#30DaysofScootering: Scooter Commuter

Friday is the start of my work week, so today I'm going to document my workday commute. For the past four years I have managed to arrange my life in such a way that I live four blocks from where I work. I used to walk the four blocks, but for the past year I've done the trip back and forth twice each day on my NYCeWheels KickPed. Some days it's rainy, sometimes it's dark, but today it's neither and I spent a little extra time taking pictures to document the trip.

It's 0.27 miles from my front door to the back door of The Bicycle Center where I work (I tracked it using the GPS on my phone). Since I'm so close, I scooter home every day for lunch. It takes me three or four minutes each way, depending on traffic. Today, I logged a whopping 1.08 miles on my scooter.

The picture at the top of this post is the little passage that connects the central courtyard of our little apartment complex to Sunset Way.

I turn west on Sunset Way. That's an antique shop on the left and the Police Station is on the right. I scoot down the block to the corner.

Issaquah has a whole bunch of public art. The reading lady statue doubles as a handy bench.

I turn right here and zip across the crosswalk. The bus stop here is served by Sound Transit Route 554, which connects Issaquah to downtown Seattle.

The Blue Door was gift of Issaquah’s sister city Chefchaouen, Morroco. The wide path I'm on is part of Issaquah's excellent multi-use trail network.

I turn left at the Issaquah Depot Museum. There's a restored trolley that runs on various occasions as tourist attraction on the short section of tracks that run from here to Gilman Boulevard. I scooter over these tracks everyday and I've been very impressed with how my KickPed's rubber tires handle this crossing. I don't think I'd try it on a scooter with narrower tires.

Since I've been a scootist, I've tended to notice a lot more NO SKATEBOARDING signs. I personally think we should be doing more things to encourage the skateboarders. Jerry Seinfeld makes a really good point here:


I'm not coordinated enough to be a good skateboarder, but I respect the heck out of those kids.

Here's the back view of the depot.

And an old caboose. I turn left just past the caboose.

The small, lower, building on the left houses a hair salon and a pizza shop. The large red building to the right is The Village Theatre Kidstage.

Now I'm next to the pizza shop looking across Front Street. The Bicycle Center used to be in the taller building on the left, which originally was a bank. Four years ago, The Bicycle Center relocated to the lower building on the right, which used to be a furniture store. The subdivided space now contains The Bicycle Center and Trattoria Amante. Issaquah has about a zillion pizza places, but Amante's is my favorite. They have lots of other good food as well and sometimes Christine will meet me there after work or I'll bring something home.

I scoot through the parking lot. By the way, these shots were taken in the morning, usually in the evening the parking lot and Front Street are packed with cars.

And come into work the back way.

When the bike shop is open, we have this Penny-farthing out front. Unfortunately, it has a crack in the fork, so it's unsafe to ride.

Well, that's my commute. Yes, I'm "lucky" to have such a short and beautiful commute but Christine and I made a lot of conscious choices over the years to get us to where we are. For this particular commute, the scooter is a great way to go.

1.08 miles for the day, bringing my April scootering total to 58.48 miles.