Boston + New England

Quincy’s Bike-Sharing Survivor Game

by

Competition between bike-sharing companies is heating up in Quincy. Back in late May, early June, I first started seeing beautiful bright yellow Ofo bikes popping up everywhere.

Soon after, I downloaded the app and looked forward to trying it out. A free week was even offered. I proceeded to never try it. Finding the bikes was very random and the timing never worked out.

Recently, I started noticing pretty lime green and yellow bikes around the city. Then I received an email from Ofo stating that they were leaving Quincy. That was quick!

An article on Quartz, states that Ofo, which is based in China, laid off many employees in North America and is dramatically scaling back its US operation.

Ofo told team members on a call today that it is “going into sleep mode” in North America. Chris Taylor, a former Uber employee hired by Ofo to lead its North American operations in October 2017, announced his departure from the company a few weeks ago.

Ofo confirmed the layoffs to Quartz. The company said it is not vacating the US, but is reorienting to focus on markets that will help it become profitable. Ofo plans to maintain operations in US cities including Seattle, San Diego, and New York, where it recently was selected to participate in a dockless bike-share pilot in the Bronx.

Well, no need to worry, because Lime is here in Quincy now. According to their website, they also have electric scooters and electric assist bikes.

We’ll see how long Lime survives here. Bike-sharing companies are all the rage now in the Boston area and all over the country in general. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to ride a bike soon. I loved riding my bike as a kid and miss it.

Will Lime survive into the next season? Who knows? But if Lime leaves along with the falling leaves, there seem to be plenty of other bike-sharing companies ready to take its place.

Spring Is Coming!

by 2 Comments

Spring forward! We have more daylight today as Daylight Savings Time begins!

Although spring isn’t officially here until the 20th, I really start to feel it when it’s light at night. Tonight it will be light until 7pm!

It also makes me start to think about things that I’d like to do this summer. I’ve been to Florida and California more recently than New York, which is so much closer! I just learned about an interesting art exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York that I would love to see.

Right here in Boston, I’m interested in getting over to the Institute of Contemporary Art far more often. There are several exhibits I’m interested in seeing. As I write this, I’m sensing a theme. I guess I want to go to museums more often! Years ago, I would go on a regular basis and I really miss it.

But I don’t have to wait until summer to visit more museums. Let me focus on the present and what I can do now. Get myself to some museums! I work just a couple of T stops from the MFA, so I could even go for a lunch break.

Thinking about spring flowers and the end of winter, a passage that I recently read in a poem by Rumi, comes to mind.

That light reveals

flowers growing in this place.

I am so amazed:

where death is,

there flowers also grow.

Laundry Day: Calm Between Storms

by 2 Comments

What a week! My mom lost electricity for several days due to the first storm, on March 2nd, so she stayed with me for a few days.

I’m so glad that I had power! Especially living in Quincy, where there was crazy rain, flooding, wind damage and dozens of people had to be rescued by the National Guard. While I’ve often been jealous of those who live closer to the beach, I’ve recently been very appreciative of living on a hill.

Then we had another storm this week. I walked to and from the train for work during both storms and luckily wasn’t hit by any falling trees, wires or debris. I saw a piece of siding ripped off a house and go flying into the air. I’ve already barely missed being hit by a tree and hope my luck continues.

With all the chaos, my laundry has piled up. So today is the day.

While sipping my coffee this morning, I found an article about modernizing your laundry routine. Two sisters from Germany moved to Brooklyn and opened a really cool eco-friendly and sustainable laundromat with a cafe and backyard space. Wish there were a place like that in Quincy!

The sisters are interviewed about laundry and one of their suggestions is to use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. They are cheaper overall, less wasteful and healthier. Seems like a great idea, so I found a DIY blog post and might make make my own felted wool dryer balls. We’ll see.

Have you tried dryer balls? What do you think?

Well, last I heard, we’re supposed to have another storm on Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t checked again, because it’s too exhausting at this point. I’ll just enjoy the calm between the storms. Have a good weekend!

Quincy: Then & Now

by

Have you taken a look at some of the old pictures of Massachusetts available online? Digital Commonwealth is a treasure.

If you’re familiar with Quincy at all, you’ve probably been at this intersection in Wollaston. You’d be standing on Newport Avenue looking at Grandview Avenue on the left and Beale Street on the right.

I found the lower picture in the Quincy postcard collection, dated from 1903 – 1976. That’s quite a range of years, but based on the car on the right, I’m guessing it’s from the 1910s or 1920s. Maybe 1918?

As soon as I saw the old picture, I knew I had to take a new picture to compare it with. The upper picture I took this past week. Quite a difference! But you can definitely see that it’s the same place. Just about one hundred years apart. Pretty amazing.

It was shocking to see that the building on the right used to be a drug store. I think it’s a fabric store now.

Grandview used to be a dirt road and now so many trees have grown that it’s hard to see the house behind them. Also, it looks like it was a two-way street. Now it’s one-way. There were no traffic lights back then and way less cars.

What a difference a century makes! Wonder what it will look like in 2118?

 

Boston Sunsets & Bitter Cold

by

sunsets

Last night I walked home from the train like most days. It was probably the coldest temperature I’ve ever felt. My face hurt. It took hours to warm up and I kept shivering.

Between that walk and shoveling out my car in the morning, I’ve caught a cold. So this weekend I’m resting and trying to get my strength back.

Even though this winter is far from over, I’m looking forward to a warm-up that’s supposed to be here by Tuesday. Yay for the January thaw!

Also, the sunsets are getting later. More sunlight each day. I’ll take it.

Happy weekend to you!