Different destinations, same mileage

When I started this blog back in July, most of my cycling was done after work. Back then, Savannah's legendary heat and humidity made it impossible for me to commute to work in business attire. As a result I did most of my cycling after work in the form of rides to the grocery store, minor league ballpark, library, restaurants, bike shop and video rental store. I wasn't wearing a suit and tie on these trips.

Since sometime in late September (I really should have kept track or this), most of my rides have taken me to work and back. It's been a very dry fall and I've taken full advantage of this by commuting to the office almost every day. Once I arrive at home, the bike goes into the shed and it usually doesn't emerge until the next day. Nonetheless, I don't think I'm driving more, even though I've cut back on riding after work.

What's happening, I've discovered, is that I'm bundling my trips together. I'm shopping more often at the Gwinnett Street Kroger, which is between my house and the office, and less often at Publix, which is about two miles south of my home. I'm taking care of errands along my commuting route. I'm also shopping more on foot during my lunch break.

The view from the Habitrail

I've recently returned from a five day visit to Kansas City, during which I saw three bicyclists. But perhaps I wasn't looking in the right places. I was confined, for most of my stay, to the Crown Center complex, which according to the 30-year-old postcard I bought in the gift shop off the Westin Hotel lobby, was conceived as "America's first downtown suburb." Whatever that means.

There was little humanoid activity on the sidewalks around the Crown Center, thanks to an oversized Habitrail known as "The Link." It allows pedestrians to walk all the way from Hallmark headquarters to the beautiful Union Station. Along the way, interpretive displays help Link users identify the buildings and other structures they observe through the glass. That way they don't actually have to walk on the sidewalk, like common animals, to find out what's what.

Over the next week or so, I'll be posting photographs from Kansas City on my photoblog, which is located here.