Well, I tried a new route yesterday. It did a better job of keeping me on streets that felt safe for the majority the trip. Still, there was literally one block I either had to ride in crazy traffic or go sidewalk. I stayed in the road and despite things being bumper-to-bumper and me generally keeping pace for that one block, some guy still made repeated attempts to pass me. Certain streets just have really aggressive mentalities I guess. Plus, there is a crazy hill after this point on the route that badly needs repaved. This is fine uphill, but downhill it really freaks me out, especially because it's still a relatively busy spot. So I may keep my old route, sidewalk and all.
A note about riding on the sidewalk: for my own safety as well as that of pedestrians, I tend to go from 5-8 mph depending on who else is on it. This speed is still relatively fast compared to a pedestrian, but it leaves plenty of room for error. I was telling a friend yesterday about all the wacky things pedestrians do, myself included, because they don't feel as obligated to see what's around them. It's funny how many people don't even walk in a straight line! They zig and zag... rather than risk hitting them I will just coast until I feel good to tell them I'm there and pass with a wide berth. While the pedestrians can be an annoyance (to my being an annoyance), the most dangerous thing is definitely the turning cars solely focused on arriving at their destination and not seeing who is on the sidewalk.