The Call of the Bike Path

I know. Who goes to Seattle in February for the weather? Well, apparently, I do. Two out of the four days were as sunny as sunny gets. The other days were typical Seattle winter rain, with none of the biting cold we're having out here. Yet sunny days in February take their toll on the city. Coming in from the airport, brown lawn after brown lawn rolled by. This is peak green season for the town. Even the cherry trees were already blossomed and dying.

The trip was great fun although I packed too much into such a short time. Every single moment was filled. From coffee to lunch to drinks to more drinks to dinner on Friday left me a zombie. The wedding was beautiful, although going to the reception at the Edgewater without Adam was a tad lonely (the site of our own nuptials). And the wedding reception was designed entirely to torture me. A huge table of oysters and the most glorious looking martinis tempted me all night, but I could just look on longingly. Sigh. Martinis and oysters are my weakness.

What's hardest about being back in Seattle is the reminder of how inactive I've become. Barring my friends, what I miss most about Seattle is how it just lures you outdoors. Even the rainy days. On Sunday morning, JulieP, Sandra, and I went walking in the rain around Green Lake, and, as always, it was packed. Bikes beckon you. The town is so perfect for riding. The pathways call you to go for a quick run. Everyone is out and about all year long (although, obviously, more so in summer). Boston isn't outdoorsy in the same way. True, I've seen diehard bicyclists pedaling through the snow, but obviously outdoor entertainment is more of a challenge than most people are up to in the winter here. But last August I didn't see folks outside in the same quantities as back west. The town isn't laid out in the same way (wide bicycle lanes, bike paths everywhere, lots of scenic routes within the city such as Myrtle Edwards Park, Discovery Park, Golden Gardens, Green Lake, among others). Along the Charles River in Boston you'll get a fair crowd, especially on Sundays in summer when Memorial Drive is closed to cars. But it can't compete. Before anyone bitches that there is an outdoor culture in Boston, let me say, that's fine. But until you've been to Seattle, don't tell me that it can even begin to compare. I had the overwhelming urge to hop on a bike and take off while I was in Seattle. Never mind that I didn't have a bike there (ah, I miss my celeste blue 27-speed Bianchi Eros speed machine. Oh, I still have it. It just hasn't seen daylight in a long time).