There’s nothing like prepping for and running a 5K road race to make you appreciate the human body, especially when you're a non-runner. I ran a 5K for the first time over the weekend, and I can say unequivocally that a new awareness of the body results – call it consciousness of human capability, with a curious drive to learn and do more. This week’s Fresh Start celebrates the wonder that is the human body in three ways, through a local summer cycling fave, a sequel to a controversial anatomy class and an exploration of how we adorn the wonderful machines that get us about.
Night Riders
Century Cycles, the regional chain of bicycle shops, holds a series of evening rides every year. Night Rides on the Towpath Trail has morphed into a full blown summer happening. The rides are fun and free, and open to all levels of experience. The premise is simple: riders bring their bikes, helmets, headlights and requisite gear to the Century Cycles’ location in Peninsula, where they'll set out on a unique dusk adventure, beginning at 8 pm. This Friday, June 4, after a proper welcome, riders will make a 15-plus mile, though leisurely, trek through some of the most beautiful and peaceful landscapes in Northeast Ohio. After the two-hour ride, participants may swing by the nearby Winking Lizard (Route 303 between Route 8 and I-271) for a nosh, tipple and cycling stories. If you can’t make this installment, a whole schedule of like rides can be found here.
Haute Stuff
Northeast Ohioans have heard a lot of preposterous statements over the years, but Cleveland as a hub for fashion is not one of them. Fashion, beauty and retail periodical Women’s Wear Daily calls the city’s Fashion Week Cleveland “a regional phenomenon.” The nation’s third largest fashion week (behind NYC and LA) was founded by Cleveland cosmetic dentist Dr. Donald C. Shingler. In five years, Fashion Week has evolved from a series of parties to a week-long exploration of fashion. Lectures, seminars, films, parties and a runway show, featuring couture from up-and-coming local and international designers, comprise the lively, week-long expo. Fashion Week Cleveland starts Saturday, June 5 and runs through the following weekend.
Körperwelten Zwei
No, it’s not a Rammstein song title, but it could be. It translates to “Body Worlds Two,” which is what Bodies: The Cleveland Exhibition essentially is: a sequel to the plastinated human body exhibition that landed at our Great Lakes Science Center a few years ago. German anatomist Gunther von Hagens's work is controversial, as Body Worlds brought out many polarizing opinions and ethics debates. Nonetheless, the anatomical exploration, which von Hagens pioneered at Germany’s University of Heidelberg in the 1970s, is undeniably compelling. Consider this the history of anatomy in three dimensions, with “over 200 human bodies and specimens.” Bodies is likely to turn you inside-out on more than a couple levels, with a level of detail usually reserved for medical professionals. It starts Saturday, June 5 and runs through October at 340 Euclid Avenue, at the corner of East Fourth Street and Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland. Learn more here.
