The public realm-the stage of city life, where real community grows. On the sidewalks, in the streets, in the squares, train stations and steps of city hall, plazas, and parks. It's those spaces that are both designed and unintentionally left over-where people congregate, meet and greet, think and drink. They are the places we cross in our daily routines as well as use as gathering places on special occasions. As cyclists, we become intimately familiar with these public spaces, and with a city's terrain and its inhabitants.
Cycling is an exercise in geography - natural, social, cultural, political.
Cycling not only exposes you to the natural elements, but to passing bits of conversation and chance encounters, to suddenly pulling over to buy a burrito or a book, to taking a rest on a park bench on your way home, to zigzagging down unknown alleys, to cruising through the farmers' market on your way to work. Cyclists are keenly aware of the sentiments of a neighborhood and the rhythms of a city. Intimate enough to engage with people on the streets and mobile enough to get a sense for the big picture, bicycles are vehicles of perception. A bicycle is the perfect scale to appreciate the place you live, to move through it while still being a part of it. I have a much greater appreciation now for the public spaces of our cities and towns.