Spotlight on: Pedal Pusher Bike Shop

Last weekend I finally fulfilled one of my summer goals: rent bikes. Mister Redhead and I went to Pedal Pusher Bike Shop (1306 2nd Ave. at 69th St.), which is the same place we went last summer for bikes. Actually, it’s the only place we’ve ever rented bikes from. So I may be a little biased and uninformed when recommending this place, but I know a good price when I see one. Pedal Pusher’s rate is $6 an hour, and I haven’t found anything better than that. Of course, as Mister Redhead is quick to point out, renting helmets (at $4 a piece) raised the bill a bit (and is so uncool looking). But I’m of the “safety is priceless” mindset and insisted we both wear one. It took us less than an hour to do the loop in Central Park, so our total bill was $21. Not bad, right?

Where else do people rent bikes from? Or do you own your own?

Back-to-school shopping

I haven’t been in school for almost three years, but I still feel the urge to recreate my wardrobe every September. It’s something about the changing of seasons, the nostalgia, the feeling of new beginnings…the abundance of earth-toned apparel (my weakness!). Back in the day, my grandma would give me money to buy new shoes (enough for one pair of sneakers and one pair of nice shoes). This may explain why I’m currently pining for a quality pair of brown boots. A few ideas:

Frye Dorado Riding Boots, $502

I love the color of these riding boots I found on zappos.com. I’m not a huge fan of the shininess, though. Or the price. Moving on…

Nine West "Frollic" Suede Boot, $99

This price is more like it. I must digress and say that I’ll always associate Nine West with quality boots. When I was 18, I became the owner of $300 black knee-high boots from Nine West. To this day, that is probably the most expensive piece of attire I’ve ever owned. What was I thinking? But these boots were awesome. They were super comfortable, worked well with beat-up jeans and fancy skirts, and made the best clicking sound when I walked. I wore them at least 300 days out of the year. They got me through college and a few months in NYC. Then, in March 2007, as I was walking past St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 51st Street, one of the heels got caught in a subway grate and snapped off. I was crushed. I sat on the steps of the cathedral and mourned my broken boots. As luck would have it, my mom was with me, visiting from the Midwest, and thought it was a great excuse to chuck the crusty boots and go shopping at Macy’s. I’ve yet to find a pair of boots that live up to those, though.

Ralph Lauren "Isabelline" Riding Boots, $950

My favorites so far! Love the color, the buckle detail, and the heel height. I’ll buy them just as soon as I’m ready to spend a grand on a pair of boots. Sigh.

Are you longing for any back-to-school purchases? And how much should I be ready to spend on a good pair of boots?