Thursday, April 12, 2007

Is This Heaven?

Its San Francisco.
San Francisco? I could've sworn it was heaven.

Having lived in Chicago for the past 13 years, I felt like Ray Liotta's Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams coming out of the cornfield for the first time as I walked in and around the streets of San Francisco. With the well demarcated bike lanes, the accessibility of rapid transport (like the BART) for bike commuters, and the well established messenger community (inset), all juxtaposed next to the surrounding scenery of Bay and bridges, it seemed like Bike Heaven to me. I didn't need to read the San Francisco Bike Coalition's annual report card proclaiming the city as one of the friendliest for cyclists (in the large city category). I was sold.

But, as in the movie, heaven turns out to be a cornfield in Iowa, and Bike Heaven ends up being just like any large city, not completely devoid of its ugly incidents (video) .

Is there a heaven?
Oh yeah, its the place where dreams come true.

No comments:

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Is This Heaven?

Its San Francisco.
San Francisco? I could've sworn it was heaven.

Having lived in Chicago for the past 13 years, I felt like Ray Liotta's Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams coming out of the cornfield for the first time as I walked in and around the streets of San Francisco. With the well demarcated bike lanes, the accessibility of rapid transport (like the BART) for bike commuters, and the well established messenger community (inset), all juxtaposed next to the surrounding scenery of Bay and bridges, it seemed like Bike Heaven to me. I didn't need to read the San Francisco Bike Coalition's annual report card proclaiming the city as one of the friendliest for cyclists (in the large city category). I was sold.

But, as in the movie, heaven turns out to be a cornfield in Iowa, and Bike Heaven ends up being just like any large city, not completely devoid of its ugly incidents (video) .

Is there a heaven?
Oh yeah, its the place where dreams come true.

No comments: