Biking in Other Cities Over Winter Vacations

[Tim Kelley]

What is that white powder on your lap? Looks like you were having a lot fun!

[DaveK]

What is that white powder on your lap? Looks like you were having a lot fun!

It's Florida - that's how we roll.

[acc]

Consularrider! 1,000 posts! That is amazing! Congratulations! Thank you for making this forum a friendly place for everyone!

Tim, you cretin. I think the "white powder" is simply a flash. This very special keepsake is not on my computer. Someday I am going to have business cards made up that say, Gator Wrestler, is my profession.

Thanks again Dave. I appreciate your help. Now I can focus on Dinosaur World, Pirate Cruises, and Hong Kong Willie.

[eminva]

Thanks, acc, for kicking off this topic and have a great time on your trip!

I traveled a lot for work in the 1990s and would check a guide book out of the library for any new cities I visited. I would get up early before my meetings and take a long (2 or 3 hour) walking tour of the city. I usually didn't have much time in any one place so I couldn't have gotten to a bike shop to rent a bike, and this was before bike sharing systems were on line (at least that I was aware of). Still, I loved my self guided tours and you can find out a lot of unexpected things about a place at 5 a.m. If I had this opportunity today, I would try to rent a bike or use the bike sharing system in any city that had one.

Last summer, I posted a message about my bike ride around Central Park. The bike share system in NYC is STILL not up and running, so I would highly recommend rental bikes if you are in the city. I would have ridden more, but our group included some younger people not accustomed to city riding.

A few years ago, I rode around Berlin with my friend. Here is a photo of the Victory Column from that tour (I can't figure out how to make it show up in portrait orientation - ?). I found Berlin very bicycle friendly with lots of people out on bikes. Consularrider, if you get to Berlin, let me know, I can hook you up with a bike. My friend's husband works at the embassy.



Liz

[DaveK]

Thanks again Dave. I appreciate your help. Now I can focus on Dinosaur World, Pirate Cruises, and Hong Kong Willie.

There used to be a pirate ship based at St Pete's downtown pier for a while, the HMS Bounty, but unfortunately it sank in Hurricane Sandy (it happened to be out on the Atlantic at the time). It's a shame, it was a very cool thing to see. It had an interesting film history, it was built to film Mutiny on the Bounty and was in Pirates of the Carribean, as well as some more... mature content?

Also if you go to Dinosaur World I need to hear about it. I never went there in the years I lived in the area and I kind of regret it. My wife used to teach high school right off the interstate out there in Plant City.

[ShawnoftheDread]

"I'm going to move down to Florida
And I'm gonna bowl me a perfect game.
I'm gonna cut off my leg down in Florida
And dance one-legged off in the rain..."

[acc]

Using Metro to get into DC on the weekends makes sense. I was able to get down to Federal Triangle this morning and then rode up to Eastern Market for brunch.

Sometimes, due to a limited ability to think, I forget that biking isn't all or nothing. I used Metro to get into town and then took my time riding home.

And I remembered what a great a town we live in.



On a day like this I needed to wear my second ugliest shoes, hiking boots, but I stayed warm. Oh, and Wilson Blvd has a way of making me sweat.

[Riley Casey]

Metro does the up hill parts REALLY well. Living up hill from Eastern Market I can attest.

...

Sometimes, due to a limited ability to think, I forget that biking isn't all or nothing. I used Metro to get into town and then took my time riding home.

[acc]

Every time I think to myself, "Hills are fun, they make me strong!" I end up riding something that's horrible like Wilson Blvd. And curse the entire way. Mostly because it's a hell of a way farther past Arlington to get home.

[consularrider]

I'm bummed, the stationary bike at the hotel here in Port of Spain is out of service, making Monday and Tuesday my first non-riding/spinning days since 12/31/2010! I was tempted to try and use the nice road bike on a car rack that was parked near the Embassy by the Queens Park Savannah. By the way, it's 90 degrees and no real rain either day so far. I WANT TO RIDE!!!!