Scootophiles. Piaggio USA, makers of Vespas, says it sold “more than 1,000″ of the scooters in New York City last year, “an increase of 128 percent from 2003,” reports Kareem Fahim in The New York Times (4/30/05). Nicholas Mendizabal, owner of Brooklynbretta, brooklynbretta.com, “an axis of the new scooter scene along with Vespa SoHo, vespasoho.com,” says he’s “sold more than 100 scooters” in the last year alone. “Scooters open up neighborhoods,” he says. “People ride to new restaurants, they go check out Astoria or Coney Island or Mitchell Field … it’s so much more positive than getting on the M.T.A. You fly, dude. You hit the green lights and you go.”

Mary Anne Powers counts herself among the enthusiasts and says she sees scooters as “social vehicles.” She comments: “Sometimes, it’s great to go to dinner in some far off place on your scooter … And it’s better still when your friend has one too.” But for many scootophiles, the attraction is a bit more pedestrian: “Retailers and manufacturers say that the number of people buying scooters is increasing, and that a confluence of events, including high gas prices, rising public transportation costs, and the re-entry of foreign scooter manufacturers into the American market are causing more New Yorkers to consider two wheels.”

How far this trend will evolve is debatable, though. “The magnitude of the streets is very different here than in Europe,” says Michael Horodnicenanu, a former NYC transportation commissioner. “The streets are narrower over there, and it’s easier to navigate. You’re not in a sea of cars like you are here. Our users here tend to be more safety-oriented.” A lack of dedicated parking places as well as wintry weather also could put a damper on things for some potential riders, as well. But for now, fans happily band together for events like the third annual Gotham Rally, gothamrally.org, and congregate at “scooter bars” such as the Royale in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Says Says Carol Anastasio, who rides her Vespa “to work, on errands and to social engagements: ” I love riding so much.”

While the rest of the world has enjoyed or been cursed with, depending on how you see it, a thriving scooter culture the United States has never really had a mainstream scene that has been a lasting element. Though larger cities and warmer locales have…