Bicycling Northgate To South Lake Union
One thing that has happened since I moved to Seattle is I’ve gotten more interested in like, being outside and stuff. The main way this has manifested itself is through bicycling. Ever since I got my new job last year I’ve been doing some bike commuting. For a while I was getting it in two or three times a week, but when the month of rain came in I succumbed to the forces of nature and I haven’t really gotten back in the saddle. Hopefully the coming of Spring will fix that.
If there’s anything bike commuters love to talk about its favorite routes to and from places. I have been reading the Cascade Bicycle Club’s web forums for a while, and I always love seeing people talk about routes in the Commuter Boards. In the spirit of “Its Not Just For Movies Anymore”, I thought I would open up the Cineblog to some rumination on how to get from here to there via two wheels. First in a series. Special thanks to the GMaps Pedometer, a vital tool for manual route planning of all kinds.
So the first route I’ll get into is going from Roya’s house to work. My primary route involves going through the U-District and across the bridge to Eastlake. Typically I don’t like taking Roosevelt, but in the mornings the right lane (of three) is closed to parking, so its wide open and basically becomes a de-facto bike lane. The big climb up Roosevelt out of Northgate kind of sucks, but on the colder days it actually serves to really warm you up which makes the long downhill that follows more pleasant. Once you get past 45th street things can be a little more hairy but keep your eyes open and things are pretty much fine. The only really touchy part is where a road merges into Roosevelt from the right just before the bridge. Really the only safe way to handle it is get right in the lane with traffic and do as much as you can to not piss off the people behind you. Over the bridge I typically head down to the water at Roanoake. Typically people will just keep going up Eastlake but I like getting down to the lakefront and taking a more leisurely pace to Fairview. To get onto Fairview you have to get into the lane with traffic, but there’s a nice bike/bus only left turn lane there which is great. I don’t like to ride up Fairview itself because its so busy, but there’s an alley behind Fairview on the East side that is wide and paved and I typically go up that. I’ve pretty much got this ride down, its nice and direct.
There is a route around Greenlake I take occasionally, mostly just for a change of pace but it does have some advantages. First off, aside from one steep climb for about a block early on, its almost all downhill except for a brief steady climb across the Fremont bridge and up Dexter. Its also mostly on side roads so the lack of traffic is kind of nice (although crossing I-5 is a bitch.) However its also longer and less direct, and frankly if you’re going to worry about hills in Seattle you shouldn’t be riding at all.
Going back to Northgate from downtown is kind of a bitch. Any way you cut it you’re looking at a looong climb up from the canal, and the roads aren’t nearly as friendly as Roosevelt (which is one way the other direction.) I don’t really have a great reccomendation on that front.
Look for more bike posts soon! Maybe I’ll actually watch a fucking movie someday as well.
