Â
William Weinstein has two passions: One is for making people feel better through the art of acupuncture: “The Chinese didn”™t know the specifics of our central nervous system; they perceived the human body as a river, with many branches flowing from it, and developed acupuncture by the way water flowed as a model.” His other is bike riding: “Carbon free, user friendly and lets you see the world as it was meant to be seen.”
Weinstein, a teacher in the New York City school system, didn”™t want to rest on his laurels, or rest at all frankly, once it was time to retire. He may have left the canyons of the city for the hills of the Hudson Valley, but he took his bike with him.
He went back to school to become a licensed acupuncturist, “which opened a whole new world for me. My practice focuses on relieving pain and especially treats people who are enduring cancer treatments, and I also incorporate acupuncture into cosmetic treatments.” Rather than injections of Botox or undergoing surgery, Weinstein says there are ways to achieve attractive results without resorting to a scalpel.
Weinstein still keeps an office in Manhattan and faithfully gets on his sturdy two-wheeler and rides to a park-and-ride, where he catches a bus to the city. One problem: Not enough places to secure his bike. Weinstein says the state Department of Transportation will be addressing that problem by installing more bike spots for people like he is who like to leave a carbon-free footprint where they travel whenever possible.
Weinstein says user-friendly streets are not a pie-in-the-sky idea, but a reality in many communities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He”™d like to see the concept embraced here in the Hudson Valley, particularly when it comes to expanding walking/biking trails. “My family and I love to ride the trail along the Wallkill River,” said Weinstein. “Our only problem is we that have to drive to get there; we”™d love it if we could just pack up the kids and get on the bikes.”
Accordingly, Weinstein founded a group to help try to spread the word ”“ and hopefully get something done ”“ through New Paltz”™s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. The group meets with a representative of each municipality to discuss making the community a little more pedi-connected.
In Weinstein”™s travels to China and Japan, one thing immediately stood out; not only were thousands of people traveling by bicycle, but streets were built for pedestrians, bicyclists and the handicapped, not just cars. “Another Far Eastern way of living that we should be incorporating into our lifestyles,” said the acupuncturist.
Weinstein is a serious biker, as is his wife, Andrea Pekarsky, an obstetrical nurse at Northern Dutchess Hospital. Along with their two sons, Jacob, 6, and Harry, 3, the family”™s summer vacation was a 155 mile biking tour along the Erie Canal. “It was amazing and a lot of fun,” said Weinstein. “Andrea had Harry in a child seat. Jacob”™s ”˜half-bike”™ was attached to mine, so I had some help with pedaling. Then, behind his bike, we had a bike trailer attached to carry our belongings. When the kids got tired, they could hop in the cart and take a nap. We had an amazing experience. You see things you don”™t see when you”™re flying by in a car; you are right there involved with nature, and you meet people. We need to stay connected, and biking is one way to do that.
“Hopefully, our politicians remember that people who don”™t rely on cars pay taxes, too. It”™s more than time for everyone to start thinking about making the earth a little more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.”
