Parties are my thang. If I had a superpower it would be all things party. I love going to parties, I love planning parties, and I love throwing parties. When Husband was boyfriend, he got the brunt of that superpower… and then we had kids. Correction – we had Santiago whose birthday falls two weeks before Beloved’s so for the last 2 years, Husband’s birthday has been crickets. I have planned nothing. This year, I vowed to change that; this year I would get back on the birthday roll… a birthday bike pub crawl in Santo Domingo roll, that is.
In our relationship, the bike pub crawl is the Holy Grail of fun – combining Husband’s affinity for outdoor and physical activity and my affinity for socializing and, well, beer. (We make a great pair.) Oddly, we’ve never made it happen. For years, a bike pub crawl around our neighborhood has been on the agenda of things to plan, but for some reason (like too many other fun parties) it’s been lost in the shuffle. But a few last minute emails (free guide at end) and a strong squad later, Husband’s Magical Mystery Bike Tour was zipping through the streets of Mirador Sur.
While the biking and beering was magically fun, it wasn’t (just) about boozing with friends. Our bike ride was a great way to discover our little corner of the world, a chance to see our hood in a different – by the wheel of our pants – light while stopping at various colmados for brews and laughs. Husband and I have lived here for 5 years and this was the first time we went to the famous “chicharron” spot. We have passed the Parque de los Heróes Cubanos by Hotel Fiesta Americana eight thousand million times and never stopped there before. Heck, I never even knew it was called the Park of Cuban Heroes!!!
The bike pub crawl also gave us the opportunity to interact with friends in a whole new way. A few times, I referenced the scene in E.T. when the gang of kids is speeding through their neighborhood on bikes, dashing from the sea of scientists. That’s what it felt like. Biking around our neighborhood with friends at dusk, we were wild and free and 10 years old again… and it was magical. I brought along a portable speaker and jammed to Bruce Springsteen; Husband and I belted Jersey Girl, “Nothing matters in the whole wide world, when you’re in love with a Jersey girl.” At one of our stops, someone started circling the pavement. Another bike and then another joined in until all 12 bikes were circling around together.
Want to plan your own bike pub tour birthday?
Here’s a F R E E G U I D E to get you started.
P.S. The time I channeled my inner Janis Joplin and Thanksgiving Olympics
