Aug 14 2008
Biking Boston with Rubel BikeMaps
Boston BikeMap by Rubel BikeMaps
Each day I bike a very modest distance to work: a straight shot down Mt. Auburn Street – no turns and few stops. Thanks to recently installed city bike racks, nine times out of ten I can “park” directly outside the store’s door, and there’s even a bike lane on our block to ease my transition from street to sidewalk. In short, no fuss, no muss.
So, while I admittedly do not have use for a bike map on a daily basis, I still find Boston’s BikeMap, published by Rubel BikeMaps, to be a useful and remarkably well researched guide to biking in and around Boston (i.e. Brookline, Watertown, Somerville, Lexington, and more).
Here’s a brief list of features I’ve found to be particularly handy:
- All area bike shops are starred in red on the map and then indexed with addresses and phone numbers.
- Contour lines based on USGS topographic maps show hilly areas (aka, areas to avoid when already tired).
- A map of the Minuteman Bikeway (I have yet to do this but I will. I swear…)
- Tips on riding bikes in Boston, such as “claim a lane if you must,” from the seasoned biking veteran John Allen.
If you love bike riding but aren’t in Boston, don’t sweat it. Rubel BikeMaps are also available for Western Massachusetts, Eastern Massachusetts, and Cape Cod & North Shore. (Most are available in waterproof format, also.) What’s great about these last three maps is that they not only mark bike paths, but they also include – get this – ice cream shops! If that’s not a reason to go biking, I don’t know what is.
**Also available from Rubel BikeMaps, Car-Free in Boston: A Guide for Locals and Visitors and Bicycling Street Smarts: Riding Confidently, Legally and Safely, by John Allen.**
Read more: Boston, Cycling, Eastern US, Maps, Massachusetts, Travel, Travel Tips and ResourcesJess is a GCB alum and now contributes to the travel blog as often as she can. Jess attended Middlebury College so she loves the Green Mountain State. She also studied abroad in Paris for a semester and has traveled through much of western Europe and the UK. Her most recent travels include trips to Portland, OR, Los Angeles, CA and Spain (Madrid and Andalusia). She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
