Originally Posted by
irwin7638
One day in March we had a late snow during the night. It was nothing, an inch or more which melted off the roads in the morning and left a little to see on the grass. I rode to the bank where the tellers are used to seeing me on my bike. In the lobby 10 or 12 people were yammering about the weather (as if they'd never seen snow in Michigan). When I got to the teller she said, "I feel so sorry for you, having to be out in this weather on your bike!" I said, " I could always drive my car if I want."
FREEZE FRAME
EVERYBODY STARED
I could hear my feet on the carpet as I left. They were dumbfounded that somebody CHOSE to ride a bike.
Marc
That's hilarious. The US is such a big country that one could easily lose sight of how different things are in different places. In NYC, that would never happen because bike commuting is common. We have mass transit covering most of the City, and fewer than half the households have one car.
I lived in suburban New Jersey, and while a lot of people knew I rode my bike many places, they also knew I had a car.
So I have not encountered people who think that riding for transportation is a sign of desperation. I know they exist, though.