3ft! Sweet Bar and Electric Trikes

Gov. Brown signs '3 ft for cyclists' law

I think this is great news for the cycling community.   In addition, maybe there is a flickering of recognition that there are alternatives to DRIVING Everywhere. 

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Cyclists-will-get-3-foot-buffer-under-new-law-4837434.php

Sweet Bar:  Totally 5 star    

Per my earlier posts, I spent most of August and a bit of Sept. in Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic and sampled a fair number of baked goods and cappuccinos.  It is most disappointing that in these 3 countries, espresso drinks come mostly from the automatic machines.  Some friends recently cycled through France and Spain and found the same situation.
Anyway, earlier this week, I happened to be down near Broadway and 24^th in Oakland, and stopped into Sweet Bar Bakery.  Their croissants and espresso drinks put to shame any that I had in Europe!  So now the question is: Why even leave NorCal? 

http://www.sweetbarbakery.com/

When 2 wheels aren’t enough: 

The month of sedentary vacation took a heavy toll on my fitness, and as I am doing the BORP Revolution ride on Saturday (Sept 28), I took an long (55mi) ride today, basically so I could do my suffering in private.  The route was Lake Merritt to Danville and back, with a stop at La Boulange in Danville (see blog post for Monday, July 8).  On the way back, I rode a bit on the Moraga-Lafayette trail and came across a gent on a trike with electric assist.

It isn’t fast, but he said it could go up reasonable hills, and it has a big red cargo box on the back – great for grocery shopping!  He said he had given up owning a car and just rents one when necessary.

BTW:  BORP – Advancing lives of people with disabilities through sports and recreational activities.   www.borp.org

Bay Bridge Bike Path and Actual Cafe

Back from vacation during which I was off the bike for a month (too long). Definitely needing to ride flat, and the opening of the new Bay Bridge Bike Path provided just the opportunity.  Others on the Wednesday group ride had the same idea, so we decided to ride the new Bay Bridge bike path, then go for coffee at the Actual Café (as opposed to a virtual café).  I was please to find that while I was gone, a new GREEN bike lane was painted on 40^th st between Broadway and Adeline St.

As for the bike path on the new BAY BRIDGE, it is fantastic; wide, gently sloping, fabulous views. We picked it up near IKEA and followed the winding route under the freeways, past the somewhat odoriferous water treatment plant and the toll plaza, then up a temporary ramp and onto the pathway.  Everything you have heard about it is true, including the fact that it ends abruptly at the Eastern end of the S-curve on the old Bay Bridge. Looking down from the end of the path, you see that you are above Yerba Buena Island (so near and yet so - far down).

http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/09/04/how-to-get-to-the-new-bay-bridge-bike-path/

https://www.ebbc.org/baybridge

So just to be clear, the Bay Bridge bike path is an out and back ride. Then it was on to the Actual Café.  This is a great little bike friendly café on Telegraph near Alcatraz.  One can ‘actually’ bring a bike in and hang it on a hook - inside!  Several hooks are installed along one of the walls and there is room for 10+ bikes. The place has free wifi and the one long table is filled with millennials soaking up their screens, but one can usually find a place to sit. The cafe proudly posts the names of their various suppliers on the wall above the kitchen area. The food and pastries are very good. I had a giant chocolate-almond-twist that was excellent as well as being more than big enough to share (I should have).  My cappuccino was fine.  One of the specials that day was the Jalapeno Mocha and one fellow in the group tried it and claimed it was great.  I had already ordered the cappuccino, so had to return the next day to try the Jalapeno Mocha.  I was not disappointed.  The first sip is a bit of a surprise, but after the second sip I was hooked. They make their own Jalapeno chocolate sauce, and it tastes a bit like Mexican chocolate, but is very mellow.  On that visit I tried the BLAT sandwich (Bacon-Lettuce-Avocado-Tomato) on sourdough – very good.

Check out the video from Actual Café website.    http://actualcafe.com/