Thanks to skyrocketing oil prices, I finally decided on a hybrid. No, not the environmentally correct automobile: a hybrid commute involving biking to work on certain days of the week. Three good reasons made me stop driving and start bicycling. One: The prohibitive price of gas. Two: Squeezing exercise into my busy schedule. Three: Boy, do I hate getting stuck in rush-hour traffic on my drive home. As luck would have it, Thursday and Friday are the slowest days of my work week. Those also happen to be when the evening commute is at its most congested. Ergo: the perfect bike-to-work days. It all began Thursday, May 1, the day that ‘Iron Man’ opened in theaters. I remember thinking how ‘Iron Man’ this new biking experiment of mine was going to be. As in ‘Iron Man Triathalon,’ since my commute spans from South Beverly Drive to Via de la Paz. First, I had to chart a route. Every great traveler”from Marco Polo to Vasco de Balboa”had an itinerary. While not the Lewis and Clark Trail, biking from the Beverly Hills area to the Palisades, in car-dependent L.A., is practically uncharted territory. Finding the easiest path cross-town from Brentwood was daunting. That first Thursday, I took Allenford over to Sunset, which is scary enough. But try pedaling west along Sunset to Chautauqua with no sidewalks in sight and traffic racing toward you. It feels like you’ve come across the Daytona International Speedway mid-race. After some trial and error, I charted an excellent path that followed Olympic to Linnington, down to Tennessee, over to Barrington, north to San Vicente, west to Ocean, down to West Channel, then up Chautauqua to Sunset and into the village. The Secret Weapon: Tennessee, an aptly named lush, leafy, low-key avenue that”as I glide across it on a golden morning, the shafts of sunlight piercing through the foliage”reminds me of what Mark Twain felt like on the deck of his home along the banks of the Mississippi. You can almost hear the ‘Deliverance’ theme twanging. Quiet and residential, this sleepy little street offers few pedestrians (‘obstacles,’ as I call them), even fewer cars, and smooth sidewalks. Biker friendly. The Crown Jewel: San Vicente Boulevard. Surprisingly level in both directions (with a bike lane), San Vicente becomes pleasant as you leave the commercial area and ride towards the Pacific, echoing the Quai de la Rape’ along the Seine. Mornings across Brentwood are glorious, with minimal obstacles because shops are closed. If there’s a Battle of the Bulge, it’s Chautauqua. No matter how fit I get, I will not bike up this behemoth”vertical and winding with speeders. No thanks, these calves of steel will walk it. Sailing home down University High hill, I feel like George Bailey from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ when I see cars stuck on Barrington. I can’t help but think, ‘That could be me!’ as I whiz along on my bright blue Kona Aloha. I’ve recognized some regulars on my daily route. There’s the woman who always crosses Olympic near Century City as I come along (should I take this personally?), and the guy I call ‘The Godfather of Brentwood’ with his bad comb-over and blazer, talking up his ‘associate.’ Then there’s the dude on the restaurant patios who looks a lot like Red Hot Chili Peppers’ lead singer Anthony Kiedis. That’s because he is Anthony Kiedis. For a guy often photographed shirtless, the private Kiedis is quite preppy-looking. I first saw him dining, be-sweatered, at Pizzicato’s sidewalk tables. A week later, I spotted him at the Peet’s on Gorham with nary a beverage. And so, I accosted him”like some space alien with my helmet and shades”inviting the internationally known pop singer (a famous alumnus of Fairfax High, my alma mater) to talk to the Palisadian-Post next time his band played town. ‘OK, but that won’t be for some time,’ he said, accepting my card. Translation: ‘Not a chance, sucker!’ Nevertheless, it was still a cool encounter. Petty adventures aside, I consider my hybrid a success. At 12 miles each way, I’m biking 48 miles per week. When I started riding, gas was at $3.52 a gallon. Today, it averages $4.69. As my car gets 30 miles per gallon, I’m pocketing $72 a month, which I can put to better use on groceries, phone bills, the occasional haircut. More significantly, by the time I arrive at work, I feel refreshed. Recently, friends have remarked that I look thinner. But riding is not only good for the body, it’s great for the mind. That solitary down time is crucial”some of my best article ideas come together on my bike rides. Beyond pinching pennies and burning calories, riding a bike is splitting the difference between walking and driving. You really experience things when you walk around town. You don’t experience much driving through with stereo blasting and Sim card burning. A bike allows you to truly enjoy the commute, keep in shape, and jump off, if you like, to meet a Chili Pepper.
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