Tag Archives: bikes

South Lake Union: More PARK less parKING

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Tim K | 3 comments

Over the past few years, I’ve take more than a few shots at the South Lake Union neighborhood. There’s the confusing infrastructure, the blade of death, and the dreaded old train tracks.

But there’s also one hell of an awesome park. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in neighborhoods, seattle

Tagged bikes, celebrations, parks, seattle neighborhoods, SLU, SLUT, South Lake Union Park

Summer by Bike: The Video

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Anne | 8 comments

As we’re wrapping up Summer 2010 (aside from 1980, the worst summer in 5 decades) and looking ahead to Fall, we still can’t stop talking about our terrible weather. Where did our glorious Northwest September go? (usually our favorite month of the year).

Despite the rain and clouds, we still enjoyed many fun times on the bike with family and friends. Check out the video we put together of Car Free Days summer riding.

When we watch the video we realize, it wasn’t all bad.

How about you? Tell us about your summer riding.

– Anne and Tim

8 Comments

Posted in bikes, family cycling, kids, seattle, transitions

Tagged 2010, bikes, family, Family Cycling, friends, kids, summer, summer riding, transitions

Fiets of Parenthood Seattle: HOT HOT HOT

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Anne & Tim | 19 comments

We’ll admit it. We were worried. When the mercury climbed above 90 on Saturday, we were pretty sure most everyone would call in “hot” and go to the lake instead.

Hey, that’s what we would have done.

But still, what were we going to do with four freakin’ gallons of Grade-A gelato, 120 spoke cards (note to self: don’t print the date; you can re-gift them later), and enough Slow Race Silly Bandz to outfit the entire 2-4th grades of the John Stanford School? Continue reading →

19 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, family cycling, kids, seattle, summer, weather

Tagged bikes, family, family bikes, fiets of parenthood, fop, xtracycle

Send your bike to Africa this weekend

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Anne | 6 comments

Learning to ride in Binaba by Mary Jane Cassady

Our friend, Tom, who is involved with the Village Bicycle Project, sent us information about a bike drive this weekend at the West Seattle YMCA.

Details below.

The Village Bicycle Project provides affordable transportation for Africans. People who own bikes can get more easily to school, to the market, their farm and health care. Bicycles reduce poverty and save time and energy. Millions of Africans do not have basic, reliable transportation–most rural Africans walk everywhere they go. 99% of Africans cannot afford cars, and public transportation is expensive and unreliable.

In Africa, a bicycle can make all the difference. The Village Bicycle Project is a Pacific Northwest-based organization that has shipped over 100 containers of bikes to Africa and has staff and volunteers in Ghana to receive the bikes and run local programs.

You can help by bringing your old bikes to the West Seattle YMCA

4515 36^th Avenue SW, West Seattle
Saturday, July 31^st, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Anne

6 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes

Tagged bikes, bikes for Africa, donate, West Seattle YMCA

Look Both Ways

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Anne | 13 comments

Tip of the day: crossing busy streets with kids

Crossing a busy arterial with two young riders is sure to rattle any normally calm, cool and collected parent. Many parents simply won’t do it: “Too many busy roads to cross where I live” is one of the most common reasons I hear from parents for why they don’t get around town on bikes with kids.

How do you get everyone across safely and keep what’s left of your sanity? Like everything else in life, it takes lots of practice. And you have to cross many intersections with kids before it becomes second nature.

We cross several of these intersections on a daily basis and have come up with a system that works for all of us and allows for safe crossing. Continue reading →

13 Comments

Posted in bikes, family cycling, kids

Tagged bikes, city, neighborhoods, riding with kids, safety, traffic, transitions

Transitions: What does your neighborhood say about your (kid’s) riding

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Anne | 4 comments

This is our second post in our transitions series. The other day we talked about parents preparing to let kids ride their own bikes in the road. If you haven’t read the comments from that post, do it. You all have so much great insight to share.

Based on your comments, it looks like we’re all in agreement: When we talk about riding in the road, we’re not talking about a couple of kids racing each other around the block to blow off steam (not that there’s anything wrong with that). No, we’re talking about real mobility, car-replacement stuff: riding to the library, the local lake or pool. Grocery shopping at the store with the good cheese aisle and more. It’s fairly easy for younger kids to ride to a neighborhood play-date with parents. The next step is incorporating normally car-centric errands into longer rides with traffic. For most kids, or maybe more accurately, their parents, it’s that jump up to the next level that’s the big deal. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, family cycling, kids, neighborhoods, transitions

Tagged bikes, community, Family Cycling, riding with kids, transitions

Bikes, Beers, and no Cars. Coming soon to a trail near you (assuming you live in Madison, Wisconsin)

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Tim K | 5 comments

A restaurant owner in Madison wants to create a low-impact, seasonal eatery smack dab in the middle of the local human-powered trail system. Entry to the proposed eatery would require walking, skating, biking or … whatever. Just no cars allowed.

Described as “a hobbit hole meets the American Players Theatre meets a 1950s National Park recreational area,” the “Badger Den” would be a “bike-in” bar and grill open from April through October.

The best part about it is they don’t even have permission to use the space. Instead they are launching a little PR campaign (which I’m now helping, if Seattle PR does any good for a business that is yet to exist half-way across the country) to build public support so the city will have to approve the plan. And it seems to be working:

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said the cafe would be consistent with what the city has been doing to encourage bicycling. “I think it’s fascinating idea,” Cieslewicz said. “We’d love to work with him on it.”

Ha! I’d like to see more of this action-based planning here Seattle.

Overall the plan sounds lovely to me, though I’m a little ho-hum on the idea of bringing in supplies via golf cart. If they are really serious about this as a no car thing, how about using some cargo bikes instead?

Read the actual article for the full scoop. And if you’re planning to open one of these somewhere along the Burke (though the Sammamish River Trail is probably the more pastoral choice), let me know when to show up with my mug and tree-stump chair!

-Tim

5 Comments

Posted in beer, bigger than here, bikes, Burke-Gilman Trail

Tagged beer, bikes, business, madison, trail, wisconsin

Spoke and Food Tonight

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Anne | Leave a comment

Spoke and Food is tonight, June 29th. Ride your bike to dinner and 14 Seattle restaurants will donate a percentage of their profits to Lettuce Link at Solid Ground.

On the evening of Tuesday, June 29th, we invite you to bicycle to and from one of the 14 Seattle area restaurants who have all agreed to participate in our event. In support of our event goals, the participating restaurants have also agreed to donate a percent of the revenues they receive on the evening of our event to the non-profit organization we have selected to support. This year’s non-profit is the Lettuce Link program at Solid Ground.

Don’t forget to check the participating restaurants before you make dinner plans tonight!

– Anne

9 to 5 Bike Scavenger Hunt, oh yeah

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Anne | 10 comments

What would get some approaching-middle age parents to stay up all night riding bikes all over town looking for star fruit and covers of the out-of-print Seattle PI and wrapped toothpicks and Polaroid photos? Why the Solstice 9 to 5 all-night Bicycle Scavenger Hunt, of course. Continue reading →

10 Comments

Posted in bikes, Events, extravehicular activities, seattle, summer

Tagged 9 to 5, bikes, fun, go means go, scavenger hunt, seattle

Fiets of Parenthood…the Report

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Anne | 9 comments

Thank goodness Todd shot this great video of Tim and the 7-year-old on their 3-lap parent/child run at fiets of parenthood. Otherwise we would have no record of the boy tripping over the tape, and Tim would probably still think it was his fault and feel guilty for causing his kid to fall down and get a scrape. Despite the fall, the Carfreedays boys still managed to eek out a top 5 finish. Continue reading →