+ 1 on the bad neighborhoods not being so bad. I used to commute through Bushwick and Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, and you'd best believe I was the only 6'5" white guy on a bicycle. I got some looks, to be sure, but there was never any drama. Most of the time, it's just a question of accepting the fact that you will stand out a little bit and remembering that there's no sensible reason why any person can't walk or ride anywhere he wants. When I ride around Hartford these days, I get lots of looks and comments, but they're mostly just goofy (the other day I had to go to a meeting downtown in a suit, and a teenager on Park Street said, "Yo, papi, what happened to your car? You got the three-piece suit and you riding a bike?!" I just laughed and said, "Gas is too ******** expensive," and it was all good). If ever we're going to break down race and class barriers, we have to put ourselves out there a little and push the envelope of our comfort. That said, if you want to get more exercise by going a few extra miles, don't deprive yourself out of liberal guilt.