11/1/2003 05:33:48 PM

“Dead cats hanging from poles. Little dead are out in droves. I remember Halloween.”

As of 6:00 PM yesterday, it was shaping up to be a pretty uneventful one. Luckily, I decided to take Market Street home from work, where I was unexpectedly greeted by Critical Mass, 250 strong! 250 people on bicycles, that is—many in costume—riding all over the city together, the horns of backed-up traffic trumpeting aggrievedly behind them. It was impossible not to join them, so for the next hour and a half, I did just that, joining in periodic chants of “More Halloween, less gasoline!”

The next Philadelphia Critical Mass is scheduled for Black Friday, so plan to park your car and get on your bike…