All I Want For Xmas Is a Bike Path

I’m just back from a short trip to Nantucket, another small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And while the similarities to Bermuda are uncanny—both islands have strong British colonial roots, a rich seafaring history and extremely high costs of living—it was the differences that really got me thinking, most notably how Nantucket has miles upon miles of dedicated bicycle paths and Bermuda does not. Over 25 miles of well-paved paths, actually. Now, I fully understand that Nantucket is larger than Bermuda (47-square-miles as compared to 21-square-miles respectively) and thus, has more land to create recreational lanes for its citizens and tourists, but whoever had the foresight to create island-wide bike lanes gets a gold star in my book. Which begs the question: Why don’t we have any bicycle lanes in Bermuda? When my wife and I moved here over a year ago, we envisioned hopping on our bikes and spending long days pedaling under the sun. But with congested roadways and impatient tailgaters, bicycling on Bermuda’s roads is dangerous at best and deadly at worst. Is there no better option? Sure, bicyclists can try the Railway Trail—the path left behind from the island’s 40’s era now-defunct train—but it’s unpaved and not really suitable for a leisurely bicycle ride. What I’m talking about here are dedicated bike paths alongside major roads, made for pedal bikes and only pedal bikes. Just imagine the progress we’d see: More people biking to and from work, less congestion on the roads and yet another source of tourism revenue for small business owners (I paid $50 for two bikes for 24 hours in Nantucket; Bermuda had around 500,000 visitors last year—you do the math). Look, it’s not that Bermuda isn’t a wonderful place to live. It absolutely is. But a few tweaks here and there wouldn’t hurt. My rusty bicycle thanks you in advance.

Health Alert

This just in from McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a Johnson & Johnson company that manufactures and distributes popular over-the-counter pills: According to a recent press release, one lot of 50-count Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gels, which were sold in Bermuda as well as the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, have been recalled. The company says that the lots were “inadvertently omitted” from the initial January 15 recall, which included Children’s and Infants’ Tylenol. Prompted by consumer vomiting, diarrhea and complaints of a musty or moldy odor that has since been traced to a chemical used on wood pallets in shipping—a.k.a. 2,4,6-tribromoanisole—the new recall also includes four lots of Benadryl Allergy Ultratab Tablets 100-count bottles. Wondering what’s in your medicine cabinet? The lot numbers can be found on the side of the bottle label; Benadryl lots are AJA008, ADA194, ABA022 and ABA264. The Tylenol lot is ASA202. For a refund or more information visit mcneilproductrecall.com or call 888/222-6036 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EST Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Bermuda Soup

Alright, fine. I haven’t written in a few days. But that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any mid-Atlantic news to report—just that I’ve been, shall we say, detained. So in the spirit of getting caught up, here in the meantime is your weekly bowl of Bermuda soup. First, the winners of Bermuda’s Perfect 10 Destination Wedding Giveaway. Unfortunately my overall pick, Danielle & Garison didn’t win, but this just in for Garison’s mother Martha, who left yet another heartfelt comment last week: “Garison and Danielle were out-voted and did not win that Bemuda wedding, however Garison just posted a lovely invitation: ‘8/13/11! Thats the date!! Connecticut! We'll treat the President of JetBlue to a flight to our wedding, Tucker's Point GM an overnight at the local hotel, the President of the Knot to his/her own private wedding cake and let the Prime Minister of Bermuda sit at the wedding party table." Talk about gracious losers! In other news, the 2010 Newport Bermuda sailing regatta is well under way, with boats crossing the finish line in St. David’s as we speak. The overall winner? A 100-foot sloop named Speedboat (pictured), which led the 183-boat fleet for the duration of the race. Clocking in just 59 hours at sea, the 25-man crew arrived June 21 at 4:49am, no doubt needing showers and copious amounts of rum. In the latest musical development from island impresario Tony Brannon, an album called Ride the Wave has been released to raise funds for the Coalition for the Protection of Children. Check it out on iTunes because it’s surprisingly good. The compilation boasts a completely local lineup of talent including dance hall star Collie Buddz, roots-reggae rocker Mishka and jazz crooner Gita Blakeney (to listen to all twenty songs go here). That's all for today, but be sure to tune in tomorrow for more island news and tropical updates.

Get Thee To Bermuda

This just in from a loving mother-in-law to be regarding yesterday’s picks for most deserving wedding couple. Looks like I was right on the money by picking Garison & Danielle (pictured) for one of those ten destination weddings in Bermuda. Here’s what Martha had to say in the comment box yesterday: “Thank you for picking Garison and Danielle for the "Linked for Life" category. We love Bermuda. [My husband and I] have honeymooned there, run your marathon, baked cassava pie on Christmas in Bermuda, Garison was baptised with Bermuda water, my daughter [was] named after a parish and we gave blood while on vacation when Bermuda had a shortage. While we probably won't win the category we have won nonetheless. Thank you for your vote.” No, Martha. Thank YOU for reading! They sound like a lovely couple and considering your daughter's middle name is in fact Pembroke—the parish that encompasses the city of Hamilton—I have a feeling the Bermuda Gods may indeed be looking down upon you (although I have a feeling she's glad you didn't pick Devonshire or St. George's for nombre numero dos). Hey Department of Tourism & the Knot, you hear that? These good folks even donated blood here! Sounds pretty deserving of a Bermudaful wedding to me. Consider Bermuda Shorts pulling for you all the way.

Let the Voting Begin

Back in April I told you about a fantastic destination-wedding giveaway sponsored by the Bermuda Department of Tourism. In case you missed it, it was one heckuva prize: Ten lucky couples would win a destination wedding in Bermuda for ten people including a five-night stay at one of ten participating hotels, airfare for the entire party on a private JetBlue charter flight and a dream wedding based on one of ten island-inspired themes (Exotic Cave, Eco-Chic, Magical Sunset, Waves of Love, Moongate, Sunset and Pink Sand, Waterfront, Harborfront, Nostalgic Bermuda and Linked For Life). The catch? Interested couples would have to say, “I do” on October 10 (ten couples on 10/10/10, get it?). And so after careful deliberation the finalists are in—and today is the last day to vote for your ten winners. You can check out the three lucky finalists in each category here, but in the meantime, here are my early picks.

For Eco-Chic I’m going with Kelsey & Jason, if only because they have the support of their local newspaper. For Magical Sunset, I’m picking Tonya & David, because the groom-to-be looks so dapper in that tux of his. For Waves of Love, I’m voting for Takoa & James, because they already have four kids and seemingly no way of affording an experience this extravagant. For Nostalgic Bermuda it’s Holly & Aaron all the way, he being an Iraq war veteran who had to ship off before they eloped in Vegas. For Moongate, I’m throwing my full support behind Kalev & Ananda, because of Reason 4: “Always wanted to name our first born ‘Subtropical.’ If we win it would seem less weird.” For Sunset & Pink Sand, I’m voting for Alexis & Donnie, neither of whom have ever been outside the U.S. For Exotic Cave, I’m going with Jessica & Greg, who have pledged to get in shape for the beach if indeed they win (you go guys!). For Harbourfront, I’m pulling for Casey & Michael who look just adorable with their young son at Christmastime. For Waterfront, I’m voting for Chanell & Brandon, another young couple who’ve never left the U.S. And finally, for Linked for Life, I’m picking Garison & Danielle, who have pledged to name their first child ‘Somers Isle’ if they get chosen. Well done team. The winners will be announced on June 17 (that's in two days for all you counting out there). Now go get voting!