I mentioned stiff winds yesterday. I managed OK, but I forgot to say one consequence. On my riverbank route, there is a heliport. The City had a consequential debate about helicopters because they are dangerous, very pollutive, and offer a small value overall. There had been a heliport on top of a building in midtown, and wouldn't you know it, a helicopter fell and crashed onto the building roof. I think many years ago, we even had onto a street. Helicopters may no longer land on buildings so this is one of the few legal landing places. There was a proposal to get rid of helicopters from Manhattan because it's such a densely populated place. The governor vetoed it, I believe because she likes arriving here that way. I see helicopters there very often with oversized limousines for the passengers, and I assume a lot of ultra-wealthy ride these things. When I pass, the fumes are terribly foul, and they can't be good for us.

Yesterday as I passed, a helicopter was just taking off, and it was wobbling badly and took a minute to stabilize. Instead of taking off, it landed a short distance from the normal spot. Then another helicopter came from across the river and landed. I stopped and watched, but I didn't wait to see if the craft with the aborted take off tried again. It seemed to me that a disaster could have happened and I might have witnessed it. Another cyclist stopped and watched. It occurs to me that I don't know what a safe distance is when something like this happens. It might be greater than the distance I kept there at the waterfront.