Well, since I don't have many rides to compare it to, I guess my ride home every day is my favorite, though not just because I am headed home.
The first three miles are a mix of downtown business district and light traffic urban residential boulevard with red lights every few blocks. After that about 3 miles next to City Park. Sometimes I ride streets through the park that pass under ancient oak trees, over the network of lagoons, and through a couple of the golf courses. Either way, I wind up on Lakeshore Drive adjacent to Lake Pontchartrain. Depending on whether I took the direct or circuitous route to get there I might ride 2-3 miles along the lake. Then past a marina to West End, where there is a nice little park and several seafood restaurants. Over a foot bridge to an area called Bucktown where a number of commercial fishermen live and keep their boats. Up on to a levee (that's like a dike, Toolfreak, New Orleans is below sea level, too) for a couple of hundred yards to the start of the bike path right along the edge of the lake. The bike path runs for miles, but right now they are resurfacing parts of it so I have to get off onto residential streets from time to time. It will be very nice when they are finished because the stop signs and slow pace on the streets probably add 10 minutes. Probably 2-3 miles along the path/streets. Then over the levee and about 3/4 mile home on residential streets.

The parts alongside the park and on Lakeshore are really nice because there are long stretches where I can just ride, red lights/stop signs far apart. On the other hand there is almost always wind. I either ride into it along the lake or when I turn away from the lake. Oh, well, the wind is my friend. It makes me stronger.

Until a couple of weeks ago, I did not go to the lake. My ride then was about 11.5 miles, mostly main residental streets. I decided I was ready to do the 13.4 or so that goes by the lake and found that it actually takes a couple of minutes LESS time to go the extra 2 miles because I can get up more speed and stop lights/signs are sparse.

One day a week I ride farther going home. Same basic route by the lake, but I go through the park and continue east (home is west) far enough to make the total ride around 20 miles. As I get stronger and faster, I plan to extend that eventually to 30 miles one day a week. I also plan to do some country rides with the bike club, but right now my commuting is pretty much filling my cycling needs and ability. Though yesterday (Saturday) I went over 19. But about 12 of it was with a friend who has just been getting back into riding for a few weeks, so we were only going about 10-11 mph. I had to sit it a low gear and spin jus to get my blood pumping a little.

Thats my ride,
Rainman