Bike Path to Alewife?

[logt.livejournal.com]

Anobody can point me to where exactly the Minuteman bike path starts at Davis going to Alewife?

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

If you go behind the T stop (the Holland side entrance, not College side) and continue past the small park to the end, it's right there. You can't miss it.

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

If you walk right behind the Davis Square station on Holland street, you'll see the path leading away from the station - that's it. It crosses Mass Ave and heads to Alewife and beyond!

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[dirty-devlin.livejournal.com]

It's behind the Davis T station on Holland. It goes down to Cameron/Mass Ave. and then you'd need to cross over Mass Ave. to continue to Alewife.

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[fanw.livejournal.com]

What you want to do is get on the bikepath right behind the Davis Sq T-stop on the Somerville Theatre side. There's some bike racks and a strange statue of a mime that mark the start.

Be aware that there's a tricky intersection across Mass Ave about half way through. You'll have to jog left and turn right for a block along Mass Ave in order to continue on the path. It's good to have a bike map anyway, and now might be the time to pick one up.

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Do you know where can I get a bike map?

[marphod.livejournal.com]

Any of the local Bike Shops will have them (Ace WHeelworks is probably closest to Davis, on Elm St. a few blocks outside of Davis).

Also, you can find them some Whole paycheck Foods, and some other random places (Store24s, I've seen them in a chinese place although I can't recall which).

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Mac&Moore's also carries bike maps.

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[dirty-devlin.livejournal.com]

Perfect timing. ;)

[logt.livejournal.com]

Don't like the weather in New England -- wait for 15 minutes, nuh? :-)

[marphod.livejournal.com]

The pioneer trail is behind the T station (the one next to the Somerville Theater) and runs to Alewife. The brick path there is a start.

In also continues on the other side of Davis (behind the Osco) and runs a few more blocks, but isn't overly useful there.

(Technically, the Minuteman starts at Alewife, and runs to Bedford. THe only practical difference is maintenance schedules.)

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

5 people all posted together in the same exact minute. Yay Davis!

[logt.livejournal.com]

Yep, unbelievable!

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

It's pretty amazing. :)

I'm still wondering what happened last night with the ferrets and the arrest and all that, though. :-/

[logt.livejournal.com]

I think that post gave some sort of an answer, have you checked?

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

everyone's wrong :p

not really, but I find that riding from Mass Ave to Arlington Center is an easier method of getting to the Minuteman Trail than meandering down to Alewife (it also feels safer, but neither method is particularly hairy)

But one tip--the Minuteman trail crosses Mass Ave by Carberry's (by "crosses" I mean disappears for a while), but if you just ride down Mass Ave past that ick intersection, the next right on this small side st. will lead you right to the path--it lets you avoid riding on sidewalks.

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That's what I usually do, or just take T to Alewife with my rollerblades. But I am not too fond of biking down Mass Ave, thus my question :-) So you say that biking Minuteman is not better than just biking down Mass Ave to Arlington?

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Actually, lately I've been riding Mass Ave west out to Lexington and beyond. Once you get past rt 16, Mass Ave becomes a pretty low-stress street to bike on (this might just seem that way to me because my daily commute takes me through Mass Ave to Central and a few side streets throughout cambridge)

But, to get to Alewife from Davis via bike, you have to go on a couple narrow streets where drivers are a bit reckless, you have to cross route 2, then you have to ride throguh the paved wonderland behind Alewife--none of it fun.

The minuteman trail from Alewife to Arlington Center is also a bit chopped up in a couple places...(and Spy Pond is stinky! And this is from someone who gets nostalgic about the was swamps and farms smell).

Both ways are certainly good, so you should ride em both a couple times and decide for yourself which you like best. I'm just throwing out options :)

[logt.livejournal.com]

Great, thanks a lot!

Ouch, your daily commute doesn't sound too appealing to me :-( Used to live in California -- biker-rollerblader friendly land -- and never got used to Boston biking... Me -- taking the T... You -- stay safe!

[ert.livejournal.com]

Biking along Mass Ave is definitely more direct and faster, if you're willing to ride with traffic.

[logt.livejournal.com]

thanks. not sure i am willing :-) being a transplant from the bay area in california i never got used to biking in boston. arghhh!!! no bike lanes, drivers are nuts... but there is the T :-)

[yangelina.livejournal.com]

no worries! most cars are good about going around you, sometimes an asshole or two will yell out the window, but i glare at them and mutter obscenities and i feel better. i was really freaked out for a while about being on the road, but after a few times it gets better. i'm usually more concerned about pedestrians, other bikers, and parked cars, coming out into the street or opening their doors into the 'bike lane.'
plus, there are no unleashed dogs (or children) running loose in traffic, like on the bike paths. :)
have a good time, whichever route you take. don't forget your helmet (and lights when biking at night), they always make me feel safer.

[logt.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Though "most cars are good" still doesn't sound too appealing :-) Stay safe and happy biking -- maybe see you on the bike path! :-)

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

It depends on the day, but I usually find Mass Ave preferable to the bike path. If it's a weekend and at all nice, the path is coated with small children, dogs, rollerbladers with earphones, and generalized idiots who don't know that the path has rules. By contrast, Mass Ave is filled with people who do know the rules (which aren't always the same as the laws...but at least everyone knows them), and even generally follow them. OK, if I got into a crash on Mass Ave it would hurt a lot more than a crash on the bike path...however, I have had many more crashes and near misses on the path than on the road. (As in, no crashes on the road, but I ran into a little kid on the bike path once, which sucks, even if it was completely her mom's fault and I couldn't have done anything more to avoid it.)

Of course, Mass Ave is a bit intimidating, because there are so many cars. When I was a less skilled cyclist, I preferred the path for this reason. But now I commute on my bike and am just used to it :). And really, I love Mass Ave because it's so wide! As long as there's enough room for everyone I don't much care how many cars there are -- in fact, my current commute involves Mass Ave from Arlington to the South End, and I was just loving it today when the cars were not moving and I was gliding past :). The more experience you get on the roads around here the more confident you will feel...