Ahhh I'm beat. The commute was wonderful. Muscles taut, legs hammering locomotive-like, nostrils flaring and sucking in that LA air (yummy ) like a hood scoop. Encountered some unexpected and unknown hills, but I welcomed the burn. Today was noticeably cooler with a pleasant breeze; major bonus. All was dandy.

Something I wanted to include.....So after reading through a hefty chunk of this thread and eyeballing all the wonderful advice and suggestions I gave Mapquest a look-see and mapped out alternate routes(a suggestion supplied somewhere in this cavernous thread), beginning at my apartment and ending at the university--I still have to work out some routes for work as well.

Since I live in Los Angeles, traveling the heavier streets can be (especially feel) ominous as you see potential hazards quite often--not to mention nearly avoiding some. Snarls, honks and buzzes, woo-wee. Now I can't speak for other cities, obviously, but it can and does evolve into hairy situations over here... Cousin IT hairy. It seems many drivers (here) are quite careless, assuming that vehicles which are not motorized do not exist. Or if it is not motorized it has no place on the road. I guess I'll grow. Yet something I learned via commuting (and cherish greatly) is that there is always room for driving improvement; especially any precautions regarding cyclists, because i darn well know (further emphasized now) that one can never be too sure. So by pedaling through the world of a commuting cyclist I've gained a greater understanding of what s/he encounters--which I respect and admire infinitely. And so I plan to take this a. posteriori understanding and apply it when I am behind the wheel, among other things. Giving that extra inch of space for senor biker? You bet your knickers! Triple checking those rear mirrors for coming cyclists when turning at a light? Consider it a habit for here on out.

Anywho back to the alternate routes, I have to say--and many thanks to all the caring and knowledgeable people out there, your opinions are edifying, truly--that working out an alternate route has been beneficial and VERY comforting Thanks again!