10 Dec #5 Owning the city on your bike

I am Dutch, I love biking.

Stop.

I thought that there was a correlation between the two, but apparently I am one of the only Dutchies in San Francisco that is actually biking. People are not living after their stereotypes, which is a shame because this is a good stereotype.

Anyway, the first week I arrived in San Francisco I bought a bike. I am a biking addict, I love biking. People who don’t feel me, I will explain you why:

– Biking makes you independent. You can go anywhere very easily, stop anywhere you want, even if you were not planning on going there.

– You are actually IN the world experiencing your travel rather than letting yourself being transported in a box (bus, muni, uber, taxi etc)

– You are moving and breathing fresh air, which a human body should do.

– You can take different routes to your destination which makes you see different spots that you have never been before.

So, as a super happy person about biking, I hope I have convinced you why biking is great. It makes you happy, I promise.

However, since I was not used to biking on all those annoying hills, you do have to prepare yourself for a few weeks of sweating and being short breathed. Those hills are so annoying, and it is annoying how tired you get by them so easily.

BUT, as an optimist, I do see some advantages in the hills of San Francisco too:

–  You can take your bike on the bus, WOW that is new to me, so great! Just skip a few hilly blocks if you don’t feel like facing them!

– When you do face them, and you reach the top, you are overwhelmed by an amazing view that is going to make you so happy!

I have been biking from my place (Castro/Mission) to university for the semester now, and I must say that everytime it made me happy. Sometimes you have to force yourself to start (Because of those hills) but everytime you arrive at uni you feel fresh and focused, you have seen some amazing views, weird people in the streets, taking some new routes, yelled at some cars that were not being very bike friendly, but he: you owne San Francisco on your bike!