Well, now that my car is on blocks in my parents' garage, I find myself without a car for the first time in over a year. Its a bit of a shock, and I'm going to be so happy to be able to drive - no matter how much gas costs - when I'm home next year. I've been walking everywhere for the past two weeks, which while an easy way to get around, sure takes up a lot of time. And since my department is about a twenty minute walk away from where I live, gets to be very inconvenient if I have more than one lecture a day. Luckily I shipped over a bicycle with my stuff... but its been sitting in my room for the past week. Riding in traffic is a bit daunting, especially on the left side of the road with unfamiliar traffic signs and rules.
However, today I decided that I had had enough, and the bike was going to make its first appearance on the Cambridge streets. And so, with my heart firmly lodged in my throat, I made my first cross-Cambridge bike trip. I had to go a different route than the one I normally walk because its a pedestrian only area from 10-4, and I was headed to a 2 o'clock lecture. Everything seemed like a piece of cake until I was detouring around some construction, only to find myself in a game of chicken... with a double-decker bus! This was particularly alarming because I had a wall on my left, and the bus had already cut off any escape to the right. I think I managed to squeak through with about 3 inches of spare room on either side, but didn't even have a chance to breathe a sigh of relief because there was a second bus right behind the first. This time I think there ended up being about two inches to spare, but miraculously I emerged unscathed, although a bit trembly.
Suffice it to say that I made it successfully to my department building (and back!) but I think its definitely going to take a bit of time for me to get used to being in the flow of traffic on a bike.
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2 comments:
yikes...that's happened to me before here in san francisco. i almost got pressed against a sheer wall with my bike because of a bus making a sharp turn. another time my tire got caught in the streetcar tracks while a streetcar was bearing down on me.
well, that last one was my fault for being stupid, but you'd better believe i was more careful the next time. :-$
anyway, i hope you're wearing a helmet. seriously.
No helmets required in Cambridge. But I've definitely learned to be a lot more aware of traffic patterns!
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