-cork, which if you are fearless makes for good riding, buy pretty much crickets now:



Dave’s Fresh Pasta, my number one destination in Davis Square. Best way to get there from here is via bicycle. The fresh ravioli is amazing, and everything smells WONDERFUL. Now curbside only, missing the wonderful smells, but still fresh ravioli. Five people scattered 6+ feet apart waiting to pick up, none drove. Cameo in the window:



-mr. bill

_ForceD_

What's the mission?

cyccommute 

I got my 5 and I like this one for a couple of reasons. As far as I can tell, botty kayer hasn’t won a mission before and I like the picture...it’s almost out of “28 Days Later”. The next mission is yours, botty kayer.

botty kayer

OK thanks cyccommute .

I'm new to the thread and have not managed to go through all the pages, so apologies if this mission has been done before, if it has just say and I'll set another one.

New mission
The post above from Mr Bill highlighted some good local stores and influenced my challenge. 29th March is apparently National Mom and Pop business owners day in the USA, so I'd like to see a picture of your bike outside your favourite Mom & Pop business. They may have been forced to close due to the pandemic, and many face an uncertain future, so now is the time to give them a shout out, and along with the pic tell us briefly why you chose them.

bpcyclist

The last remaining sorta mom & pop joint in an are known as Slabtown, all new construction condos and commercial, right next to the Pearl District and along the northwest waterfront. Building was built some time in the mid 1920s and has been a restaurant of some ilk the whole time. It is most infamous as being the location where, in 1994, an employee who was taking out some trash, found something odd and opened it up. Turned out these bags contained some very incriminating evidence in the assault on the elite Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan. One of those items was reportedly a note with Nancy's training schedule and location. It was in Tonya Harding's handwriting. She and her gang were found guilty of various Crimes Against Skating and the rest is history. The Dockside is just about a mile south of the main transfer station for waste in Portland, basically, the in-city dump. Police suspect they were on their way there and just decided to stop at the dumpy restaurant instead. Fatal error...




You can see how tiny the lot is and that the new office building behind it is just literally virtually crawling all over it. I think it is awesome that they refuse to go away. Great burgers, BTW!

Slightspeed

Empty bowling alley, Harley's Simi Bowl, on a nice Saturday afternoon, Simi Valley, CA. Usually busy parking lot, empty now, but I think they are still doing take out food.

FiftySix

Loving the retro building and pickup truck in that photo, Slightspeed!

livedarklions

Botty liked your post, so I think you won. What's the new mission?

3S1M

Well this is a bummer. For some reason I don't see the pic of Picadilly Circus..... Huh.

I think that was BPCyclist who got the mom and pop pic mission. Eh? So yeah, got a new mission BP?

bpcyclist

Ah--okay, great. New mission is the bike with any variety of deciduous azalea currently in bloom. If you are not familiar with these, just google it and you will see how they look different than the more common evergreen azaleas. They also tend to have much more interesting colors, in my opinion.

3S1M

Well that brought up some old memories. I remember my Grandma talking about Azaleas. I think maybe she liked them or had one in her yard or something. But she used to talk about them often!


For some reason I can't link the picture google gave me.... Hang on, are these it?




New mission is the bike with any variety of deciduous azalea currently in bloom

Deal4Fuji

[QUOTE=bpcyclist;21391598]Ah--okay, great. New mission is the bike with any variety of deciduous azalea currently in bloom. If you are not familiar with these, just google it and you will see how they look different than the more common evergreen azaleas. They also tend to have much more interesting colors, in my opinion.[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure these are the evergreen variety, but since they're right outside my door I'll post anyway while they're in peak bloom. I didn't know there was a large leaf variety....looking forward to seeing one here.



New mission from bpcyclist: Your bike with any variety of deciduous azalea currently in bloom. If you are not familiar with these, just google it and you will see how they look different than the more common evergreen azaleas. They also tend to have much more interesting colors, in my opinion.

_ForceD_

The blooming azaleas (or any blooming tree/bush/shrub) is a good mission. But can I make a simple request for future mission assignments. That is...that people try to make the assignments so that everyone has a chance to complete them. Azaleas aren't going to bloom around here (southern New England) for about another month. It's kind of like making the mission "Your bike with a real snowman." I don't assign missions like that because I know that people in the south (US) literally have a snowball's chance in hell... So I'm just asking that people consider the location of ALL Bike Pic Mission players in the future when they assign their mission. Thanks.

New mission from bpcyclist: Your bike with any variety of deciduous azalea currently in bloom. If you are not familiar with these, just google it and you will see how they look different than the more common evergreen azaleas. They also tend to have much more interesting colors, in my opinion.


Dan

cyccommute 

Here! Here! I don’t even have azaleas that I can take pictures of even if they were to bloom in June here. Too high and too cold. For illustration, it snowed here Sunday.

subgrade

As far as I know, around here azaleas are kept only as an indoor plant.

bpcyclist

Well, sorry, guys!!!!

bpcyclist

Actually, maybe some one else should come up with this mission.

3S1M

I thought it was a cool mission, no need to be sorry, IMHO. How about you just OK Deal4Fuji's post and let him win that one and pick a new mission. Since the natives are uprising. LOL. His pic is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

I don't want to get anybody in an uproar and I totally get why people said what they said. I personally kind of like the missions that might be specific to a region because I see things I won't where I live. And from what I can tell they have always got fulfilled.

But we're all part of the game and everyone's input counts.

bpcyclist

[QUOTE=Deal4Fuji;21391694]Okay. I am declaring this and you the winner. Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next mission, then******************************???

livedarklions

Just for future reference, I don't think "I can't find this where I live" is a legitimate objection to a mission. That's just going to make the hunt a race to post pictures of common things. Boring. It's ok to sit out a mission if it doesn't work in your region.

I'll remind everyone of the usefulness of the Mr. Bill rules when a mission turns out to be a stumper. Generally, I think 48-72 hours were the periods of time before those clicked in.

​​​​

Deal4Fuji

[QUOTE=bpcyclist;21394468]Thanks bp

Next Mission: Your bike with a 2 piece swinging gate that blocks a road or pathway