Okay, so I've been busy with end of summer stuff and haven't written down my logs. Not that anyone necessarily cares, but it's a good way for me to keep track. Numbers make me happy. Here are the numbers for the past two weeks:
August 23-29
walking: 23.6 miles
biking: 16.4 miles
subway: 4.5 miles
This week started with three days of rain, and also Noah had a friend over to play during the days, and we didn't have a bike for him, so we rarely went anywhere by bike this week.
August 30-September 5
walking: 20 miles
biking: 40.2 miles
subway: 14 miles
car: 64 (60 by zipcar--we had to drive Saugus and beyond, 4 by cab--we bought a new vacuum cleaner in Cambridge and there was no way we were going to haul it home on the T. The trains on Sunday were PACKED, because it was a beautiful day and 100,000 college kids just moved back to Boston last weekend, with nothing to do (no homework or exams yet)).
Now that school is back in session, my miles will continue to shift more towards walking (I put in 4 miles a day just from walking Noah to and from school and walking the dog). Though tomorrow, I'm working a handyman gig for a friend, and that'll be a 12 mile ride (round trip), with heavy tools in tow.
Summer is officially over--car rental rates have dipped back down to normal levels. We have to drive to Connecticut to visit family this weekend, and our two-day rental will only cost $80 (not including gas), so it's now cheaper to rent a car for excursions from the airport rather than using Zipcar. (Too bad, because I like Zipcar better.)
Did some renovations on our bikes this week. The cargo racks on Tracy and my bikes were broken, and the collapsible metal baskets that attach to the racks were all busted, too. So last night and today, I replaced the racks and baskets. Not complex, but a lot of futzing. I'm glad to have two baskets in the back, where before I only had one (which made me very unbalanced with gallons of OJ on just one side). All that extra metal in the back is heavy, though--that's my excuse for going so slow, I'm hauling all those pounds of steel with me.
I also replaced my bike chain, which my new chain wear gauge told me was worn out. The bike runs a lot better now. (I initially misthreaded it, so it was making odd noises. Kudos to the woman at the REI bike shop (at Landmark in the Fenway) who did NOT make me feel stupid when I took it in to figure out what was wrong. They're my favorite bike shop (tied with Broadway Bicycle School), because they are always polite and never intimidating. The last thing I need from a bike shop is attitude.
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Showing posts with label weekly tally. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weekly tally. Show all posts
Weekly Tally #10
Here's the quick stats for last week:
walking: 17.5 miles
biking: 22.8 miles
subway: 6 miles
boat: 35 miles (I took Noah to Salem by boat to the Pirate Museum)
car: 10 (zipcar)
Kind of interesting that it was such a multi-modal kind of week. Not much bike riding (I didn't have many meetings and the kids were home, so we didn't stray too far from home). Some people have to commute more miles every day than I log in a week. I feel lucky.
walking: 17.5 miles
biking: 22.8 miles
subway: 6 miles
boat: 35 miles (I took Noah to Salem by boat to the Pirate Museum)
car: 10 (zipcar)
Kind of interesting that it was such a multi-modal kind of week. Not much bike riding (I didn't have many meetings and the kids were home, so we didn't stray too far from home). Some people have to commute more miles every day than I log in a week. I feel lucky.
Weekly Tally #9
Here's the quick stats for last week (I'm super late in posting, because it's been a busy week of writing other stuff):
walking: 13.1 miles
biking: 49.6 miles
subway: 8 miles
Noah and I took the T to the Common to see Toy Story III. I don't mind riding my bike downtown, but I'm still a little wary of Noah (who is 10 years old) riding there. The drivers are too crazy and the bike lanes are not quite well defined enough to get us all the way there. And the T is fun sometimes, too.
We did a little geocaching by bike on Sunday, which was fun. I need to see how many are within bike range of us--we started doing this years ago, and have slowed down a lot over the past few years. Tracy found two caches within Brookline that were a nice easy ride, and got us riding on streets that we don't usually visit. One of them was right near Clear Flour Bakery, which meant we had to buy pastries and bread, of course.
walking: 13.1 miles
biking: 49.6 miles
subway: 8 miles
Noah and I took the T to the Common to see Toy Story III. I don't mind riding my bike downtown, but I'm still a little wary of Noah (who is 10 years old) riding there. The drivers are too crazy and the bike lanes are not quite well defined enough to get us all the way there. And the T is fun sometimes, too.
We did a little geocaching by bike on Sunday, which was fun. I need to see how many are within bike range of us--we started doing this years ago, and have slowed down a lot over the past few years. Tracy found two caches within Brookline that were a nice easy ride, and got us riding on streets that we don't usually visit. One of them was right near Clear Flour Bakery, which meant we had to buy pastries and bread, of course.
Weekly Tally #8 plus New York bike lanes
Here's the quick stats for last week:
walking: 15.4 miles
biking: 34.2 miles
car (zipcar): 450 miles
We drove, via Zipcar, to visit family and friends in Connecticut and New York this weekend. Normally, we'd use a rental car from this airport for a weekend trip, but the car rental companies jack up the rates to double the normal during the summer. We were able to get a Zipcar for $237.04 for Friday 2pm - Sunday 2pm (it ended up being a two-day rental, plus extra mileage charges and tolls), whereas a standard rental company was charging more than $205 for the two days, but we'd had to have purchased gas, which would have cost about $50. Zipcar included gas, let us rent a Hybrid (Honda Civic that got 45 mpg) and a was a LOT more convenient (plus we like Zipcar better as a company).
Normally, we'd take the train from New Haven (where we were staying) into NYC for the day, but the fares were running $14 each way. For four of us, that means we'd spend $112 for tickets, plus subway fares, and a lot of time. Driving meant paying tolls and probably paying to park. But we were certain to pay less than $100 for parking. On a weekday, traffic would have made the train the easy choice, but on a Saturday morning, we knew traffic probably wouldn't be a big factor.
So we drove into the City. Found a free parking spot on the street in front of our friends' building. So we came out more than $100 ahead for the day. In terms of carbon emissions, it wasn't the greatest choice, but driving the Hybrid helped a little (perhaps).
One big surprise on this visit to New York was all the bike lanes they've added. I saw more bikes than I'd ever seen in NYC before, and also found a fun new bike shop (that might, sadly, be temporary) on Charles Street in the West Village.
(you can see the painted green bike lane above)
Some the bike lanes were kind of narrow (and maybe a little scary), but lots of them looked great, and a few of them used a model that I wish they'd use here in Boston. Instead of the setup being: sidewalk, parked cars, bike lane, car traffic, it was set up like this: sidewalk, bike lane, parked cars, car traffic. I'm sure there are lots of pluses and minuses to this setup, but I really like how it protects the bike riders, and creates a space that can be plowed in the winter time. The big disadvantage would seem to be what happens if someone parks in the bike lane, then there's a big roadblock to the cyclist.
I'm guessing that NYC bikers have the same problem we have in Boston, even with bike lanes, and that's lack of bike parking. It's great to be able to get someplace by bike, and I think NYC seems especially bikable--it's flat and laid out in a grid--but you need someplace secure to park your bike when you get there.
Still, it was exciting to see New York embracing the bike. I hope more cities follow the trend.
walking: 15.4 miles
biking: 34.2 miles
car (zipcar): 450 miles
We drove, via Zipcar, to visit family and friends in Connecticut and New York this weekend. Normally, we'd use a rental car from this airport for a weekend trip, but the car rental companies jack up the rates to double the normal during the summer. We were able to get a Zipcar for $237.04 for Friday 2pm - Sunday 2pm (it ended up being a two-day rental, plus extra mileage charges and tolls), whereas a standard rental company was charging more than $205 for the two days, but we'd had to have purchased gas, which would have cost about $50. Zipcar included gas, let us rent a Hybrid (Honda Civic that got 45 mpg) and a was a LOT more convenient (plus we like Zipcar better as a company).
Normally, we'd take the train from New Haven (where we were staying) into NYC for the day, but the fares were running $14 each way. For four of us, that means we'd spend $112 for tickets, plus subway fares, and a lot of time. Driving meant paying tolls and probably paying to park. But we were certain to pay less than $100 for parking. On a weekday, traffic would have made the train the easy choice, but on a Saturday morning, we knew traffic probably wouldn't be a big factor.
So we drove into the City. Found a free parking spot on the street in front of our friends' building. So we came out more than $100 ahead for the day. In terms of carbon emissions, it wasn't the greatest choice, but driving the Hybrid helped a little (perhaps).
One big surprise on this visit to New York was all the bike lanes they've added. I saw more bikes than I'd ever seen in NYC before, and also found a fun new bike shop (that might, sadly, be temporary) on Charles Street in the West Village.
Some the bike lanes were kind of narrow (and maybe a little scary), but lots of them looked great, and a few of them used a model that I wish they'd use here in Boston. Instead of the setup being: sidewalk, parked cars, bike lane, car traffic, it was set up like this: sidewalk, bike lane, parked cars, car traffic. I'm sure there are lots of pluses and minuses to this setup, but I really like how it protects the bike riders, and creates a space that can be plowed in the winter time. The big disadvantage would seem to be what happens if someone parks in the bike lane, then there's a big roadblock to the cyclist.
I'm guessing that NYC bikers have the same problem we have in Boston, even with bike lanes, and that's lack of bike parking. It's great to be able to get someplace by bike, and I think NYC seems especially bikable--it's flat and laid out in a grid--but you need someplace secure to park your bike when you get there.
Still, it was exciting to see New York embracing the bike. I hope more cities follow the trend.
Weekly Tally #7: How I Got Around Last Week
Here's the quick stats for last week:
walking: 14.8 miles
biking: 67.7 miles
car (zipcar): 0 miles
bus: 6 miles
Took the bus to go see Hound of the Baskervilles at the Central Square Theatre with my daughter, Kira (she's not big on biking at night), which worked out great. Tracy has a new app for her Droid phone that shows exactly where the T buses are on a given route. (I might be tempted to get a smart phone myself.)
Had to hit the bike shop yesterday, as I broke another spoke on my back wheel. Three spokes in a month was a sign that it was time to get a new wheel, so I sprung for one yesterday. $75 for the rim, plus I needed new tubes (this wheel has a presta valve), and new tools in order to install the wheel and change the cassette. I spent more than the cost of the bike (which was $65 on Craig's List a couple years ago), but it'll be worth it. It might be nice to ride with a back wheel that's actually round. Now I need to see if I remember everything that I learned at the bike repair class last winter (seems like a long time ago).
walking: 14.8 miles
biking: 67.7 miles
car (zipcar): 0 miles
bus: 6 miles
Took the bus to go see Hound of the Baskervilles at the Central Square Theatre with my daughter, Kira (she's not big on biking at night), which worked out great. Tracy has a new app for her Droid phone that shows exactly where the T buses are on a given route. (I might be tempted to get a smart phone myself.)
Had to hit the bike shop yesterday, as I broke another spoke on my back wheel. Three spokes in a month was a sign that it was time to get a new wheel, so I sprung for one yesterday. $75 for the rim, plus I needed new tubes (this wheel has a presta valve), and new tools in order to install the wheel and change the cassette. I spent more than the cost of the bike (which was $65 on Craig's List a couple years ago), but it'll be worth it. It might be nice to ride with a back wheel that's actually round. Now I need to see if I remember everything that I learned at the bike repair class last winter (seems like a long time ago).
Weekly Tally #6: How I Got Around Last Week
Here's the quick stats for last week:
walking: 15.6 miles
biking: 76.2 miles
car (zipcar): 10 miles
We needed zipcar to get to a party in Medford, because it would have taken forever to get there by T, and it was too far too go with my son. This might be the most I've biked in a single week. I can definitely feel my legs getting much stronger as the summer progresses.
walking: 15.6 miles
biking: 76.2 miles
car (zipcar): 10 miles
We needed zipcar to get to a party in Medford, because it would have taken forever to get there by T, and it was too far too go with my son. This might be the most I've biked in a single week. I can definitely feel my legs getting much stronger as the summer progresses.
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