Milwaukee is a nice place for riding your bike to work. Really. It is. You get used to the potholes after a while. You gradually create a mental map of every bump and hole on your commute so that eventually you can ride your entire route with your eyes closed and never get a pinch flat or fly over your handlebars. After riding through the winter months, any temperature above freezing feels downright tropical. Around this time of year, you savor warm temperatures but take notice of a hint of darkness encroaching into your late afternoon commute hours and the unsettling splash of autumn color on the leaves.
I grew up in Los Angeles, California. I've commuted on my bike on and off for a couple of decades, in some really nice places where it doesn't snow, like Santa Cruz and Berkeley. Eventually, I went to law school, got married, had children and found myself in Wisconsin. For a while, I didn't ride my bike here. I didn't think I could pull off being a lawyer and a bike commuter at the same time. Also, the winters really scared me. But, eventually, the lure of the two-wheeled commute forced me to figure out the logistics and start riding again.
Milwaukee turned out to be a great place to commute by bike. Traffic is almost non-existent (did I mention that I'm from L.A.?). Riding in the winter is difficult, but doable. There are bike lanes, bike paths, bike racks, bike this, bike that. Lots of good infrastructure without being overbearing and annoying like Portland. I want to ride my bike to work, but I don't want to be more annoying than I already am.
I hope to share some local and some not-so-local news items on this blog. Maybe I'll have something to say about cycling-related legal issues. I'm sure I'll have something to complain about every so often.
Hi Bryan -
ReplyDeleteCame across your blog this week, and have since read it in entirety in reverse post order... first post last. I appreciate your insights and wit. A new position closer to home has led to my decision to join the ranks as a freshly minted bike commuter. Still working out the kinks. Conducting as much research in advance as I'd like to try my hand at winter bike commuting. So, just wanted to send my regards. Keep up the writing and riding!