Why I like to bike through downtown Seattle
 

So I was riding my Big Buzz down the hill from Broadway to the waterfront, on Pine Street, when I heard a long complicated Chicago style blues riff being played somewhere nearby. It was very busy; the streets were congested and the sidewalks were mobbed with people. I looked around to see where the music was coming from: couldn't see the source but it sounded like a live performance by a very talented band. I was in the center lane and got swept along by traffic for a block before I could zigzag to the curb, get off my bike, and double back to where the sound was. It turned out to be two teenaged boys, "Tyler and Joey" their sign said, performing on the sidewalk. They were working their way through "Red House", their very own dressed up version with about ten minutes of very flashy riffs and runs and solos. The thing is, one of the kids was about 15 ( he was wearing braces ), and the other no older than 17. One kid was playing bass and the other lead; they were plugged in to a portable amp. They both played as expertly as the best blues guitarists I've ever heard, and I've heard them all, being a lifelong fan. The younger kid was the vocalist, and he sounded like he had been performing in clubs for 50 years.
They played through two more songs that I didn't recognise, with the same intensity as their "Red House". Then they sat down for a rest. I put five dollars in the open guitar case, which was already overflowing with bills, and pedaled off.

For me, it's all traffic noise and empty sidewalks and ....oh you get the idea :(
Glad people have such cool places to ride.

Thanks for sharing that. This is the beauty of living in a large city. It's the culture.

I've experienced the same thing many times in New York City. There's always something going on in the streets that our burb living cyclists can only dream of. I've seen artists dispaying their paintings, dancers on the streets, singers in the subways, musicians playing on the sidewalk etc. I love being able to walk the sidewalks (with my bicycle) that are packed with shoppers and the atmosphere is almost electric. The streets are packed with cars going half a mile an hour as the motorist looks in vain for parking. It's at that point that being on a bicycle is the best place to be because you don't need a parking spot and can walk joining the mass of shoppers anytime you feel. I can see why people hate Xmas shopping because having to find parking is a nightmare! If I still need the feel to head out to the burbs, a short tain ride and I'm riding on empty roads in the middle of nowhere.

This is what makes cycling so damn great. Had ya been in a car you would have missed it.

Thanks for sharing that story. Made me smile.