Interesting. My experience is essentially the opposite. I'd rather ride in DC, where there are lights, buses, cars, weird street configurations, pedestrians, double and triple parked cars and delivery vehicles, but where speeds are generally lower and bikes are plentiful, versus my suburbs which have lights, buses, cars, few pedestrians, fewer bikes, and much higher speeds. In the burbs, people don't know what to make of a bike being ridden on the road except on Sat. and Sun. morning.