Go For A Bike Ride Wit Da Mayor (Bay State Bike Week Kickoff Event)

Just got this in the email. Seems I am a friend of Bay State Bike Week…aww shucks guys thanks.

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Dear Friends of Bay State Bike Week,

On behalf of the city of Boston, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Bay State Bike Week organizing committee, I would like to cordially invite you to the Bay State Bike Week Kickoff Press Announcement and mini-bike ride.

• Monday, May 11, 2009
• 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM; departing City Hall at 12:00 sharp.
• Start @ 1 City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA (at flagpole on Cambridge Street side).
• Finish @ Christopher Columbus Park, Boston, MA

Together we will bike 1 mile from City Hall Plaza to Christopher Columbus Park for the speaking portion where Mayor Menino and members of the Mass Commute team launch Bike Week. Thank you T-shirts provided to first 50 arrivals and water bottles to all who join.

R.S.V.P preferred but not required: [email protected].

Sincerely,

The Bay State Bike Week Team

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Da Mayor At Geekhouse!

Got this from Marty over at Geekhouse Bikes.

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So this is kind of crazy, but Mayor Menino is coming to the Geekhouse shop this Thursday 3/19 at 11am for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Basically I got a loan from the city of Boston a while back and this is the part where they hand me one of those big fake check things. I feel a little weird about the whole thing, but it’s pretty awesome that the city is supporting local business and especially bike related ones. Anyway, I guess they want a lot of people to show up and show support from the local bike community, so I’ll have some free coffee and donuts before the event! So everyone come on over to 15 West Sorrento St, in Allston, see you Thursday! Thanks guys!

-Marty

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Mayor Might Close Newbury To Cars This Summer

This sounds like a fantastic idea…If this works out (stores don’t lose money, maybe even make more money), it would be a great bit of data to support the idea that removing cars from certain areas can actually help business not hurt it. On street parking has long been a holy icon of Boston, and it is nice to see that someone has the stones to challenge the theology of the on street parking.

As the weather gets warmer, Newbury Street shoppers may get the right of way if the mayor gets his way.

Mayor Thomas Menino is proposing that the popular shopping spot be shut down to cars and open only to pedestrian traffic on weekends in July and August.

His hope: to make the area more people friendly and allow them more room to wander freely.

It is an announcement the Martin Lawrence Gallery has been waiting for.

“People don’t have to be frustrated with motor vehicle traffic. It opens up the sidewalks, we’ve got a good crowd down here, people biding for space. Take the cars out, people have more freedom,” said Mitch Rutt, of the Martin Lawrence Gallery.

Pedestrians think it’s a great idea.(via)

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Apply Now: Mayor Menino’s Bike Friendly Business Awards

Got this from the city today. Want to brag how bike awesome your business is? Sign up and show your stuff! Deadline is Feb 13 so act now!

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Dear Friend,

We invite you to apply to Mayor Menino’s Bike Friendly Business Program on behalf of your organization or business.

Mayor Menino’s Bike Friendly Business Program recognizes businesses and organizations that encourage bicycling among employees. We’ve done all the hard work. We came up with a checklist of simple ways that you can encourage cycling. All you need to do is check off what your organization or company does.

Apply on behalf of your company or organization. Applications should be submitted by February 13, 2009. All winners will be announced and honored by Mayor Menino at a reception in April.

The Bicycle Friendly Business Program is an integral part of our efforts to turn Beantown into Greentown. We want to honor those businesses, residents and community leaders who are at the forefront of sustainability.

To download forms, please go to the City’s website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/greenawards/pdfs/greenawards_bike_2009.pdf .

For more information, please contact Nicole Freedman via email [email protected], or phone at 617-918-4456.

Thanks for helping spread the word.

Nicole Freedman
Director, Boston Bikes
617-918-4456

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Geekhouse Hitting The Big Time!

Marty over at Geekhouse Bikes has been doing some AMAZING stuff lately (here and here). I am not just talking about his amazing bike, seems he is getting his business side of things moving as well.

From the geekhouse website. (I know this is mad late in posting this, but I thought it was such a cool development that I couldn’t let it pass)

So I got an email on Sunday night saying that Mayor Menino was going to mention Geekhouse in his annual State of the City address which took place last night (I’m at the 8:27 section). At first I didn’t really know much about it. But then Monday I found out that the whole event would be broadcast live on Chanel 5 Boston, and that I had a reserved seat in one of the front rows at the event, which would be held in prestigious Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston.

If I haven’t mentioned this before in December I got a loan from the City of Boston to help purchase some necessary manufacturing equipment, and also provide the ability to hire 1-2 employees to help out with fabrication. This whole process involved a lot of time and effort. I sought out help from Score a division of the Boston SBA in reviewing a detailed business plan I wrote myself. And of course I had a lot of support from my amazing lawyer Joel Kinney of Goldstein and Herndon in Chestnut Hill. So after about 6 months of planning and effort I was finally approved for the loan. Also, a big thanks to Bill Nickerson and everyone from the BLDC for all their help with getting that done!

So back to the event last night. I ended up bringing my girlfriend Andrea, my Mom and two sisters Corie and Katty, and also Josh from Open Bicycle. I was told we had reserved seating, but when we walked in there were two levels, and upper and lower. The security guard blocked us when I tried to walk into the lower section, and I told him the I was Marty Walsh and we had reserved seating. His response was, “Oh yes Mr. Walsh, someone will show you to your seats.” Now, there’s also a state rep named Marty Walsh, so my response to him was “No, I’m the other Marty Walsh, not the State Rep Marty Walsh.” And he then said. “Oh no, we know who your are, I’ll have someone show you to your seats.”

The whole thing was pretty surreal. We had 4 seats which all had Marty Walsh written of them in the front row of the right side of the room. Then there were two seats for me and Andrea only a few rows back from the front row, which included Gov Deval Patrick, and the Mayor’s wife. My thoughts through the whole thing were; holy crap why the hell am I here with all these important people? Sitting right next to me was a guy who was first on the scene to the firefighter accident last week, I believe he actually saved one of the firefighters lives. And on the other side was a guy giving away like a million dollars to the Boston public schools. So out of all the people in the city who did amazing things this past year, we were the three that the Mayor mentioned. I still feel that I don’t deserve that kind of attention, and this isn’t something that I sought out. But hey I’ll take the free press, haha!

After the event my sister Corie made me go get a picture with the Mayor, and I told him thank you. I then met the Allston Rep, who went and introduced me to the State Rep Marty Walsh. I also shook hands with Secretary Galvin and a few other respectable Bostonians. The whole thing was really pretty amazing but also a little ridiculous. A few Boston firefighters shook my hand and said nice job and thank you. My response no them was “No, thank you guys, your awesome!” haha, like I said the whole thing was just pretty surreal.

Anyway, after all that I couldn’t sleep last night and I got in the shop a little after 7am this morning and I’m anxious to just get back to business as usual. Now I just have to see if my fat head still fits in my welding helmet. Anyway, thanks for listening!

-Marty Walsh (not the State Rep)

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