Today is Schwinneola’s anniversary. A year ago today, I purchased this bike and rode  it around Mineola, NY (where I grew up) as final research for my book, Traveling at the Speed of Bike.

I rode past Carrie’s house and Tina’s and Katie’s and Johnny’s (all names used in my book except #GayTalese and #BillCunningham are changed). I rode to the pool and the schools and the fields and where the tunnel used to be. I rode to the train station where a train every half hour takes you sixteen miles to Manhattan, and to the library where I fell upon a previous book of mine. Here are some photos from that ride.

If you grew up riding a bike and get the chance to ride there again, I strongly recommend it. It was one of the ten best days of my life and resulted in a flood of realizations (both good and bad).