Car-Free Freedom
Friend: What did you do last weekend?
Me: My mom and I rode our bikes for a few hours on Saturday.
Friend: How far did you go?
Me: About 10 miles.
Friend: It took you a few hours to go 10 miles?
Me: Yes.
Friend: Did you get a flat?
Me: No.
Friend: Were you biking up Mt. Rainer?
Me: No.
Friend: Were you drunk?
Me: No.
Friend: Silence
Those who find satisfaction in tracking mileage and hammering hills, or who regularly use terms like peloton, pace line, drafting and breakaway may not appreciate the appeal of pedaling a mere 10 at a snail’s pace along a virtually pancake-flat road. I learned this weekend, however, that doing such an activity is totally kickass.
Twice a month during the late spring and summer, the city of Seattle closes a portion of Lake Washington Boulevard to cars from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This means bicyclists are free to meander and sweep while enjoying the scenery or daydreaming about what wonderful dinner parties they would throw if only they owned one of those big houses there on the lake. The closures start at Mount Baker Beach and go to Seward Park, which is 4 miles, plus 2 miles around the Seward Park loop and 4 miles back equals 10 miles. But who’s counting?
This Sunday, September 21, is the last chance to ride this route car-free this year. For more information visit the Seattle Parks and Recreation website.
On a side note, after riding, my mom and I stopped at La Cote in Madison Park for wine and crepes. The food was delish, but the waitress was in such a foul mood – stomping, huffing, rolling her eyes, dropping silverware and yelling at the cooks – that the man sitting next to us leaned over and whispered, “It’s like Teatro ZinZanni in here.” We all cracked up. The waitress shot a glare at us. You couldn’t have scripted it better.
You can check out more photos of our ride at my Flickr account.
