Issue link: http://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25038
finally rediscovered that two (or more) wheels and a breath of fresh air may not only be the most effi cient way to get around (i.e. no traffic), the most environmentally friendly (i.e. no pollution), but addi tionally and infinitely most importantly-the most fun . . Having wisely realized this, we now struggle with unhappy and disgruntled landlords who fear. .. scratches on the floor. Why does it feel like the city itself is discouraging rather than encouraging what is a terrific trend of cycling, in-line skating and other non-auromotive transport? One friend of mine who enjoyed biking ro work (to round out the stress of a 70-hour-a-week schedule), so frustrated with restrictions, finally bought a collapsible bike-in-a-bag and literally smuggled it past his office lobby attendant on a daily basis. That is, until colliding with a taxi damped his spirits toward the whole endeavor. The absurdity of American transport systems is no more apparent than in Los Angeles. It's a place where the glorification of fitness has reached unimaginable heights and almost every day's weather is perfect for a bike ride, yet no where else can you find more unfit people behind steering wheels and closed car windows for hours at a time. This subject of urban cycli.ng i.nevita�ly r�l�.inds me of the first time I visited Ho ChI Mlllh City, V letnam, in 1993. At that time, the US embargo had not been lifted and modern technology as we know it had hardly permeat ed the political and economic walls dividing Vietnam from the rest of the world. The vision of millions of Ho Chi Minh cyclists filled me with -awe. In regard to their com muting habits, I felt the Vietnamese had been strangely blessed by the absence of technological development. I envied them and their bicycles: happy, healthy and pedal ing, smiling on their way while couples and entire families often shared one bike seat. Looking at the alleys and avenues, it was clear that bicycles and cyclos (bike taxis) were the only way so many people could comfortably and safely commute. When I returned in 1994, economic progress had brought motorbikes en masse to replace much of the bike traffic, and a year later an alarming number of automobiles filled the air with pollution of all kinds. Being able to see different countries at varying stages of development first hand creates an amazing opportunity for self-examination as a city, a nation, and as the human race. It enables us to retrace our path, identify mistakes and hope fully prevent others from repeating them. Maybe it's nOt too late, even here. Maybe we urban dwellers would be happier if we rode bikes to work more often. Maybe we would be more awake when we got there. Maybe we would feel less "obligated" to go the gym ro work out. Maybe we would just feel better by experiencing that fun feeling of pedaling ... picking up speed ... and gliding through that bit of aerodynamic spacelrime that is the closest you can get to feeling like you're flying on the city streets. Amy Schrier FOUNDER II II