AN EARLY FOLDING BIKE, SEEN AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM'S CYCLEPEDIA EXHIBIT
I've explored many a city by walking, taking public transport, driving or a combo of those things. But, far and away, riding a bike around a new city wins out as the awesomest way to experience a new city. Once you become comfortable with riding in traffic its just so fast and flexible that you absolutely can't beat it. You don't have to pay for parking--don't need to wait for the bus/train--you always get to the front of the light--you can play pedestrian if you need to--and you can ride right up to wherever it is you want to go, VIP-style.
We've been stopping a lot to check out what America's cities have to offer--we spent a week in New Orleans, 10 days in Austin, 7 days in Santa Fe, 7 days in Seattle, and now we're in Portland; we're starting to get good at checking stuff out on our bikes. I wanted to put a plug for city exploring by bike because its so super-practical...and just plain fun.
Our ideal exploring day involves a couple of coffee stops, a museum or public garden or something like that, finding a waterfront, stopping here and there to take photos, doing a few errands, and then stopping in for a drink and an appetizer at a couple of different recommended eateries....we cover anywhere from 3-40 miles in a day like that, and we come away with a thorough feel for a place.