For the past few years, Tim and I have silently observed Buy Nothing Day. I was very excited to read of an event (via Bike Hugger) encouraging active participation. Aarons Bicycle Repair, Seattle’s leading Xtracycle dealer, is leading a HOT STUFF Cargo Bike Ride to remind us all to get out of stores and onto our bikes.
I know we won’t be seeing Tim’s shopaholic sister there, but how about you? Does your city have an event? Tell us about it!
– Anne
My son had a friend over to play the other day. Usually when a parent drops their kid off to play, they leave a car seat so you can take the kid home in your car. This time, the mom brought a helmet. I didn’t ask her to. I didn’t even tell her I was going to bring her son home on the bike (in fact, I was planning to walk since we hadn’t talked about it in advance). She just assumed we would ride. And that is a beautiful thing. Maybe our bike lifestyle is catching on….
(BTW – the little boy loved it. I had a hard time getting him off the back of the Xtracycle. He wanted more. I bet he can’t stop talking about it at home – he’s probably begging his parents to get one right now…. A girl can dream.)
– Anne
Seattle fall weather has officially arrived. It’s windy, wet and on the downward spiral toward darkness. In a couple of weeks cars will start turning their headlights on @ 3:00 pm. This is the time of year Tim and I talk longingly of moving to San Diego. This morning I met my sister for coffee and I didn’t even think about driving. I just put on my favorite wool base layer and a shell and got on the bike and rode the 8 miles. So maybe I’m over the hump? Last fall I would have sheepishly gotten into my car and driven because I didn’t feel like getting wet. We’ll see how I do in a couple of months.
– Anne
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, extravehicular activities, seattle, weather, xtracycle
If non-cyclists could get past the “cycling gear” barrier – do you think more people would use bikes as a mode of transportation? Maybe that’s the Tipping Point.
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, extravehicular activities, traffic
Tagged bike style, bikes, boots, commuting, urban cycling
Enter your address and get your Walk Score. Ours is 74 – which is why getting around by bike and foot is a no brainer for us. We have a handful of grocery stores, coffee shops and restaurants that are an easy walk or bike ride away. We also have parks, a library and community center which are close as well. Our kids go to local schools so their friends live in the neighborhood. That’s the main reason we bought our house – it’s easy to walk just about anywhere we want to go.
One of our parenting philosophies is to choose activities for the kids that are close enough to walk or ride to. I’m not interested in being a taxi service – driving kids all over town to go to karate, ballet (insert activity here). If the kids want to participate in an activity – it has to be in the neighborhood. So far it has worked for us – they don’t like riding in cars any more than we like driving them so we’re all happy.
-Anne
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, neighborhoods, seattle
I rode my bike to a party yesterday. It was 15 miles away and it took me an hour to get there (I’m not super fast). When I arrived, a number of people said, “You biked here?” “Are you training for something?” “How long did it take you?” It really wasn’t that big of a deal. It took an hour, which is 30 minutes longer than it would take to drive with no traffic, and I got some exercise. It was a beautiful day and I didn’t have 2 kids with me, so riding to the party was a bonus.
Recently I’ve gotten similar comments from people when I’ve ridden my bike to various events. I rode to a soccer game less than 2 miles from my house and I rode to my kids swim lessons 12 blocks away. I think people forget how close some things are and how very silly it is to drive such short distances. The comments people always make are, “what a great idea, I should do that” or “I thought about riding my bike here, but……”
Our neighbor burns up the road every day. It’s amazing how many trips she makes in her car. I’ll be in the front yard working in the garden or playing with the kids and I’ll see her get in the car and speed off. 20 minutes later she’ll be back at home. In another hour, she’ll be back in her car speeding off again. She does this most every day. (I’m not trying to be a nosy neighbor, I’m just outside a lot and I notice things) Her driving habits make me reflect before I get in the car for a quick trip. When I drive, I try to at least plan where I’m going and combine trips to the store, coffee shop, drug store etc.
I’m no saint. Sometimes I drive to get coffee, or I drive to the store when I could easily ride. It’s just a mind shift – I’m trying not to make driving automatic. For most people, driving is automatic. They wouldn’t think of doing it any other way.
-Anne
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes
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