Life, 1926-05-13 · page 14 of 52
Life — May 13, 1926 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page documents "The Life Polar Expedition," a special correspondence series by Robert Benchley describing a humorous journey northward through Manhattan on bicycles. The article satirizes the mundane reality of urban travel as mock-heroic adventure—treating a bicycle trip up Fifth Avenue as though it were an Arctic expedition. The cartoon at top shows cyclists navigating city streets while a signpost points "NORTH," literalizing the conceit. The accompanying map depicts the route from Brooklyn through Manhattan neighborhoods (Mott Haven, Norrisania, Mt. Vernon, etc.) with "North Pole" marking the destination. The satire mocks both grandiose travel narratives and the contrast between metropolitan New York and actual polar exploration—treating ordinary urban cycling as genuinely perilous adventure.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ENSIGN THERMALINE The Lire Polar Special Correspondence from Robert Benchley Lire’s Polar E Expedition N ROUTE w madcap move successful hop-off front of the office of L . New York € was discovered with disastrous results mn our way up Madison. realized what a valua the wireless telegraph cai Thermaline t outside the office. This had made and had resulted it mt to result in a spill, but with rare preser smarter pace gyro-balancer hecome discouraged with characteristic t and we all felt bet would probably. have ter when Ens Pole was reached, ¢ It is such courage that makes us straight north up Fifth Ave. OCEEDING up M are in excellent working 0 6th St, we Connelly’s wheel, nal that he is going the should be flashing green. ed a little cal usion among vehicles following in our wake, for the printed directions in the daily papers stated that those vehicles encountering our expe dition en route could tell the direction n which we were moving by watching flash tail-lights, red if we were north, Something akin to a panic was Fifth caused among the pass Ave. bus which wa behind — Lieut.-C Howing ch mmander Connell wheel when he enly flashed red, in- dicating that he was pedalling head-on tH Comma for It was only when Lieu! r Connelly yelled a cheery ake!" that the b inced that he « nd let the Connelly wheel driver not approaching V JE are now and the difference in the atmos pheric conditions between lower and able. h Ave. is distinctly notice while j: moment. ht that he rt To 7, NORTH POLE | © WHITE PLAINS 1 © HARTSDALE © SCARSDALE © CRESTWOOD © © TUCKAHOE © BRONXVILLE MAP SHOWING ROUTE OF EXPEDITION. AT A LATE sists in flashing red, a sig- HOUR LAST NIGHT, MOTT HAVEN HAD BEEN PASSE comicbooks.com