Marte and Jonathan live waay uptown in Washington Heights near Highbridge Park, and that’s where we took this BikeNYC photo on a chilly afternoon.
History lesson: If you’ve ever driven on I-87 or I-95 by the East River in the Bronx, you’ve seen the High Bridge water tower, built in 1872 to support the growing population or northern Manhattan. Pretty beautiful, as water towers go. To the left of the tower used to be a 10 million gallon water reservoir, which was converted to a (still operational) public pool in 1936.
Marte’s unusual bike is an Ahearne Cycle Truck from Portland – apparently the only one of its kind on the east coast. It’s a very cool utilitarian bicycle that’s designed to comfortably carry a large amount of weight on the front rack. It’s a smart design: the rack is affixed to the frame and remains fixed while you steer, allowing for easy handling. So it’s a good choice if you need to portage some groceries, a case of beer, or your husband. Click through for proof of that.
These two were super laid back and fun to photograph. Also, Jonathan crochets in his spare time and he generously presented me with a pair of badass convertible mittens, with an inner-tube weave – just in time for winter riding. Thanks, man!
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jean c. - hey, those are my cousins! hi jonathan & marte! hi awesome photographer! I love this portrait project. hope the biking is good down there, it’s getting better & better by the day here in providence. so much love!