MacKenzie

I've lived in Central Alameda (Minturn and Lincoln) since summer 2007. I really like the neighborhood, though I've got a couple of frustrations.

The major frustration is parking. Much of central Alameda didn't used to be a renter's paradise. Victorian homes converted into duplexes, triplexes, or n-plexes still only have one driveway. Including my neighbors, the four people living in my duplex have three cars. I've learned to expect to park a couple of blocks away. This is actually how I ended up picking up bicycling.

Central Alameda is heaven for bicyclists. Hardly anything is more than a 2 mile ride away and the island itself is quite flat. I really enjoy commuting to work on my bicycle and I rarely get into that impossible-to-park car unless my destination is taking me away from my fair city.

It's fairly quiet, though night winds bring in the sounds of BART and public transit isn't dreamy, but it's easy to get on a bus near home. Being in the middle of the island means traffic is less, as there just aren't that many attractions that are worth driving 25 MPH for three miles to experience.

Just past Pan Am Way is one of the great gems of Alameda -- Cycles of Change APC. They sell used bikes and have programs to help East Bay youth get involved in their communities and earn a bicycle of their own. It's an amazing place to visit, and heading into the base is one of the few long rides I can take on the island (as I live smack dab in the middle of it).

Ranger is a creepy street, though. The whole navy base is barren. It's being used by the APC folks, but it's flat and industrial in a relatively non-industrial space. Riding on the street was a little nerve wracking because there's lots of debris and gravel in the road. I wasn't enjoying the wonderful view of San Francisco because I was too worried I was going to shred one of my tires riding too fast.

Luckily, if anything had happened to my ride, Cycles of Change does repairs.

I like to go for leisurely bicycle rides along the estuary. From Tynan Avenue near where I work, you can roll onto a pedestrian and bicycle only path that affords really lovely views and only adds ten minutes to my commute.

The first time I attempted the scenic route, I noticed that I was coming closer and closer to a dead end with no way out. Then, suddenly, a smoothly paved path appeared on my right. Having more than enough time at my disposal to get lost, I hopped on Wind River Way to see where it took me. I was making a left onto Sherman in under a minute.

It's not a pretty street, but it's functional. It's even specifically set up for a cyclist to get down off the path, into the street, and to make an unprotected left into the Sherman Street bike lane without dismounting. That gives it the 4th star, no questions asked.

On Monday nights, I go Irish dancing with the Alameda Ceili at the Alameda Ballet Academy. After dances, when we first started dating, my boyfriend and I used to go for walks down Park Avenue. It loops around a charming little park and eventually ends up at a tiny bit of waterfront by Roosevelt Drive.

Plus, on the other end of Park Avenue is the entrance to my favorite parking lot. If you time it just right, you can get there right as Jazzercise is letting out and score a sweet spot right near the busier Park Street.

My first time cycling around Bay Farm Island, I was taking the shared path that ran the perimeter. Following the bike lane, I suddenly found myself on a flat, barren street. The sun beat down oppressively and the speed limit jumped from 25 MPH to 45 MPH. Cars whizzed past me and I said "Where the hell am I?"

As it turns out, I was on Ron Cowan Parkway. It leads straight over to Oakland and it's an awful stretch of road. It gets you to the airport, at which point security screenings will seem like a delight by comparison.

I have a love/hate relationship with Oak Street. It's significantly safer for a bicyclist than Park Street (parallel one block over) and you can get anywhere downtown without waiting for a car to trip the weight sensor on the lights.

It's still just too crowded. There are sharrows (arrows on the street that help remind motorists to actively share the road with cyclists) but they just don't seem to cut down on the aggressive driving.

Being so close to downtown means that people are looking for a parking spot more than they're looking for a cyclist who has taken the lane, so be careful.

If you want to get down to Bayfarm Island for an eight mile or so bicycle ride in high winds, but you live on the top half of the island, the Bay Farm Bridge is how you get there.

It's a drawbridge, so the occasional boat will delay your ability to cross. What's really going to delay it is the fact that the bridge is just ever so slightly too narrow for two bicyclists to cross without really slowing down and being careful.

However, this is the first place that you're really going to get that amazing view of the city of the estuary. It's well worth the ride.

The edges of Bay Farm Island are ridiculously windy. Never have I gotten on my bicycle and experienced a headwind in every direction. I know it's an island, but I was expecting to have a tail wind at least as often as a headwind.

If you're looking for a less windy route, Sea View is the way to roll. The views aren't as great and the whole route feels more residential, but over the course of the loop you'll get some lovely views. Plus, when you want, you can just ride out to the water and get the breeze in your face.

Grand is a wide street that runs the short length of Alameda down the water to Shoreline. The lanes are really wide. There's plenty of room for a car to pass a left turner without veering into the bike lane.

Did I mention the bike lane? It's heaven. Wide enough in some places for two folks to ride side by side, families on bikes are a common sight here.

As much as Alameda has hills, Grand is it. There's a noticeable incline headed from Lincoln (where I live) to Otis (where the grocery store is). Traffic patterns permitting, I can put a few good pedals into my bicycle and coast all the way down to Otis. Heading back up the "hill" is a lot less pleasant, so I've taken to Safeway.com and the spare trip to Lucky's for my groceries after one too many trips with a six pack weighing me down.

There are plenty of trees and grand is the best way to get access to Alameda' bike routes. A good ride, but take a flatter route back if you have time.

There is a lovely shared bicycle/walking path right near the water and, while car traffic is heavy, pedestrians abound so cars are really cognizant of folks on bicycles. The first time I went on a long bike ride with the Bike Alameda Bike Coalition, we started our ten mile trek on this road. The skies were clear and the wind was light.

Having had that lovely experience, I opted to take Shoreline home from the grocery store one evening. It was ridiculously windy! The headwind going toward Grand was ridiculous. All further attempts to ride on Shoreline were met with a lot of coastal wind. It's beautiful, but makes the ride much less relaxing.

I think I'd enjoy the road a bit more from the passenger seat of a car. The views are just amazing. On a clear day you really can see forever from here.

This street just doesn't have the charm of Central or even Lincoln. It's bumpy and barren. The houses are fully acceptable, but uninteresting. The whole neighborhood just lacks for...something.

A bike lane runs from Grand to Webster, and from there out you're lane sharing with cars. There's a fair bit of traffic, though bus traffic is minimal, and the cars seem less willing to share the road with bicycles. Santa Clara is the only street where I've been honked at more than once by vehicles in a rush to pass me.

This is the best route if you're heading over to Cycles of Change APC on the old navy base, but the street is nothing special otherwise.

Central between Grand and Broadway is home to the greatest bike lane in the city. It's wide and for a great deal of it there are very few parked cars. This is my go-to route for riding to Park Street. There's even bike parking on the right hand side next to a parking lot.

Look out for buses if you're on a bicycle. This is a bus thoroughfare too, and they don't always look out for the folks sharing their lane.

If you're riding during the daytime, there isn't a better choice. The trees offer plenty of shade and you're unlikely to get either a headwind or a tailwind riding in this direction. The houses are nice eye candy and the road is well maintained.

I've been working in an office building on Marina Village Parkway for a few months. I bicycle to work, and this is the last part of my ride. It's smooth sailing: flat streets, low traffic, and a dedicated bike lane to boot. I once almost ran into a mamma duck and three of her ducklings who were crossing. Very cute.

The office complex is great, and it's walking distance from a strip mall with various food options and a Lucky's. It's nice working someplace that feels "homey" but where I can walk out the door and see the tall buildings of downtown Oakland, a half dozen boats, and the water of the estuary.

If you have the extra time, it's worth it to take the walking/bicycle shared path on the water front, but I usually skip it. The only thing to watch out for are the buses. They don't signal and they sure as heck aren't looking for you on your bicycle.

Lincoln is one of the major streets in Alameda. It runs most of the length of the island and varies a ton. I live on Minturn at Lincoln right in the middle of the island.

My area is very chill. It's in the middle of the island and most people aren't willing to drive 25 miles per hour to get there. We're adding more businesses (like a cheap Chinese place) but parking is still lame (do we really need street sweeping twice a week, once for each side of the street, in the middle of Alameda?).

I love Lincoln because it's so easy to get someone who doesn't live here on or off the island on it. "Here, go that way until Lincoln becomes Tilden and suddenly you're on a bridge. Congratulations, you just made it off Alameda"

Sherman is a street for cars. It's narrow as all get out and there's parking along both sides. I always worry I'm going to hit a car going in the opposite direction when I drive my pickup truck here.

My bicycle ride to work requires a half mile jaunt on Sherman and I just can't stand it. I turn right onto Sherman from Pacific and stay on it until I turn right onto Triumph. There's a bicycle lane, but not until you cross Buena Vista. That one block stretch between Pacific and Buena Vista is as close to hell as you're going to get on Alameda. All of the parked cars mean low visibility and a higher than average chance of being "doored" by a motorist getting out of their vehicle.

Props to Sherman for putting a bicycle weight sensor at Buena Vista, but I have yet to see it actually, you know, work. The sultry curve of the bike lane after Buena Vista is a nice ride, though.

Additional props to the corner of Lincoln and Sherman being the home of Forbidden Island, the best tiki bar I've ever encountered.

I bicycle to work every morning and my left turn onto Independence Drive is the highlight of my ride. As soon as I'm on the road, I drop the gear down to cruising speed and just enjoy the shade and trees. Hints of water peek out from behind homes and the road is flat and impeccably paved.

There's a friendly neighborhood vibe here. People are out walking their dogs and they smile or wave as I bicycle on by. There are lots of familiar faces just before 7am, as well as the familiar 9 MOS license plate and fancy automobile underneath its car cover.

This isn't a designated bike route, so sometimes cars will roar around bicycles are if they aren't allowed full use of the lane, but it's a great place to ride.

The stretch of Pacific Avenue from Grand to 8th is a Class III bicycle route in Alameda. It's part of my daily bicycle commute. I turn left on to Pacific from Minturn and eventually turn onto Sherman; it's the longest straightaway on my trip.

The street is fairly narrow for a bicycle route, but the traffic is minimal. I cycle to work around 6:45am each morning and have only encountered cars two or three times. There are lots of four-way stops and good visibility down perpendicular streets so you can hustle through each intersection. Just watch out for residents pulling out of their driveways; they frequently don't think to look for bicyclists.

The road is not well paved. It's a bit atrocious for a bicycle route, but avoiding it either takes me almost a mile out of my way (down to Santa Clara) or puts me on a street with no bike lane and heavy traffic (Lincoln or Buena Vista). As a result, I've gotten used to navigating the various bumps and potholes the street has to offer. It's not an amazing, tree-lined place, but it's a functional bicycle route.

Minturn is a tiny, four and a half block stretch of residential neighborhood in Alameda. The street ends in a cul de sac, which is where I've lived since summer 2008.

My section of Minturn (from Lincoln Avenue until it dead ends) is mostly old Victorian houses that have been converted into n-plexes of various types. I live in a duplex with a roommate, and we have two neighbors who live downstairs.

Converting all these homes to rentals means that parking is an absolute nightmare. It's only allowed on one side of the street as is, and only ten or eleven cars fit all together. If you don't have a driveway, you're more or less hosted because Lincoln Avenue has street sweeping on Tuesday and Friday mornings early enough that leaving for work isn't going to give you enough time to move your car.

There are some cute little restaurants and shops popping up on Lincoln, a park within walking distance, and the bus stop is only a few blocks away. Traffic is sometimes noisy at night, but I've really enjoyed living on Minturn Street.