Retail store with a bike rack?

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

Due to some poor planning on my part... I am going to meet someone tomorrow and possibly buy their bike, my first bike in years, with no way to transport it if it doesn't fit inside my car. The seller is already going out of their way to meet me in Boston, so I don't want to inconvenience them any further with a different location. It's not really a bike-able distance from home, and I'm going to pick it up in my car which doesn't have a bike rack. If I can't fit it in my car... does anyone know a store with a bike rack? The places I've looked so far (Target etc.) have racks for sale online, but not in the stores themselves. No time to wait for shipping!
P.S. The location is on the green line, and not near a bus route that has bus bike racks... so I can't use public transportation to get back.

Comments

[pensivewombat.livejournal.com]

As someone who recently re-learned how to ride a bike (i'm the bike novice girlfriend mentioned in m00n's post below) i would say there are several things to take into consideration here:

Comfort level: If you're getting on a bike for the first time in eons, *do not* attempt to do this, even on paths. The first week that i was re-learning, i felt uncomfortable, even on paths. The good news is: the learning curve is steep! But definitely don't hurl yourself into it, safety be damned.

Fitness level: If you know how to ride a bike, and it's simply a matter of concern over exertion levels, i really wouldn't be concerned at all. Leisurely biking on the Esplanade path (as mentioned above) is really not a tough task for this distance (and i mean that in a non-condescending way - i recognize that different people have different fitness levels, etc, but i say this anyway) Bonus: it's pretty!

End result: just take the Esplanade path to Charles MGH as mentioned above if you feel comfortable on the bike :)