sanfranciscobicyclec, January 12th, 2012
The Balboa Theater was designed by the Reid Brothers in 1926. They also designed landmark buildings such as the Cliff House, the Fairmont Hotel, and the Golden Gate Park Band Shell.
By Andy Thornley
I can’t remember when I realized the Reid brothers were following me around. Though I fancy myself a student of American architectural history, it didn’t register when I learned that James and Merritt Reid had designed the Balboa Theater (1926). Nor did it ring any bells when I found out that they (and sometimes younger brother Watson) were responsible for the Fairmont Hotel (1906) and the Cliff House (1909) and the Spreckels Temple of Music in Golden Gate Park (a.k.a. the band shell, 1899).
But when the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition moved its now-former offices into a 1908 post-quake pioneer on Market Street, next to a Reid-designed pre-quake department store (still standing), down the street from a second Reid-designed store (likewise still standing) and across the street from an office building and hotel they designed (yes, both still standing), I could no longer deny that this obscure but prolific trio of Canadian architects were haunting me.
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Events, Rec Rides
sanfranciscobicyclec, October 20th, 2011
Leah Shahum (on the orange bicycle) is executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which says that ridership in the city has increased 58 percent in the past four years. Photo by Aaron Bialick.
By Anna Belle Peterson.
Tourists in San Francisco have plenty of options to get around the city – BART, Muni, rental cars. But more and more visitors are choosing to see the city in a different way: from the seat of a bicycle.
San Francisco’s mild climate, compact geography and new, protected bikeways make the city ideal for bicycling. Among locals, ridership has increased 58 percent in the past four years, according to the San Francisco Bicycling Coalition, and the numbers of bicycling tourists are increasing as well. Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged as: Bike About Town
sanfranciscobicyclec, October 6th, 2011
A child gets a lesson on riding during Family Biking Day, one of many educational aspects of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition event that will be presented Sunday in Golden Gate Park.
By Nicole Vermeer
In many countries, it is common for families to use a bicycle as the household vehicle. Parents ride their kids around in seats on the back of the bike, young children pedal behind on tagalong bikes, and whole families bike to the grocery store together.
A growing number of families in San Francisco are opting to use the family bike over the family car for more and more trips. This year’s Bike to School Day in April attracted more than 2,000 participants. Sunday brings another kid-focused event: Family Biking Day in Golden Gate Park.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Bike to School Day, Family Biking, Freedom From Training Wheels, Safe Routes to School
sanfranciscobicyclec, September 8th, 2011
Tour leader Greg Braswell talks to riders during last year's Sewer Ride. Some brick tunnels have been directing water beneath the city's streets since the 1880s. Photo by Miles Epstein.
By Celeste LeCompte
There are a lot of places to go for a weekend bike ride in and around San Francisco – stunning oceanside paths, family-filled Golden Gate Park, hilly city routes. But here’s one you might have missed: San Francisco’s combined sewer/storm-water system, one of the many recreational rides organized and led by volunteers and friends of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
On Sept. 17, a group of local artists, sewer historians and organizations will lead attendees on a three-hour tour of the sewers in the Mission District. When I described this ride to some friends, I often was met with incredulous looks and questions like, “You’re going to ride your bike in the city’s poop tubes?” Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Events, Rec Rides
sanfranciscobicyclec, August 25th, 2011
By Kit Hodge
Jason Serafino-Agar, teaching a Safe Routes to School class to students at Longfellow Elementary School, says cycling to classes can enhance a child's confidence.
This article is a part of our Bike About Town column and appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Jason Serafino-Agar’s job is to help children in San Francisco bicycle to school.
“While 7 out of 10 adults in the city ride bicycles, our students are really lagging behind in San Francisco and around the country,” says Serafino-Agar, the Safe Routes to School coordinator for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “And yet it’s clear from events like Bike to School Day, Sunday Streets and the growing number of bicycles parked at playgrounds that families want to bike more.”
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Family Biking, Freedom From Training Wheels, Safe Routes to School
sanfranciscobicyclec, August 11th, 2011
By Gregory Shaffer
Edna Barron rides confidently toward the end of her first class, and was even helping others. She had never learned to ride as a child after a tricycle accident resulted in stitches. Photo by Scott Hermanson.
This article is a part of our Bike About Town column which appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.
With rising gas prices, ever-expanding bike lanes and fun outdoor events like Sunday Streets, it’s no surprise that more people are bicycling in San Francisco. But what if you’re an adult who wants to bike but never learned how? Where do you turn when you are way past the age of training wheels?
Fear not: In a city as bicycle-friendly as San Francisco, it’s never too late to learn.
Tagged as: Adult Learn to Ride, Bike About Town, Freedom From Training Wheels, Urban Cycling Workshop
sanfranciscobicyclec, July 28th, 2011
by Celeste LeCompte
Bicyclists like this one might not literally stop and smell the roses, but their leisurely rides let them wear regular clothes, chat with other riders and pedestrians, and notice more sights. Image by Public Bikes.
This article is a part of our Bike About Town column and appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco is boomtown for bicycling. And with more riders comes more diversity. Among the growing population of bicyclists are those who eschew speed and spandex in favor of sitting upright and slowly making their way through town in whatever they happen to be wearing that day. It’s a trend that some are calling the Slow Bike Movement. Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Family Biking
sanfranciscobicyclec, July 14th, 2011
By Regina Sinsky
The Seven Hells Ride traditionally ends on Divisadero Street, where tourists often cheer the riders up the hill. Participants can tackle the 38.5 percent grade on Broderick for extra credit.
This is our Bike About Town column, which appeared in the SF Chronicle.
Many cyclists in San Francisco go out of their way to avoid the city’s famous hills. Daniel Reider, 53, goes out of his way to ride them.
Reider invites cyclists to join him July 23 at the annual Seven Hells of San Francisco ride.
“It’s not for beginners,” Reider says. “In spite of it being a hard ride, this is the fourth year I’ve done this, and each year the group doubles in size.”
The Seven Hells ride began when a handful of Reider’s friends wanted to try a few hills with him. A bike commuter for 15 years, Reider knows the city’s hills well. While some people hit the hills for weekend fitness and training, Reider takes them on the way to work.
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Rec Rides
sanfranciscobicyclec, June 30th, 2011
By Linda Atkins
Jess Zak teaches Emma Cooney Geisler to ride a bike with guidance from SF Bicycle Coalition.
This is our Bike About Town column, which appeared in The Chronicle on June 30, 2011.
Does the approach of Independence Day have your youngest friends and family members craving two-wheeled liberation? If so, head for a Freedom From Training Wheels class, where children as young as 3 learn to ride bicycles on their own. The free classes are offered at Sunday Streets events throughout summer and fall, and on car-free John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park on winter weekends (weather permitting). Instructors from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition have been known to help get dozens of tykes on bikes in a single day.
No Training Wheels
The ritual of removing training wheels is one many adults recall and that seems built into the process of learning to ride a bike. But the Freedom From Training Wheels approach teaches kids to ride with no training wheels at all, ever.
“Never introducing the training wheels means you never need to take them away,” said Jess Zak, a Freedom From Training Wheels instructor. Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Family Biking, Sunday Streets
sanfranciscobicyclec, June 16th, 2011
By Greg Shaffer
A group of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition riders join the procession at the Gay Pride Parade. There are several ways for cyclists to celebrate with their favorite mode of transportation.
This is our Bike About Town column, which appeared in The Chronicle on June 16, 2011.
Next weekend marks the start of the 41st annual San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration, an annual festival that draws people from across the country and around the world to celebrate the community and make a public stand for LGBTQ civil rights.
With tens of thousands of people expected to pour into downtown San Francisco for the Pride Parade on June 26, biking might be the most efficient mode of transportation. In addition, there are a number of fun, bike-friendly events planned throughout the city. Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged as: Bike About Town, Events, Pride
