Bio

“To me, biking through New York City is to travel the world, exploring and living life to the fullest. This is what I would like to share.”

Roos Stallinga (artist, photographer, NYC Bike Princess)

About the author

Roos Stallinga was born on March 28, 1978 in Haarlem (Harlem) in the Netherlands. Growing up she loved to make drawings and sand forts and tree houses, and was never bored. Mango, artichoke and oysters were her favorite foods. Later her love for adventure was expressed in traveling and going to parties. People and life itself are her main interest.

Roos lived in Barcelona for a year when she was 18, and did her Masters in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. During her studies she traveled from San Francisco to Honduras in an old Volkswagen bus, and did her literature research at the University of California in Berkeley. In 2002, she got a Fulbright Scholarship to continue her studies at New York University, where she did her Masters in Art Therapy. She worked with children at a school in Brooklyn and developed a project for them to explore different cultures (and their own) using art.

During her travels and studies, Roos always kept a diary in which she drew and wrote her experiences. She also made many photographs and artworks. This habit began to grow stronger and stronger and in 2005, after having completed her studies, Roos decided she wanted to work as an artist, sharing her adventures in imagery and words. She moved back to Amsterdam, went to art school, worked making installations and educative projects for museums, and then worked as a freelance photographer and illustrator, occasionally organizing exhibits too. In 2008 the idea to make a New York City Biking Guide was born.

How did the idea for Ride with me NYC come about?

When I lived in New York (2002-2005) I always rode my bike everywhere. Being Dutch, this made me feel at home. But while in the Netherlands biking is as natural as breathing, in New York City it all of a sudden was a novelty. Some people may have thought I was crazy, going through traffic at all hours and in all places, but I loved it so much. Riding around New York City is such an energy rush and you get to see and absorb all its smells sounds and stories. And it is simply the best way to get around, fast and green and healthy and fun. On top of that, by bike is a great way to explore the city for visitors. I always used to take people around, and it would make their trip.When making books became something I was interested in – combining writing, drawing, photography to create an impression of places and people – the idea for this book was born. Traveling and meeting people from all over the world is my passion and to share this with others is what I would like to do.

For whom did you make the book?

I didn’t really have an audience in mind when I made the book. I wanted it to be for everyone who loves New York or wants to experience it. Even for people who may not even go to New York and won’t go biking, I would like to give them the vicarious experience through my writing, photography and art. Ride with me NYC it is my personal guide of New York City, by bike. It is also a bit of a documentary of NYC bike life with interviews and portraits, as well as my own New York story, woven through. The book has many layers and can appeal to many different people for different reasons, I think.

What would you like to see that comes out of it?

It would be great if people shed some of their preconceptions about biking in the city being crazy and suicidal, and gave it a try. The New York Government and advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives are doing wonderful work to make New York a more bike friendly town. How happy it would be if everyone went around on a bike, I think that would be very cool. Let’s create a bicycle revolution!

What are you going to do next?

Well, I am working on an assignment now that came out of Ride with me NYC, namely to make a bike book about Zeeland, a beautiful Province in the south of the Netherlands. This is completely new and open and fresh, a nice challenge. After that I would like to explore other cities, and see if I can make more Roos’-style biking guides like for Barcelona, Berlin, London, Bankok, Bejing…

To see more of my work www.roosart.nl