In my travels around town this morning...

I helped a friend take his bike to the bike shop for miscellaneous repairs.  He happens to live in the southern part of West Palm Beach.  I am currently using a large vehicle capable of holding a bike easily, so I agreed to help him out.  His favorite place to take his bike was Lake Worth Bicycles at the corner of 2nd Avenue South and Dixie Hwy.  I brought my bike a few times there for work and they are very reasonable. When my friend went in to the shop, he immediately asked where the younger guy that used to do the repairs was.  The owner said he had to let him go - that business had been off recently.  He also said that he has had to cut off electricity to the front part of the store because he can't afford what is an extremely large utility bill if he keeps it on.  Which got me to thinking the general public may not realize that the store is open when the lights are off - even during the day.  This can compound the problem.  He used to rent bikes - but has stopped doing that since there isn't the demand that there was at one time.  And then this made me think about the relative attractiveness of our city versus others and why their might be a reluctance on the part of some to rent bikes for use in the city.

With gasoline soon headed over $4.00 a gallon, if not already, perhaps his business will pick up as people switch to alternative modes of transportation that don't rely on a gas pump.  It's also another reminder that it is important to support local businesses and to make sure that we remain an attractive tourist destination.

I must say that the owner of this business treated my friend very well.  He promised his bike will be ready Saturday - today is Thursday.  So he wouldn't be without a bike, he let him take a bike that he used to rent out along with a  $25 lock (sold it to my friend for $10) to use with it to prevent it from being stolen - the use of the bike was free of charge.  If you are in need of a bike or repairs, I would encourage you to drop by and support his business.

What's happening with the Gulf Stream hotel, anyway?  Maybe we should ask for a report from the City Commission.  I wonder if our former Commissioner Cara Jennings' bookings at her boarding house are above or below last year. Someone should inquire.

We also have the highest commercial electric rates of any utility in the state of Florida.