Slow News - November Edition Hi Neighbors, Happy November! ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

*Take 14, November 1st, 2025 *

Slow News.

Hey Neighbors,

Jay here.

If you’ve spent any time at Scenic Routes the last few years, you will have surely caught the drifting smells of madras curry (or potato leek soup or Tuscan stewed beans) intermingled with the sounds of Chopin (or Carly Rae Jepsen or Gang of Four).

Music and food. There is no one in my life that has taught me more about music and food (and leadership and responsibility and kindness, but I won’t pepper this newsletter with endless parentheticals) than Brad Levy, the longtime owner (now co-owner with the inimitable Haley Sausner who has also taught me much but let’s stay focused) of Firefly Restaurant.

I started at Firefly as a clumsy, oafish busser in 2004. The staff snickered “what about Jay?” when Brad gave a speech about “moving with grace on the floor.” My staunchest defender and co-busser Franz shot back “it’s a savage grace.” Savage, true, but my eyes were forced wide open as I pretended I knew what Osso Buco was and fumbled the pronunciation of Haricot Verts (why don’t you just call it green beans you fucking snobs?) and read and listened and learned. During staff tastings, Brad would routinely run his finger along a plate and suck the sauce cleanly off. I can work for this guy, I thought.

He both taught me about provençal soupe au pistou and the finer points of bitter greens and why duck fat made chicken livers so creamy and would talk about Texas bbq and the best baked beans. He was a snob but also a man of the people. He told us that to feed people was the greatest gift we could give them—that to nourish was an act of love. The first meal ever given to you was literally a gift created from your mother’s body. I had never heard anything like this and was floored.

You see, food was a weapon in my house growing up — a tool to manipulate and control — an object of shame or, even worse, indifference. Brad taught me food was an act of joy and kindness and skill and art and it was fucking wild.

That was more than 20 years ago, and in the last 20 years I’ve become a pretty good cook, much of that stewarded by Brad’s (and later Haley’s) mostly kind, but occasionally barbed instruction.  It’s now ingrained in me that to feed is to love — that listening to your loved ones and feeding them what they want is a gift.

Ayla has celiac and Joel is pescatarian who thinks dairy is gross and Lily has tummy issues and Jerry is a committed and thoughtful vegan and the array of kind volunteers include those who are vegan but will eat cheese occasionally and those who hate fish but are ok with sushi and those who don’t like food that is orange. Brad taught me that food should never be poison, and we should feed people what nourishes them as an act of love.

As our staff grew, Ayla and I talked it over and we decided everyone gets fed at Scenic Routes. There will always be snacks, there will always be lunch. You will love what we feed you or we will adapt. You want in? You want to be fed or to feed us? Shoot us a text and we’ll put you in the rotation.

Sidenote – I started writing this a few weeks ago, before we knew that the ongoing government shutdown would result in delayed SNAP benefits and directly contribute to growing food insecurity for millions of people across the country (including hundreds of thousands of people in the Bay Area). All of it is even more true now. I can guarantee you that if you want or need to be fed, there will be food here at Scenic Routes, between 2 and 4 (or 4:30 if Ayla’s cooking).

This month – the month that typically involves food and gathering and nourishing each other – we’re also going to bring that approach into our rides. This month’s Night Moves will be all about soup. We’ll take our usual all-abilities-welcome ride, ending at Mountain Lake Park, and our soup stewards will join us there with all kinds of soup and several kinds of bread. Bring a bowl, a cup, a spoon, your bike, and anything else you need to enjoy a great view and some soup with your community!

November 13th. Meet at 7:15, roll at 7:30.

I am an enthusiast generally and relish in enthusiasms, be it bikes or food or building computers or mapping routes. Ten or twelve years ago I asked Brad to suggest some great piano music that was “not too interruptive" — an insufferable and boneheaded question as the greatest piano music demands the listeners attention. Brad surely knew this but graciously suggested Erik Satie. Faint praise — even though Satie is a genius, the man’s music can be ignored — but I listened and loved it.

And then came Bach — the Goldbergs were a mystery to me — how and why did Glenn Gould record it and then record it again 25 years later? The two recordings sounded basically the same to my naive ears. Brad, always the thoughtful steward and teacher, suggested I listen and listen and listen until I got it. So, as instructed, I listened. I listened to the 1955 version every day for a month and then listened to the 1981 version every day for another month and I heard it! What did I hear? No surprise: one had the lively and ebullient ferocity of youth and the other had the thoughtful, careful, loving pace of middle age. Then came Schumann and Schubert and Beethoven and Chopin. It all folded into my music brain alongside my love of ‘90s and 2000s indie rock and punk and moody folk and outlaw country. A gift I could never imagine being given.

The first (or second — coffee is powerful) thing I do when I walk in the door at Scenic Routes is play some music. And we often, as Brad suggested, listen to things over and over and over. This year we probably listened to Cameron Winter’s solo record 100 times — Lily, ever armed with a sassy, brilliant witticism, quipped “the first 20 times I was all ‘GAHD. Who is this sad sack whiner’ and then one day ‘IT’S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I’VE EVER HEARD.” Natalie is now a dedicated James McMurtry fan. Ayla is thrilled by Irish country lunatic CMAT. Joel has taught us more about post-punk than we ever thought we wanted to know. We all love Grieg’s Lyric Pieces (thank you, again, Brad). But Bach will forever hold a place in my heart.

So for January’s Night Moves, Scenic Routes is taking you to the beach with Bach. Or, for the pun-lovers, the name of the ride is “To The Beach and Bach”. Or “Rolling Fugue”. Bring an old AM/FM battery-powered radio (if you don’t know what that is or where to find one, ask your dad), and come listen to Bach with us as we ride to the beach.

January 8th. Meet at 7:15, roll at 7:30.

So, if you’ve wandered into Scenic Routes at any time over the last few years and asked us what music we’ve got playing, or asked us what’s for lunch, we really love that you asked! And we’re really glad that you’re here.

We’ll see you soon,

Jay

Other dates to know:

The first Sunday of every month we are hosting the Quercus Family Bike Ride. Which is tomorrow! See you at 9:00am in front of the Conservatory of Flowers.

We’ll be gone fishin’ (or in this case, camping) the weekend after Thanksgiving. The shop will be open on November 26, closed from November 27 through November 30, and open again on December 2nd.

There will be no Night Moves in December: we’re having a holiday party instead! Join us at the shop on December 11th for some music, company, and some of Mary’s punch. Starts at 7pm, goes ‘til whenever.

We’re open on Christmas Eve (December 24th), but closed from December 25th through 28th. Open on December 30th and 31st, closed January 1st for inventory, and then back to our regular schedule on January 2!

To stay up to date on EVERYTHING, check out the calendar here: Calendar

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Scenic Routes Community Bicycle Center, 521 Balboa Street, San Francisco, United States

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