One of the reasons I started biking everywhere was because I realized that I actually got places on time on my bike, unlike when I was driving. I can’t think of a more frustrating place to try to drive and park than the neighborhoods along the 17th Street bikeway. Believe me; I used to try.
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Noe Valley, Bernal and the Mission all seem to try to keep their distance from one another. They’re designed to be as hard as possible to get from one to the next without a boarding pass, blood sample and letter of recommendation. Very San Francisco. But not very practical. This route is helping me teach
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You never know what neighborhood your kids will end up going to school in. If your kids need to get to Pacific Heights every morning and you live in the Mission, you can spend some time thinking whether the neighborhoods are actually on the same planet, never mind the same city. Turns out they are,
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If you’re a west side parent and in the public school lottery game, you are desperate to shrink your mental map of the area between Golden Gate Park and the bottom edge of the city. How early would I have to leave the house to get my toddler to daycare at SF State, and older
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This is such a lovely part of town. I love being able to easily bike around this area because it lets me see and enjoy more than I would otherwise. It’s become really important recently, though, ever since Peekaboo Factory opened in West Portal. My kids (and all of the kids in the city, it
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La Petite Baleen is awesome, but it can feel like it’s located on an island off the coast of nowhere. But if you like to bike, like me, definitely sign your kids up for classes in this part of the Presidio, because it is fast and great feeling to be able to really let it
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In the time before kids, it was easy to stroll down the hill and spend the day in Hayes Valley, doing whatever. It’s amazing how much bigger that hill got after we had kids. Being able to roll up and down for a taste of fun lets us indulge in the illusion of being younger, cooler,
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There are a lot of people on bikes checking out other bikes on the Wiggle. Kind of a scene, but in a very friendly, non-judgmental way. You see all kinds of bikes. Spandex flocks staring at well dressed classic steel bike riders staring at post-apocalypse urban samurais, etc. As you might expect, I’ve gotten used
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This is a such a calmer way to get to the Mission or Castro than taking Market. I’ll take Upper Market Street when I’m by myself, but feel much more comfortable on this route when I have my kids. You have to make sure you cross the tracks at a right angle, but I’d rather deal
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I love making the turn on to Tiffany Street from Valencia. Just when you start thinking that going straight on Valencia is getting boring, you suddenly turn on to this quirky triangular neighborhood street. It’s always a happy surprise. And then there’s more: I love the little micro neighborhood at 29th Street and Tiffany, including a parklet and
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