I’d biked to work a few times before, but had been off it recently, mainly because I needed a new backpack to commute with and because my “soft tissue” saddle issues were too much to commute with. With a new bag and a new saddle, I decided it was time to start again. So I rode to work. First I wind my way through residential Maryland, then I get on the Metropolitan Branch Trail (which runs next to the Red Line and is a very nice path with some reeeally ugly views) to Union Station. From there I make my way to the Mall, going down to the Lincoln Memorial, cross over the Memorial Bridge, ride by Arlington Cemetery, up this hill that looks tame but is actually killer to the Marine Memorial, then I’m there! Today, instead of riding down the tourist paths to the Lincoln Memorial, I took Constitution. Big mistake. Tons of cars, four lanes of traffic, a stoplight every block. We’re gonna call that a failed experiment.
