GUITAR DAD

The other morning, my wife and I dropped the kids at the babysitter's and headed downtown for a leisurely bike ride. After finding a spot for the van off peaceful Delaney Avenue (where we used to live) and unloading the bikes, we pedaled through Orlando's central business district and into leafy College Park. By the time we returned to the van, we had covered 10 miles or so. Not a major workout but an enjoyable one all the same.
 
A highlight for me was turning onto sleepy Clouser Avenue in College Park and riding by the bungalow once occupied by none other than Jack Kerouac. It was here, in this cozy little cottage, that Jack lived for a few months in 1957, just before his masterpiece On The Road catapulted him to worldwide fame. It was also here that he wrote the original manuscript of The Dharma Bums in just 11 days, or so the story goes.
 
Whenever I'm in the vicinity, I make the obligatory pilgrimage to Jack's old pad. It's nice to know that Orlando, theme park kingdom, enjoys its own extraordinary sliver of literary history.