It started innocently enough with a plan to meet the Beau at a nice men's clothier in Buckhead, and keep him company while he shopped. I planned to take the train there and ride from the station, since I remembered that it was pretty close. I got directions, but since I had already left my office (and I don't own one of those nifty smartphones) I didn't have a map to look at. No problem, right?
Thirty minutes later, I was lost in office park purgatory. The train ride was quick and convenient but I took a wrong turn somewhere. The directions were a little confusing - left? right? does it matter? And in a normal city setting, I could have recovered quickly by heading towards landmarks. But in the land of office megabuildings, apartment complexes, and
culs de sac, there was just one long, hot, never-ending four-lane road. At least traffic was light after business hours, and a handful of people were out jogging.
Eventually I called for directions, backtracked by about 15 minutes, and wound up on a bike lane headed toward recognizable landmarks! It was still hot - c'mon people, would it kill you to plant a few trees??? - but convenient and direct.
Minus the detour, the store would have been about 5 minutes from the station. Not only was I late, but I had to sit down for a while and cool off (literally and figuratively - I hate getting lost)! Of course, there were no bike racks at the store, nor even a decent bench to sit on. Grrr.
It was a hot and frustrating experience, but I tried to think of it as a chance to see new scenery and learn the area. I also have to say that Buckhead drivers are very civil. Everyone passed with plenty of room and waited to make turns safely. Overall, I have been having good relations with motorists lately, from the woman who yelled 'Thank you' when I motioned for her to pass (safely) to the guy who waved me in when I needed to merge out of a turn lane. Awesome! I did see one other cyclist in Buckhead, on Peachtree Street.
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I have for three years carried with me a laminated fold-up map of Atlanta. I used it a lot when I first started out; now I only use it when people ask for directions. Still, if I ever get lost in uncharted waters, I will have it. Highly recommended!
ReplyDeleteWas B going to Jos. A. Bank? The closest bike racks are over in front of Target. Alternately, there is a little vestibule at the far end of the parking lot, past Borders, that houses stairs to the lower level shops. You can lock your bikes up to the railing in there.