Midnight riders
Every summer since the late 1980s, the Back Bay Midnight Pedalers have embarked on an unusual tour of Boston, a city known more for its Duck Boats and historic walking trails than for its bike enthusiasts. The adventure stretches through the wee hours, beginning at midnight and ending when the sun starts to rise. On two wheels, the pedalers manage to see the city in a new light by seeing it in almost no light at all.
Tomorrow night, about 150 folks are expected to gather in Copley Square for the 20th annual Boston By Bike At Night event. Anyone can join in - just bring your bike, water, and spare parts - and don't forget breakfast. The adventure ends with a picnic in scenic Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. You'll need some serious sustenance after nearly six hours of cycling.
The ride kicks off in front of Trinity Church, then weaves through the city focusing on its historic sites - which are often overrun by tourists and locals during the day, especially in the summer.
"Nowhere else can you learn so much about our city without being on one of those silly bus tours," says Dave Evans, 39, who rode last year. Several guides, including an urban architect and a historian, map out different routes each year, Evans says, stopping at sites such as MIT and the Charlestown Navy Yard to give five-minute history lessons through a bullhorn.
"He tells you stuff I guarantee you don't know - 90 percent of what this guy talks about, you've never heard before," Evans says.
By morning you'll have seen it all, from a much closer distance than you would have from an amphibious World War II boat rolling down the street. And you'll know more about your fellow travelers than how loudly they can quack.
11:15 p.m. Sat. Free. Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon St., Boston.
Danielle Capalbo is a fourth-year journalism student at Northeastern University. She can be reached at to.the.means@gmail.com
