Tuesday, October 11, 2011

"Stanford is Bike Friendly" is an Understatement

When John came out for his interview, he came back and told me everyone he met rode bikes. I thought...ok, I can see how a flat area with good weather would have a lot of bike riders but surely everyone doesn't ride bikes; what are we in the 50's?. I have been proven wrong. Everyone from the ages of 5 - 85 rides bikes. It is a reasonable way to get around in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and around Stanford's campus. There are bike lanes everywhere and drivers are very pedestrian and bike aware. Here is a photo of the kids saying goodbye to John on his way to work.

We are a one car family now and John rides to work, rain or shine (though to be fair...the shine is almost all the time). Stanford's campus is so big that it would take the students too long to get from one class to another on foot so everyone gets a bike to get around. Crossing a bike path at Stanford is kind of like crossing a street. You look both ways and stay put during traffic times (between classes) or you might get run over. We are loving this new way of life. For some reason, an outing is just better when you can walk or ride there. We have not yet invested in a way to pull the kids behind us so for now we are a one bike family. But I predict that I will not be able to resist the trend and will be searching craigslist for a bike trailer in the near future.

2 comments:

Lindsey said...

Check out Madsen Cycles. They are awesome bikes but SUPER pricey.

Vicki said...

I am so jealous about the biking...we have done the opposite (from biking everywhere to driving everywhere!) I hope you get your bike trailer soon!