Last Wednesday morning there was a massive natural gas explosion up the street from me. It shook our bed and woke my wife up from 1.5 miles away away. Two buildings were destroyed and one more damaged so as to be uninhabitable. This was big news and you may have heard about it on NPR or read about it in the New York Times. In all, four businesses have lost their spaces and are forced now to face a frantic search for a new space or close their doors. It’s tragic and has had me sad ever since.
However, I’m also feeling hopeful. The two neighborhoods in the area, Phinney and Greenwood, often called “Phinneywood”, have really come together. As of last Friday evening over $111,000 had been raised to assist neighborhood businesses and residents affected by the explosion and the count has only gone up from there. 150 people came out on Saturday morning and cleaned and painted the block with the most damage. Businesses all over the area are hosting benefits and donating significant proceeds to the relief fund set up by the neighborhood association. I’m working on arranging a benefit concert put on by my orchestra. I feel really proud of my neighborhoods right now.
Probably the most personal part about this though is the (hopefully temporary) loss of my favorite bike shop, G&O FAMILY CYCLERY. Two years ago my wife and I purchased a cargo bike with the intent of biking our planned family around town rather than driving so much. On the advice of our friend Dave we decided to get it converted to an e-bike. We chose G&O because of their wonderful reputation among and support of the local family biking community. The owners, Davey and Tyler, are not only good at their job, but wonderful human beings.
Because of some idiosyncrasies of our bike the conversion turned out to be more complicated than expected. Despite the difficulties Tyler and the two other mechanics at the shop persevered and got us exactly the bike we needed to successfully traverse hilly Seattle while carrying kids and cargo. You’ve seen it here and seen some of the loads I’ve carried.
Driving in Seattle super stresses me out. The traffic, the unsafe drivers, and the necessity of always going on the freeway is just so different from everywhere I’ve lived. In one two week period a couple months ago I had 6 close calls. Six! Every one could have cause a serious accident and in at least one I was REALLY lucky there wasn’t another driver nearby or there could have been a fatality (their’s or mine or both).
When I switched to biking my whole outlook on life changed. Between the reduction in driving and the physical exercise I became happier, less stressed, and honestly a better husband and father. This was really driven home when I hurt my back again last fall and was pretty much unable to bike for two months. The difference in how I felt and acted was palpable. I was getting frustrated more easily, more angry about politics and the news than usual, and sleeping incredibly poorly. When I started biking again that all began to evaporate. Yesterday I had a rough day and my wife commented on how she remembered that not so long ago I felt like that every day. So, I can literally say that G&O Family Cyclery changed my life for the better. This shop is super special to me and Davey, Tyler, Donald, and Karl have been so good to me and my family that the thought of them closing just breaks my heart.
So, I have an ask: consider donating to G&O. Even just $5. You can read more about it onWWW.SAVEGANDO.COM and you can donate on this GoFundMe page, SAVE G&O FAMILY CYCLERY, set up by Davey’s partner Danielle, or better yet by sending a check made out directly to G&O to their bank, Umpqua bank. I’d appreciate it, the entire family biking community would appreciate it, and especially Davey, Tyler, Donald, and Karl would appreciate it. With the help of the community they can succeed in rebuilding. Here is the info for Umpqua Bank:
Umpqua Bank
7120 Greenwood Ave N.
Seattle, WA 98103
You can also find info about this on the website www.savegando.com and on G&O’s website.
Thanks for reading what is perhaps one of the most personally important posts I’ve put up here.