I am always fascinated by the impressions that visitors have of Chattanooga, and the impression of cycling visitors is of special interest to me. I have written before the visit of Laura and Russ of PathLessPedaled. They are the couple who gave up life as they know it to live on the road-the road on bicycles that is.
Laura wrote yesterday of their impressions of Chattanooga:
We found Chattanooga to be a really wonderful city with a “small town” feel. It’s an active city, with a city-sponsored focus on how many amazing outdoor activities are nearby. And it’s fairly easy to get around on a bicycle, as there are a lot of low-traffic side streets and a beautiful greenway that runs for many miles out of the city.
Of course, when people say that Chattanooga is a “working” town, they’re absolutely correct, and this distinction colors everything that happens in the city. You spend time in Chattanooga and you can feel the work ethic that runs through the veins of the city. Even with all the recent progressive changes, it’s a definite Southern, old-money, conservative place (with a long history as such). But it’s also a city that’s not afraid to get its hands dirty, and Chattanooga has put itself to work transforming itself from the most polluted city in American to a gem of an outdoor recreation destination (Chattanooga is host to the highly successful Head of the Hooch Regatta, which now rivals the Head of the Charles).
It sounds like they got a good impression of Chattanooga and got the nail on the head. But she framed this impression around another impression that we are envious of Asheville. That caught me by surprise, and by the talk around here, it caught a lot of us by surprise. Asheville? I can't say that we talk about Asheville often and as far as I know, it is all positive. A getaway to Asheville is considered a nice thing indeed. But wanting to BE Asheville. I don't think so. We do talk about become the Boulder of the East, but as far as I can tell, it has not been expressed that we are trying to be Asheville. Jim Johnson posted a wonderful reply to that impression. Mostly, I think we are fashioning ourselves with waht we have-a unique mixture of southern conservatism and progressiveness. We are following our own path into the future. We might take our clues at times from other cities but the expression is always our own. So much so, I know that other cities come to study how Chattanooga has done what it has done and how to emulate it.
But over all, I think Laura and Russ enjoyed their time here and we enjoyed having them. They are getting to a lot of towns and I am sure they have learned how to read them. I find reading about their observations and experiences immensely interesting. I am glad we were part of it.
To read their compete post go here
Showing posts with label Chattanooga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chattanooga. Show all posts
Friday, August 20, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Phil and Deborah Gates
IN the previous post in the Hands Over Sands, I mentioned there was one other bike rider. His bike drew me not just because it was the lone other bike but because it was an awesome commuter with wooden rack and Brooks leather saddle. I unfortunately had forgotten my camera and didn't take a picture with my cell phone that I knew wouldn't do it justice.
I had to identify who owned such a bike and soon found myself talking to Phil Gates. His wife, Deborah, was also there having walked over from their Northshore condo. This friendly couple was soon telling me (after gentle prodding from me) their Chattanooga story. Like many people, they moved from Atlanta to get away from-well, Atlanta-the size, traffic and whatever else that Atlantans seem to find objectionable. They bought a house and fixed it up and lived in it for several years until they decided the house was too big and too much upkeep, so they sold it.
As they have an internet based business, Phil and Deborah had the freedom of moving anywhere they wanted to. They had lived in different parts of the country over the years so had much experience to detemine what makes a great place to live.
After giving it some thought, they decided that no place else could beat what they could get right here in Chattanooga-the livability, walkability, bikeability and just the plain friendliness of the people. They bought a condo on the NorthShore and have been living the Chattanooga downtown life ever since.
I always find it interesting to hear how Chattanooga is viewed by those who come from other places. I have always lived here so it is hard for me to be objective about it all. Really, since I have never lived any place else, I have nothing else to compare to. So when people who do have something to compare it to say how wonderful Chattanooga is, I am grandly pleased.
Phil and Deborah, you certainly add to the friendliness of Chattanooga. I enjoyed coming the Mercatino's for breakfast for your World Cup gathering. I am sure our paths will be crossing often!
I had to identify who owned such a bike and soon found myself talking to Phil Gates. His wife, Deborah, was also there having walked over from their Northshore condo. This friendly couple was soon telling me (after gentle prodding from me) their Chattanooga story. Like many people, they moved from Atlanta to get away from-well, Atlanta-the size, traffic and whatever else that Atlantans seem to find objectionable. They bought a house and fixed it up and lived in it for several years until they decided the house was too big and too much upkeep, so they sold it.
After giving it some thought, they decided that no place else could beat what they could get right here in Chattanooga-the livability, walkability, bikeability and just the plain friendliness of the people. They bought a condo on the NorthShore and have been living the Chattanooga downtown life ever since.
I always find it interesting to hear how Chattanooga is viewed by those who come from other places. I have always lived here so it is hard for me to be objective about it all. Really, since I have never lived any place else, I have nothing else to compare to. So when people who do have something to compare it to say how wonderful Chattanooga is, I am grandly pleased.
Phil and Deborah, you certainly add to the friendliness of Chattanooga. I enjoyed coming the Mercatino's for breakfast for your World Cup gathering. I am sure our paths will be crossing often!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Chattanoooga, Bike Friendly?
The question comes up frequently, "Is Chattanooga a bike friendly city?" Bicycling Magazine has included Chattanooga in their top 50 American Bike Friendly Cities.(see here) Pretty neat to be recognized. But are we really a bike friendly city? My answer is, compared to whom? I could name a dozen ways just on the top of my head on how biking is better supported in other cities. Oh, to live in one of those places!
But, in comparing us to other southeast cities, I guess we are pretty well biking advanced. If you look at the map of where the cities are located, you will see the southeast if not well represented. Chattanooga is the only bike friendly town in the 4 state area of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. The south had a deeply ingrained auto culture that has been hard to break through to give bicycles a fighting chance. I am proud that Chattanooga is breaking through that barrier to make headway and to have our efforts noted is a great achievement. So yes, on a southern scale, we are very bike friendly.
My reaction to hearing the news was similiar to the Lady J's reaction that she wrote for the Chattarati We are not there yet, but we are trying.
Now, if we truly want to be a bike friendly city, following the example of Copenhagen would be moving in the right direction.
But, in comparing us to other southeast cities, I guess we are pretty well biking advanced. If you look at the map of where the cities are located, you will see the southeast if not well represented. Chattanooga is the only bike friendly town in the 4 state area of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. The south had a deeply ingrained auto culture that has been hard to break through to give bicycles a fighting chance. I am proud that Chattanooga is breaking through that barrier to make headway and to have our efforts noted is a great achievement. So yes, on a southern scale, we are very bike friendly.
My reaction to hearing the news was similiar to the Lady J's reaction that she wrote for the Chattarati We are not there yet, but we are trying.
Now, if we truly want to be a bike friendly city, following the example of Copenhagen would be moving in the right direction.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Urban Riding and Hooch watching
Today was again one of those breath taking beautiful fall days. We, after an extremely wet fall start, are having our days of such autumn magnificent, that there is no choice but to get out in it.
After a typical Saturday morning breakfast at the Blue Grass Grille, Q and I decided to join the bike club ride to Crabtree Farms. Crabtree is an urban farm owned by the city and is runned by a nonprofit to produce and introduce organic vegetables to Chattanoogans. That is just one of the small treasures of our city that I feel makes it unique and special.
The ride was lead by Sydney Roberts who has a CSA membership at the farm. Periodically she uses her weekly pick up as a chance to organize an easy, relaxing ride for all who wants to join in.
The group was split almost evenly between urban riders with our city bikes and regular clothes and road bikers with bike clothes and dropped handle bars.
Every one seemed to enjoy themselves. At one time when all of my biking was the road biking type, I wouldn't have thought the distance and difficulty level was even worth getting my bike out for. But I am over that line of thinking
It was nice to see the farm and ask questions about its production. It is 22 acres with about half of that in production. They support 60 CSA's, sell at the Main Street Market and to Greenlife and have a U-Pick part of the farm. All organically. That is quite a high rate of production.
I was so busy looking around the farm that I forgot to get pictures. Take my word for it, it was beautiful.
After the ride some of the riders went to the newly reopened Stone Cup for lunch. Here we are sitting outside, overlooking Coolidge Park
Then on to shopping and other errands. The wonderful thing about biking it gets you to experiences just by riding by that was not on your list to attend. Car driving isolates you. Really, the only unexpected encounters to be had in a car are traffic jams.
No traffic jams for me! Instead, all the goings back and forth and along the river gave me a chance to experience the Head of the Hooch, one of the country's largest rowing regattas. Beautiful day, beautiful water, beautiful rowing.
I know I am overusing the word beautiful lately, but what else can I say? Even without seeking it, my bike riding gives me the gift of beauty. Can I help it that I find myself taking notice of it, that I feel it soaking into me, enriching me? That my vocabulary seems to be limited? Maybe I should buy a thesauras.
After a typical Saturday morning breakfast at the Blue Grass Grille, Q and I decided to join the bike club ride to Crabtree Farms. Crabtree is an urban farm owned by the city and is runned by a nonprofit to produce and introduce organic vegetables to Chattanoogans. That is just one of the small treasures of our city that I feel makes it unique and special.
The ride was lead by Sydney Roberts who has a CSA membership at the farm. Periodically she uses her weekly pick up as a chance to organize an easy, relaxing ride for all who wants to join in.
The group was split almost evenly between urban riders with our city bikes and regular clothes and road bikers with bike clothes and dropped handle bars.
Every one seemed to enjoy themselves. At one time when all of my biking was the road biking type, I wouldn't have thought the distance and difficulty level was even worth getting my bike out for. But I am over that line of thinking
It was nice to see the farm and ask questions about its production. It is 22 acres with about half of that in production. They support 60 CSA's, sell at the Main Street Market and to Greenlife and have a U-Pick part of the farm. All organically. That is quite a high rate of production.
I was so busy looking around the farm that I forgot to get pictures. Take my word for it, it was beautiful.
After the ride some of the riders went to the newly reopened Stone Cup for lunch. Here we are sitting outside, overlooking Coolidge Park
Then on to shopping and other errands. The wonderful thing about biking it gets you to experiences just by riding by that was not on your list to attend. Car driving isolates you. Really, the only unexpected encounters to be had in a car are traffic jams.
No traffic jams for me! Instead, all the goings back and forth and along the river gave me a chance to experience the Head of the Hooch, one of the country's largest rowing regattas. Beautiful day, beautiful water, beautiful rowing.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Chattanooga Biking Style
Chattanooga Biking Style
Who says there is no style in riding your bike? These are pictures of this morning's Bike2Work. The cold weather brought out a whole different season of style:
This is Laura Jane who is always cool on the bike. I will one day do a post just dedicated to Laura Jane's riding style.
Cortney, Chattanooga's resident ballerina brings a level of elegance on the bike. Bike riding has never looked as graceful as when Cortney rides in full dress up mode.
Patrick is always classic. Classic look on a classic bike. He never goes out of style.
People ask me about riding gear. Want to know what is the proper riding gear for riding a bike around town? Just look in your own closet! Ride with as much style and individuality as you do the rest of your life.
Would love to see pictures of the riding styles of any readers!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Bus, Baby, and Bike
I wanted to go visit my new grandbaby today. Since the baby is out in East Brainerd I thought I would take the bus with my bike. I have learned from experience that if I have my panniers weighed down, it is almost impossible to pick the bike up to put on the rack. Since I was taking out frozen food packets for the family, I was pretty heavy. But I keep my things in a back pack inside my pannier and I then can easily take it out of the pannier to lighten the load. Otherwise,I have been in the situation struggling to lift the bike up on the rack while the bus driver is patiently, then not so patiently gazing down at me. It is an uncomfortable thing at the very least.
The bus was full and as though a party was gong on.. I don't know if it was the day, the route or just coincidence but it seemed everyone knew one another. As new people boarded on each stop, it it was like old home week. Everyone was talking to one another and soon I was caught up in the friendly banter.
It was a very mixed crowd-old and young, able and disabled, black and white, people who looked like they probably relied on the bus for their sole transportation and those who looked as thought they probably had other choices. I love a group with a large variety of different type folks.
I even had a touch of old home week myself. A young mother and her two little children boarded. When she sat down she looked at me and asked, in that tone that people use when they aren't sure if they are making a fool of themselves "Are you a Carboni?" I affirmed indeed I was and she said she had gone to high school with my niece, Karen. When she said that, I knew exactly what family she was from-she had the distinctive family traits of a very large Irish Catholic family that I grew up with. I established which of the family she was the child of and met her children (am I really old enough to know four generations of one family?) I told her about Matthew coming home from Iraq for the birth of his baby and I was on my way out to visit.
The whole bus was hearing this conversation and several people joined in on congratulations of the birth of my grandbaby. It was a wonderful ride. Bus riding is put down as a form of transportation from hell but do people really know what it is like? Chattanooga had a great bus system in terms of nice clean buses, friendly bus drivers and friendly people riders. If more people rode them and it was subsidized by the government as much as individual car driving is subsidized, more routes and additional bus frequency could turn this into a great AND convenient way of getting around. I am all for it!
It came time for me to get off. AS another bike rider had put his bike on the rack infront of me, I asked him if he would assist ome in taking off my bike. He very kindly did so. I was just expecting him to take off his bike so I could get mine, but he instead just reached back behind and lifted the whole bike off.
From the bus stop it was only a seven minute ride to the home of my grandbaby. I had a most wonderful visit. Indulge me as I slip into grandmother mode-Baby Athens is the most beautiful baby EVER! He looks like his most beautiful mother and is everything a baby should be. My own baby were beautiful and wonderful of course, but I think as a new parent fraught with worry and lack of sleep, it is hard to sit back and truly take full notice. A grandparent has the BEST vantage point in seeing how wonderful a baby is. I basked in the view!
When the visit came to a close, I decided to ride my bike home. I didn't go back the way I came-down Lee highway and Brainerd rode Instead I completed the loop around the city and went down Bonnie Oaks so I could connect with the River walk. It was a crisp chilled fall day. One of those rare days that you just have to feel so grateful in being out to enjoy it.
It took me about an hour and a half of riding to get home. It took exactly 37 minutes to take the bus/bike combination. The car probably would have been about a 20-25 minute drive. But if I had opted to save a little bit of time by driving I would have missed out on a couple of truly exceptional experiences.
Bus, baby, and bike. What a day! Can life get any better?
The bus was full and as though a party was gong on.. I don't know if it was the day, the route or just coincidence but it seemed everyone knew one another. As new people boarded on each stop, it it was like old home week. Everyone was talking to one another and soon I was caught up in the friendly banter.
It was a very mixed crowd-old and young, able and disabled, black and white, people who looked like they probably relied on the bus for their sole transportation and those who looked as thought they probably had other choices. I love a group with a large variety of different type folks.
I even had a touch of old home week myself. A young mother and her two little children boarded. When she sat down she looked at me and asked, in that tone that people use when they aren't sure if they are making a fool of themselves "Are you a Carboni?" I affirmed indeed I was and she said she had gone to high school with my niece, Karen. When she said that, I knew exactly what family she was from-she had the distinctive family traits of a very large Irish Catholic family that I grew up with. I established which of the family she was the child of and met her children (am I really old enough to know four generations of one family?) I told her about Matthew coming home from Iraq for the birth of his baby and I was on my way out to visit.
The whole bus was hearing this conversation and several people joined in on congratulations of the birth of my grandbaby. It was a wonderful ride. Bus riding is put down as a form of transportation from hell but do people really know what it is like? Chattanooga had a great bus system in terms of nice clean buses, friendly bus drivers and friendly people riders. If more people rode them and it was subsidized by the government as much as individual car driving is subsidized, more routes and additional bus frequency could turn this into a great AND convenient way of getting around. I am all for it!
It came time for me to get off. AS another bike rider had put his bike on the rack infront of me, I asked him if he would assist ome in taking off my bike. He very kindly did so. I was just expecting him to take off his bike so I could get mine, but he instead just reached back behind and lifted the whole bike off.
From the bus stop it was only a seven minute ride to the home of my grandbaby. I had a most wonderful visit. Indulge me as I slip into grandmother mode-Baby Athens is the most beautiful baby EVER! He looks like his most beautiful mother and is everything a baby should be. My own baby were beautiful and wonderful of course, but I think as a new parent fraught with worry and lack of sleep, it is hard to sit back and truly take full notice. A grandparent has the BEST vantage point in seeing how wonderful a baby is. I basked in the view!
When the visit came to a close, I decided to ride my bike home. I didn't go back the way I came-down Lee highway and Brainerd rode Instead I completed the loop around the city and went down Bonnie Oaks so I could connect with the River walk. It was a crisp chilled fall day. One of those rare days that you just have to feel so grateful in being out to enjoy it.
It took me about an hour and a half of riding to get home. It took exactly 37 minutes to take the bus/bike combination. The car probably would have been about a 20-25 minute drive. But if I had opted to save a little bit of time by driving I would have missed out on a couple of truly exceptional experiences.
Bus, baby, and bike. What a day! Can life get any better?
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