The Aerie
So I've sussed out my new route to work, and in so doing learned a lot about the 80 miles of bike trails that thread the city like a series of secret passageways in a big mansion.
My new route to work is indicated by the black line above, crossing from the east side of South Minneapolis to the west side, and curving north. That's where my new desk is at, out at Highway 394 and Penn Avenue. That's about five miles west and one mile north of my home. Despite that, it's a terribly, terribly safe route. Thanks to the Greenway running along the old rail lines, I cross about three major streets, then turn north to follow the bike path round Cedar Lake.
Prior to now, my route to work followed the black line until it diverges and heads north into downtown Minneapolis, and the corporate center. Now, that route is pretty safe until downtown, with only a couple of major streets to cross. But once downtown all bets are off: a pair of painted lines on 5th street defined a bikeway, but that's no protection against the swarming downtown traffic. At every moment I expect to be crushed between two vehicles, or run down by some cell-phone-talking latte-sipping knee-driving dingbat.
So despite the fact that I'm travelling twice as far, most of that route is very very safe.
The red line on the upper map indicates the OTHER bike path I found, leading from behind my new office into downtown. The bike path around Cedar Lake crosses this bike path at the bridge spanning the rail line, so the two do not directly intersect. Either I'd have to carry my bike down a flight of stairs, or ride down the steep slope at the back of the building's parking lot (indicated by the red line in the map at left). Incidentally, my new fourth-floor cubicle is next to a window, and features a beautiful view of downtown Minneapolis (yellow arrow). Considering that a little over two years ago I was working at a client who stored me three floors underground, and that up until a week ago I was sharing a cubicle, this is a markéd improvement....
Certainly riding down the slope is more interesting! And, frankly, falling down a flight of steps while carrying a bicycle can't be any more likely to break your neck than riding pell-mell down a grassy hill.
Anyway, when I need to ride downtown for a meeting, or when I need to ride to the University on Wednesdays, then I take the red route indicated in the upper map. That empties out downtown near where I was working before, so I follow the blue route either home, or I turn off to the U of M on the green route.
From the U I take the purple route home, which is of course the same route I used to ride when I worked at the University a zillion years ago... when we bought our house.
And now it's time for me to hop on my bike and ride along the red route, pick up a prescription, then ride the blue route back to the black route and home. While I'm riding my bike, you can amuse yourself watching this car...
Now you know why I ride a bike.
Posted by Albatross at October 6, 2006 3:33 PM | TrackBack