Just back from my semi-annual check-up on the DC Critical Mass crowd.  Unsuprisingly, DC did not live up/down to the examples recently set in Seattle or NYC.  It was a mostly positive affair that I’ll write more about later.  I’ll say now, tho’, that the hipster simply didn’t represent like I expected them to (in fact, the only clearly ID’able one I saw didn’t take part in the ride at all – he was busy loading his Pista into the back of his . . . SUV! at 14th & R St.).  Anyway, in honor of the evening –

We start with the setting – Dupont Circle at 6pm.  Lily Allen’s LDN is apropos, no?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORosVxIg8Tg[/youtube]

As we get rolling on the ride, I look around to see who’s with us.  All sorts, really, but one stands out.  She may well be proof of time travel, looking like she’d been snatched out of Ready for the World’s Oh Sheila video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SX-vZk5DUY[/youtube]

Props to her, though – could you pedal with 4 inch heels?  No, you could not.  So up and around Thomas Circle, swing across U, and back down to the Capitol.  We crash the party that the local DC skate/rollerblade club had going on.  Much fun, sometimes towing the skaters, sometimes getting pushed.  The guys on the tall bikes (triple stacked!) wanted to try something with the tour buses, but they ran away.  So we were left to:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQVM7jsUlJc[/youtube]

Shortly after, I and a couple of other guys parted ways with the pack, and headed home.  An excellent start to the evening.