Cambridge Bikes ( Fiets in dutch)

AMSTERDAM

Biking Biking Biking
A few years ago we moved to The Netherlands for a fellowship that my  writer-husband procured. We find ourselves in the same position ( Radcliffe Fellow) again this fall but in another city, Cambridge, Ma., not quite as far from home. While I am not quite as visually inspired here, (hence the biking images above from Amsterdam) , I do find that biking as our primary means of transportation is quite a game-changer. All three of us delight in and have remarked on the morning jolt of energy, the excitement and clarity of mind that comes with a morning bicycle commute. The experiences, sights and even more - the human interactions ( we say hello to our neighborhood barber sitting on a bench every morning as we roll on by..) one has when on a bike, not in a car, are reason enough.

Cambridge's Bowtie Bike Ride  | Memorial Drive

Boston is really making a huge effort to promote itself as a worldclass bicycling city.  We participated in a walk/bike to work day last friday organized by gogreenstreets.org whose mission is to promote alternative ways of commuting. We certainly intend to help spread the word and encourage other families and bikers to do so as well. I think helping people get over the fear is the first hurdle.
While biking through an urban setting with your child in tow can be daunting, the Dutch and other Europeans can serve as our inspiration, they have been doing this for decades. Bikers have prescendence and the "right of way" over pedestrians and car drivers.
On Sunday we serendipitously joined in the Cambridge Bowtie Ride organized by Cambridge Bikes. We rode 13+ miles thru all of Cambridge, east to west accompanied by police & volunteers stopping traffic at every intersection. If you enjoy architecture, biking and exploring - this is a ride not to be missed. There will be another in May 2016.
If nothing else, I hope this blog post gets one or two more folks out there on their bikes. You will certainly not regret it. Just wear a helmet, stay alert and smile as you whiz past all those possibly - frustrated Boston drivers....