Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Christa Bikes By The Sea

We received this lovely email from Christa, who runs the sunny happy blog in Southern California: Bike by The Sea. Thanks for sharing with us Christa!!

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My love for cycling simmered over several years. The bicycle was my main mode of transportation while studying at UC Davis. Cycling became natural. It was practical, social, and fun. I experimented with cycling in the winter, carrying bulk, and cycling for the sake of exploring the city.

-Cycling Around Davis-

Every time I visited my native Southern California though, I saw it lacked bicycle infrastructure and the bike-culture. Still, I would hop on my bike. It was a new view of my home. Seeing the disparities between Davis and Southern California, I decided not to take cycling for granted!

In a final class, I studied sustainable cities in Northern Europe. After studying Copenhagen, Freiburg, and Stockholm with the class, I researched other bicycle-friendly cities including Vienna and Zurich. It was easy to rent a bike, investigate the area, and socialize with others (even if we spoke different languages).


-Cycling Around Davis-

Upon my return to Davis, I compiled a video of innovative bike infrustructure: A Bicycle Story. I entered the video into the Fit-City Competition and it later won along with four other entries. The prize was a trip to Sydney, Australia and an opportunity to participate in the 2008 Oxford Health Alliance Summit. It was wonderful! I learned about global public health issues, met great friends, and toured Sydney for two weeks. Also, I was thrilled to meet an associate from Gehl Architects, an urban design firm from Copenhagen.



Now I am living in Southern California again. Determined to share my love for cycling and inspire others, I created a blog on SoCal Cycle Chic, Bike by the Sea.

5 comments:

  1. Awww, thank you Adrienne and Meligrosa. Glad I can share my bike story.

    You two are awesome and I admire you.

    Looking forward to reading other stories as they come in! :)

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  2. Christa, thanks so much for the kind words! (we are) so flattered!!
    Yes, we are pretty excited to see more wonderful bicycle stories.
    Again, thanks for sharing your story with us.

    / ♥m.

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  3. Love the story, pictures, and her website! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Dottie,

    When do we get your story? You must have one you could share with the class! : )

    Christa,

    Thank you!!!!! We love the story!! It is so cool to see people connecting through a common love.

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  5. Adrienne and Meli,

    There's definitely something special about San Francisco and NorCal. Love the bike community!



    Dottie,

    Thank you. Looking forward to hearing your story! :)

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