Originally Posted by
Ferdinand NYC
I rode from New York to Philadelphia on Sunday. …
It's beautiful to see that bicycling has essentially been completely normalised in Philadelphia…One thing I noticed that was better than my experience at home is that drivers in Philadelphia are much more polite than New York drivers…By contrast, there is much less aggression on the road in Philadelphia than in the New York area.
intervening miles between New York and Philadelphia were much less thrilling. or a I’m perfectly aware that the world needs rural and farm locations; and I enjoy Jersey tomatoes as much as or more than the next guy. But riding through such places really brings me down and saps my will to continue. It was very interesting hitting Trenton and having the sensation of relief. "Ahh, finally a city!", I thought, "a place in which I can feel comfortable".
After that, it was the bridge into a set of Long-Island-like Pennsylvania suburbs, and then back into the urban environment that I love so much…
Hi Ferdinand NYC,
I enjoyed reading your ride report. I have brought my bike to Philadelphia on a few occasions to ride in the city in the early morning before conferences, and I will be there in late October. I otherwise ride exclusively in Metro Boston and post to a BF Regional Discussion thread,
Metro Boston: Good ride today? I would love to do more riding in the Mid-Atlantic States for a change of scenery, though Metro Boston is a near
bicycling heaven.
I was particularly prompted to reply by your attitude toward the cycling environment, summed up by
“Ahh finally a city!.” So much of BF riding seems to tout rural and scenic riding, including mountain vistas. Years ago my wife and I toured, including a cross-country ride, and indeed the changing landscape is a definite attraction. But if I have to settle and live in one area, as the song goes,
“Dahling I love you, but give me [strike]Park Avenue[/strike] Kenmore Square.
FYA, I recently posted about my urban roads, and a compendium of cycling in Boston, a so-called
”Cyclist’s Guide to the Metroverse.”
(Metro Boston = Hub of the Universe (“The Hub”) = “Metroverse”)
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…All my cycling as a decades-long, year-round commuter and occasional centurian in Metro Boston ranges from dense urban, to suburban, to exurban, but no rural…Over the years, I have described roads, so for this post I compiled my descriptions in order of cycling pleasure (paved roads only):
- Enchanted
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
...There are certain roads I have discovered, unfortunately usually short, that I describe as “intimate,” or “enchanted”; so serene and peaceful, shady, lightly traveled, and without shoulders...
- Exurban (no residences, no commercial buildings)
- Residential: Urban (dense, multi-unit dwellings), Suburban (single unattached homes)
- Light commercial (storefronts close to the sidewalk, street parking)
- Heavy commercial (shopping malls, driveway accesses, parking lots)
- Industrial: (dreary vistas, rough roads, debris-strewn)
But,
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
… almost every road is a good road if you ride it early enough in the day.
Sincerely,
Jim from Boston
PS: It just occured to me, though I don't ride in the downtown proper, I should probably add a category of "Downtown," as typified by the urban canyons and narrow, often-crowded streets of Manhattan, or the Financial District of Boston. Downtown riding would, IMO rank just ahead of "heavy commercial."