I’m very excited about my upcoming trip to Copenhagen because I want to see for myself if it lives up to its billing as the world’s most bike-friendly city. It boasts some pretty impressive figures.
- Seventy percent of the residents of Copenhagen do not own cars.
- Thirty-seven percent of commuters ride their bicycles to work.
Devoted bike lanes, yeah!
So devoted to their bicycles are the Copenhageners (Copenhageners? can that be right?) even rain doesn’t dissuade them from riding. They open up a big umbrella and keep on rollin’. I’ve seen the pictures.
Donchaknow I’ll be on a bike as soon as I possible after landing in Copenhagen and I’m packing my New York City subway umbrella just in case.
In the spirit of sharing everything that moves me on my journey, here’s a list of some of my favorite places to ride a bike.
Vancouver and Victoria, Canada
May is a wild time for tulips in Vancouver’s Stanley Garden
It was May when I visited Vancouver in British Columbia and the weather was perfect. Blue skies, warm sun and tulips in bloom everywhere. I rented a bike on Denman Street by Marina Square, just one of many bike shops for visitors in the downtown area and headed off for the evergreen forest of Stanley Park. There’s an outer trail that goes along the waterfront but plenty of paths lured me inland where I was wowed by the amazing variety in the rhododendron garden. Yellow rhododendron? Poisonous cinnamon-scented rhododendron? Who knew?
Vancouver from the bridge overlooking English Bay
Leaving the park I rode along the English Bay down the appropriately-named Beach Street and wound up at the Vancouver Maritime Museum and a little farther on, the adorable Granville Island Market. I was sorely tempted to hop off the bike and board one of the kayaks available for rent there, but decided to save that for my next trip to Vancouver.
Fourty-three miles to the southwest is Victoria, capital of British Columbia and located on Vancouver Island – not to be confused with Vancouver the city which is not on Vancouver Island – (hey, don’t ask me, ask the Canadians). This is also a fabulous place for cycling with designated bike lanes and drivers who treat those lanes with respect. It’s hillier than Vancouver so the riding is more strenuous and there are many more pedestrians on the downtown streets during tourist season.
Narita, Japan
Lots of people in Tokyo commute to work on bikes. But I wouldn’t have ventured out in the two-wheeled or four-wheeled traffic in the city. TOO congested. But about one hour out of town, the folks at the Raddison Hotel Narita Airport keep a fleet of bikes for guests, so early one morning last September I got up early and pedaled off, across the street and down aways from the hotel to a little path through a rice paddy. I’d been tipped off about the path by the airline pilots who frequent the hotel and who told me that the route through the woods and into the historic town of Narita was not to be missed.
Imagine seeing this on an early morning ride
I’d been pedaling for about 15 minutes when I came across this brilliant red temple in a clearing, sitting there like an ornate enameled box that had been dropped from the sky. I was all alone as I explored it, with just the birds and the insects providing the soundtrack when I realized I could not keep this to myself. Back I went to the Raddison to wake up my sister, Lee, and insist that she come along with me. Excellent travel companion that she is, Lee only grumbled slightly and off we went. The rest of the ride was full of similarly unexpected treats for the eye and ear.
Unexpected discoveries in the woods
Given the twists and turns and opportunities to get lost along the way, Lee and I were pretty pleased to finally arrive in the town of Narita. But I think this guy at the local statuary store was even more excited to see us.
A happy greeting for us in Narita
Santa Cruz, California
This is one of my favorite cities in California. Unlike the other Pacific coast communities that are just plain too cold for this Miami gal, Santa Cruz is warm and festive.
Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk; How cute is this?
Lots of birds make the natural bridges home
I always rent a bike near the beach boardwalk and head out along West Cliff Drive past Lighthouse Field State Beach and the Surfer museum enroute to my final destination, Natural Bridges State Beach.
Migrating whales can sometimes be spotted off the coast, and in the fall, migrating Monarch butterflies. So far, I’ve only seen the shore and sea birds that hang out on the rocks. But I know I’ll have time to visit the seals, back at the boardwalk, where I can easily spend another hour ooh-hing and aah-hing over those adorable critters.
Can I bring it home, mommy?
Washington, DC
Capitol Bikeshare September 2011
The American capitol has recently established Capital Bikeshare rental kiosks at 10 locations in the district and more than one hundred in the greater metropolitan area. Since traffic in DC is a bear during the week, and there’s so much for visitors to see, making bikes more readily available is a brilliant idea and long overdue.
Aside from the regular monuments and places of interest in Washington, I always enjoy biking the bridges and paths. Recently Lee and I biked the one that runs roughly along the George Washington Memorial Parkway through Arlington ending up at Gravelly Point Park which is a magnificent place to view the planes taking off and landing at Ronald Reagan Airport. Here you’ll also see the amphibious DC Ducks tour buses as they drive into the Potomac River and turn into boats. That’s as entertaining as the planes overhead.
Photo of DC Duck courtesy Historic Tours
Daytona Beach, Florida
Full disclosure, I’ve never actually ridden a bike on the beach famous for allowing cars to drive along its hard-packed sand. (Days of Thunder anyone?) But on a recent visit to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, my hosts, Anthony Brickhouse and the students from the campus chapter of ISASI booked me into the beautiful Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort.
Lovely hotel right on Daytona Beach
Great room, great view of the beach, greatly tempted to rent a bike but alas, I was already checked out of my room and toting a big handbag for my next appointment. I had no place to stow it and the bikes had no baskets. Encumbered by my possessions, I could only watch wistfully as the bikers pedaled past. But it sure looked like they were having fun.
Working up a sweat at Daytona Beach
Next stop, Wonderful Copenhagen with backpack and helmet. I’m already ready to roll.
Author of The New York Times bestseller, The Crash Detectives, I am also a journalist, public speaker and broadcaster specializing in aviation and travel.
gr8 post. what a wonderful idea for those of us who love to bike… and i think i’ll do that kayak trip next time i’m in vancouver!
Can I come too?
Manhattan Beach is getting into increasing biking routes throughout the south bay area. Next Tuesday evening the Biking Coalition is presenting an updated plan to the City Council that has suggestions for many more bike-ways, some on major Blvds. and streets throughout the city and the coalition is doing the same with all the city’s in the South Bay area. Although I don’t agree with all the suggestions, some of them are well overdue. Although not specifically addressed in the plan, I like that they are considering building more round abouts at big intersections.
I ride a few times a week, mostly along the strand with friends. Glad to see that you are taking advantage of bikes and routes all over the world, a great way to see things and exercise….Al
Great to have you as a reader Al. Keep up the cycling. My next visit west maybe we can ride together!
I just came back from two weeks of biking in Taiwan and was amazed at the infrastructure improvements they’ve made just for cyclists. In New Taipei City, they’ve installed over 250km of bike paths. Best of all, when approaching a bridge, the bike path doesn’t magically disappear like so many places. They’ve actually installed many new bridges just to accommodate the bikers.