After the success of yesterday's bikeshare-scooter escapade, I invited Heidi on a similar venture this morning. "Let's just walk down and grab a couple of bikes, then cycle over to Crystal City and grab a couple of scooters and see what's going on," I suggested confidently.
The first foible was at the bike dock: we could only get one of the four bikes that were there out for a ride. Undaunted, we put that one back and headed around the corner a bit to the next closest station. There we pulled the first bike out right away, but we couldn't get another one, this time because one was already checked out on the account. So I rode the bike we had back to the first dock and jiggled the first bike until the green light came on. By then, Heidi had walked over to join me, so we borrowed the bike again and rode east.
You know those darn scooters are never quite where they say they will be, and multiplying that by two was definitely double trouble. Once again, we grabbed one right away, and I scootered up and down and all around, consulting the app on Heidi's phone as I rode (because if you already have one, the app on your device won't show any others), until at last I found one. Unlocking it, we were met with a terrible squeal, but still we agreed to ride it until we could find another, which was difficult, because neither of our devices showed us where they were.
Oh, and before Heidi could borrow one, we had to download the app and create an account, and then we had to enter her drivers license # before we could actually unlock the squealing scooter. Not having the document handy, I slyly made up a number, which actually worked.
Not finding any other scooters, and feeling a bit parched after our outing, we agreed to head over to Whole Foods, where we miraculously found another scooter waiting for us right next to the door. We locked both of ours, and while Heidi stood guard, I ran in for some cold drinks. A few minutes later, I rejoined Heidi who was in conversation with some dude who wanted one of ours. I whipped out my phone and unlocked mine, and Heidi did the same. There is a problem with your license, read the error message, try again later.
Shoulders slumped, we relinquished the Birds and walked off toward the mall. After a little shopping, we found a bike station and pedaled toward home, which was not nearly as much fun as scootering would have been. As we approached the very first bike dock, ready to turn our wheels in and walk home, I blinked and blinked again. The unmistakable silhouette of a scooter leaned casually against the bike rack.
The first foible was at the bike dock: we could only get one of the four bikes that were there out for a ride. Undaunted, we put that one back and headed around the corner a bit to the next closest station. There we pulled the first bike out right away, but we couldn't get another one, this time because one was already checked out on the account. So I rode the bike we had back to the first dock and jiggled the first bike until the green light came on. By then, Heidi had walked over to join me, so we borrowed the bike again and rode east.
You know those darn scooters are never quite where they say they will be, and multiplying that by two was definitely double trouble. Once again, we grabbed one right away, and I scootered up and down and all around, consulting the app on Heidi's phone as I rode (because if you already have one, the app on your device won't show any others), until at last I found one. Unlocking it, we were met with a terrible squeal, but still we agreed to ride it until we could find another, which was difficult, because neither of our devices showed us where they were.
Oh, and before Heidi could borrow one, we had to download the app and create an account, and then we had to enter her drivers license # before we could actually unlock the squealing scooter. Not having the document handy, I slyly made up a number, which actually worked.
Not finding any other scooters, and feeling a bit parched after our outing, we agreed to head over to Whole Foods, where we miraculously found another scooter waiting for us right next to the door. We locked both of ours, and while Heidi stood guard, I ran in for some cold drinks. A few minutes later, I rejoined Heidi who was in conversation with some dude who wanted one of ours. I whipped out my phone and unlocked mine, and Heidi did the same. There is a problem with your license, read the error message, try again later.
Shoulders slumped, we relinquished the Birds and walked off toward the mall. After a little shopping, we found a bike station and pedaled toward home, which was not nearly as much fun as scootering would have been. As we approached the very first bike dock, ready to turn our wheels in and walk home, I blinked and blinked again. The unmistakable silhouette of a scooter leaned casually against the bike rack.
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