Freedom

This past month was the hottest July on record in DC, the warmest in 140 years of record-keeping. Yet, following a trend that's been noticeable all year, the streets had a steady stream of people on bikes. Six months ago I grabbed a video camera and interviewed cyclists who were out in snow and sleet; so this month I filmed their hot-weather counterparts.

If you ask these riders why they do it, they first talk about practical reasons - convenience, environment, fitness, speed. But if I listen a bit longer I notice one word keeps cropping up: "Freedom."

Bastion of the First Amendment?

With such a variety of protests — climate change, World AIDS Day, even Uzbek refugees — in front of the White House yesterday, it'd be nice to report that Lafayette Park and the closed stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue are a bastion of the First Amendment.

But it's not always the case. My colleague Mannie, a White House news photographer, snapped an image of a couple protesters in the street that happened to include a uniformed member of the Secret Service in the distance. The officer approached Manny, demanded he delete the photo, and then actually chased him a little ways and tried to snatch his camera away. What was the officer — who later refused to identify himself — thinking? If he'd managed to grab the camera, what would he have done with it? Hide it like the squirrels hide the nuts in Lafayette Park?

Anyway, Mannie, after demanding to know if he was under arrest, escaped and went back to his job. Later, when the incident was discussed with a sergeant with the Secret Service, the sergeant affirmed that police have no right to order people to delete photos, or to control what is photographed. He mentioned that this was a new part of their training. (I thought the concept was pretty well established in 1791, the year the Bill of Rights was ratified.)

Incidents like this have been reported around town, in places like Union Station, the Metro, downtown streets. But it was unusual to see it happen with the Secret Service, normally a highly professional, and even mellow, group — the same officers who calmly watched AIDS activists roll a coffin up the street just a half hour later.

UPDATE -- PDN Pulse has interviewed the photographer, and posted the photo the officer ordered deleted: http://bit.ly/gluUgj. And as they point out -- the photographer involved is the same whose photo of President Obama was the basis for the famous "Hope" poster!

New Wheels

I came downtown early this morning to photograph the Fed chairman as he arrived for work. That's not news - I suppose Mr. Bernanke shows up for work most days - but the way I got here was new.

DC is now the first city in this country to have self-service public bike rentals. Called "Smartbikes," there are racks of the bikes set up around downtown. You go to a rack, wave your electronic Smartbike card, and the machine releases a bike for you. You're supposed to return it to any of the Smartbike racks within three hours.

The cost of this? A whole year of unlimited rentals for only $40. (You order the Smartbike card at www.smartbikedc.com.)

I've had my card for several weeks and been dying to use it, but this morning was my first chance. I rode the Metro to the Farragut North subway stop, went up to street level and checked out a bike, riding it to the Federal Reserve building. The bikes are well-suited for downtown biking - comfortable, upright position, a holder for briefcases or purses or whatever (though my photo backpack didn't fit), automatic lights, chain guard to prevent grease on pants or skirts, mud guard, etc. Very comfortable and they handle surprisingly well for a three-speed.

By this afternoon I've used the bikes for three trips around downtown, with one or two more coming up shortly. The only downside is you have to bring your own helmet, and if you need to park away from one of the racks, your own lock. That should become less of an issue if, as promised, more and more Smartbike racks are installed around the city.

And what a great way to get around on a day like this. Right now I'm sitting in a Cosi, having filed my photos, snacking and using the free WiFi. Out one window is a Metro entrance. Outside the door is a Smartbike rack.

I think I've found my new downtown office.

In the woods, downtown

Occasionally we fantasize about moving to a place where the outdoors is closer and the snow guaranteed. But the truth is that Washington has amazing access to all sorts of outdoors possibilities. Take Mather Gorge in Great Falls Park - just 10-15 minutes from the Beltway, but it offers a spectacular vista, challenging hiking, some mountain biking, Olympic-class kayaking, and lots and lots of rock-climbing.

So when a magazine this month asked for a cover shoot of two staffers who work for a nonprofit that deals with conservation issues, it made sense to do it somewhere other than the nonprofit's Crystal City offices. Rachel, one of my two subjects, mentioned the group is involved with deforestation, and said she lives in Dupont Circle, right by the heart of downtown DC.

Bingo - that's also a couple of blocks from Rock Creek Park, a giant green swath of national parkland that cuts through DC. A short walk and she and her colleague Vinnie had left the city and were seated on a log in a lovely piece of woods. The trail was a little steep for Rachel's platform shoes, but the photos looked great.

Now, if we could just do something about the lack of snow around here...

Update: Outside magazine's August issues lists its picks of "The 20 Best Towns in America." Coming in at #1: Washington, DC. I wonder who "outed" us?