day two of writing every day.

meet hakim.

yes. he's a bike.

so when i first got to new york i decided i wanted a bike to help me get around. i live on york avenue which is close to only the east river. it's a pain in the ass to get anywhere. and cabs cost a damn coin. so you get a workout, get there faster and save money.

the only thing is that i didn't know how to lock it up. and it was stolen. so this summer i went looking for a replacement; i found that and more.

i got hakim from an awkward gay man uptown that i found on craig's list. he cost $20, which is cheap but i think it's a little bit of karma for trecking to 116th and adam clayton and all the way to park slope to look at 'ridable' bikes with no brakes. i immediately rode him uptown, and from that first ride i fell in love.

hakim is old, but he still knows how to move. early on it took some getting used to. i cannot possibly count the number of times i almost died the first month riding him around; cabs turning right were turning right into me, buses were sliding into the bus stop and nearly taking me out. but with time i got used to both hakim and new york traffic.

and that's the joy of hakim. you can move, and it's an amazing way to see the city. the empty streets at 3am after a night out are so inviting, the wind in your hair (how cliche, but how true), the sky scrapers flying by, the kids trying like hell to get a cab, any cab. the view from the bridges simply takes your breath away.

but beyond that, hakim gives me both a sense of freedom and a sense of authenticity. before hakim i had to really plan when i would go out and how i would get home. it was harder to do things on a whim because the trains late at night can be a nightmare and cabs are not cheap. now i can jump on my boi and i'm there and home in a heart beat (if a little sweaty)...

but mostly, hakim makes me feel like a new yorker. i'm out there, taking on the cars, almost hitting pedestrians, cussing people out, in a rush or taking it all in. im just doing me, flying up 1st avenue from the lower east side, only a little drunk (yes you can get duis on a bike), tough you might believe, that is unless you happen to see the smile plastered across my face.