Today the crew that manages our building at work only had one of their normal three-person staff working since it was Columbus Day. I saw that one guy moving his car a few blocks away, and he said I could either wait for him to take the freight elevator up or I could lock my bike outside. I put it outside, like I've done dozens of times. I saw it at lunch, and when I went to go home it was still there. I was almost all the way home, a few blocks away and riding in the bike lane next to a cab who had his window rolled down. The cab driver, about three feet to my right and moving at the same speed, was finishing his dinner of Chinese food by opening his fortune cookie in his lap and then reading the fortune. He hadn't noticed I was a few feet away and began to drift into the bike lane while reading about his future. I went to crank on my bell to give him a heads up, but I came up short. Nothing there. The cab driver was still creeping in so I yelled "HEY" only about a foot from his head. He shouted too, but stopped looking at his fortune long enough to straighten out his car. It took me a few more moments to realize that someone had stolen the bell off my bike when it was locked outside today. I'm not mad about the bell. It was free, a handout from the NY DOT during a Safe Biking Sweep. So, if you're looking for a used bike bell and happen to be shopping Craigslist, I wish you the best of luck negotiating a fair price armed with this knowledge.
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