-1-
B I C YC L E DI A R I E S an extract by DAVID BYRNE
-2-
London is a city not on a grid plan,
being an amalgamation of former
which can be both good and bad
villages, has many centers, and
for getting around by bike. If one
activities can take place miles
kwnos the streets, well, one can,
apart from one another. As a
by taking a zigzag path, avoid the
result there can be some long and
large, busy thoroughfares that
strenuous pedals. These don’t
snake through the maze of smaller streets and, by following these smaller arteries, travel more or less as the crow flies.
However, not being a
native, I have ton consult a map
LONDON IS A CITY NOT ON A GRID PLAN, WHICH CAN BE BOTH GOOD AND BAD FOR GETTING AROUND BY BIKE
fairly often, as the winding streets
necessarily result in making a
here can lead one astray- without
trip longer than it would be on
realizing it, for example, I could
the tube, but I sometimes arrive a
be headed northwest rather than
little shiny.
west, and gradually go miles out of
my way.
years not to fill my travel days
exclusively with work, but to give
London sprawls for and
I’ve learned after many
old city. Most European capitals
myself some free time, some
are pretty compact, but London,
breathing space, so I can manage
-3-
-4-
-5-
to retain my sanity despite the
Spitafields Market. Not the most
feeling of dislocation that comes
direct route to Whitechapel, but
with the traveling. Random
hopscotching from one marker to
wandering clears the head of the
another feels like participating in
worries and the concerns that
a giant board game- it is inmensly
might be lurking, and sometimes
satisfying. Each marker is almost
it’s even inspiring. I lean toward
within sight of the next one, so
contemporary art shows, as
progress toward my objective
that’s an area I’m involved in,
proceeds via a series of giant steps.
but medical museums, industrial museums, and the National Museum of Roller Skating in Lincoln, Nebraska, were all equally exciting and served as destinations- though often what I passed along the way was even more interesting.
[...] My route takes me
by Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, the theatre district, and
...
-6-
David Byrne is is a Scottish musician and was a founding member and principal songwriter of the American New Wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, and non-fiction. He has received Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe awards and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.