No Way I'm Biking In This Bike Lane

Literally around the corner from the local DOT office on Fowler Avenue near the USF campus, Fowler's bike lane surface has been stripped and this "turtleback" bumpy layer is all that's left. Someone from the DOT told me last week that a fresh, smooth surface of asphalt will be applied, but they don't know when. Today while biking home from Flatwoods on the north side of Fowler, I saw a bike lane symbol painted on this turtleback surface. But here's why I don't and won't bike on this surface -- take a look. Would you want to be biking on this surface? Instead, I bike inside the traffic lane and won't go in the "bike lane" as long as it's in this very rough and bumpy condition.

Bicycling The Neighborhood

During my Seminole Heights walk last night, I see all types of bicyclists. Like this fella, who told me that he was cycling this recumbent for the first time. No matter what the age, the smile of the bicyclist transcends everything.


These kids were trying to pump air in the front tire when they called over and asked for help. Bicycle Stories obliged and advised the kids to wear helmets when they pedal.

Triking It In Tampa

Biking back from Flatwoods this morning, I saw this fella on Rowlett Park Drive in the Sulphur Springs area. Check out his wheels -- it's a literal chariot with a space in back that he said he uses to carry his kid.

A Bicycle Parking Space Grows in Boca Raton

I made a pit stop in Century Village in Boca Raton over the weekend and saw my favorite parking space -- the owner of this space uses a bike rack to secure his wheels.

Boca Raton to Palm Beach -- And Back

This morning I biked some 54 miles from Boca Raton to Palm Beach and West Palm Beach and back under cloudy skies. I've biked all around Florida and I'm here to say that Boca Raton is the friendliest city for bicyclists in the state. There are bike lanes all around the sprawling city in south Palm Beach County, and there are literally hundreds of cyclists zipping up and down A1A between Miami and Palm Beach.

I noticed the epicenter for A1A cycling was Boca Raton, which has bike lanes along A1A AND a paved path along the side of the road for joggers, walkers and roller-bladers.

There's a lot of wealth along A1A. Here's a cyclist zipping along A1A in the town of Highland Beach, which is just north of Boca Raton.


They take their landscape trimming very seriously in Palm Beach.


The famous royal Palms of Palm Beach.


They sure build those hedges high in Palm Beach.


OK, maybe the lawns in Palm Beach are a bit nicer -- and smoother -- than mine. You can play billiards on this front lawn on A1A in Palm Beach.



Terrific bridgework on the drawbridge spanning the Intracoastal at Boynton Beach.


In Delray Beach, they love Bush.


The famous barefoot mailman of Hypoluxo.



History is so easy, isn't it? Rec center on US 1 in Lantana.


While biking back from Palm Beach to Boca, I pedaled into an accident scene. It looks like a car leaving a parking lot struck a cyclist who was biking past the lot.

I'm Glad When You're Glad

I had the distinct honor of accompanying Bicycle Stories Mom to a concert first for me -- seeing Barry Manilow at the Florida Panthers hockey arena in Sunrise about 10 miles west of Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night.

Mom adored the show. Must be the fact that Barry is a nice Jewish biy from Brooklyn.

But after seeing Barry in action and not seeing too many heterosexual males younger than 50 in the audience, the momster had to admit: "I guess he's gay."




Outside of the arena that's named after a bank, the Barry fans sat and waited to get in. That's Tom Cruise's flyer saucer coming in for a landing for the concert. Only kidding folks. That's the Bank Atlantic Arena's idea of a South Florida decorations on its plaza outside the arena.


Inside the arena, we sat behind three drunk 40-something women. I know, 15,000 people in the joint the only three women who show up wasted end up sitting right in front of us. Here's the drunkest one of the bunch.

Saturday, Boca Raton to Fort Lauderdale and Back

Welcome to Saturday morning in Boca Raton. I was at the start of a 52.4-mile roundtrip to Fort Lauderdale, where I used to live and work as a newspaper reporter about 10 years ago.


The Boca bus stops are a little different than the 1-800-Call-Gary ones in Tampa.


The Pompano Beach Pier is a popular hangout.


Good ol' Fort Lauderdale Beach. I know her well. I used to live and work in Fort Lauderdale in 1998-99 when I worked at the Sun-Sentinel.


Without bike lanes, cyclists pedal in the traffic lane. They have a right to be there in the lane, but there's not as much room on the road to share and an inattentive motorist can can get dangerously close to a bicyclist.


With bike lanes, cyclists safely pass me, then return to the bike lane and cars also have room to pass when we're in the bike lane.


In Boca, on the way back from Fort Lauderdale.