I mostly ride in DC as a way to commute to work and to get myself around to wherever else I need to be since I can't afford a car yet (don't really want one either). I live in the farther flung sections of the city, so things tend to be quieter, but there's certain roads, like the bigger avenues, that have a lot of traffic. Sidewalk biking is allowed in most of DC, so I take advantage of that since there's not nearly enough biking lanes outside downtown and the gentrified areas. There's the Metro Branch Trail for bikes that allows me to access a lot of the city safely, but I tend to go relatively slow and keep very vigilant. Drivers in this city are some of the worst in the country (there's data to back this up), and pedestrian and cyclist fatalities are up a lot these past couple years. Everyone tells me to be careful biking around here for a reason, and I take their advice.