Color Challenge - The Self-Serve BikeShare System in Washington, DC - A great way for a tourist to get around! - Monday's Red

in #travel8 years ago (edited)

Have you ever rented a bicycle from a self-service system? I just did it for the first time! It will be great when we can rent a bike this way using Steemit!

x bike check-in WEB1.jpg

I was in Washington, DC earlier this month, locked away in meetings, listening and talking, hobnobbing, brainstorming, and prioritizing, oh my! Fortunately, I stayed an extra day to go sight-seeing.


How Does the Bike Service Work?

Bicycles are a great way to get around Washington, DC, especially along the Potomac River and among all the museums and monuments by the White House and Capitol. Sometimes I travel with my folding bicycle, but not on this trip. So I was glad that the Capital Bike Shares program is up and running.

x bike WEB2.jpg
Sure, they look funny - but the self-serve rental bikes scattered all around Washington, DC are a great way for a tourist like me to get around! The seats are easy to adjust, so they work for people with long legs or short.

A quick swipe of a credit card produces a code for releasing whichever bike you choose. Ride around and leave the bike at any other kiosk. After a basic membership fee -- $8 fee for a 24-hour period or $17 for 3 days -- any ride under 30 minutes is free. After that, it's $2 for any time under an hour. Beyond that, the price goes up quite a bit, but it's still cheaper than the daily rate for a standard rental from a bike shop.

x kiosk WEB.jpg
For lots of short rides, the single $8 fee would be the total cost.

Bike rental kiosks are scattered all over the city. So it's practical to bop from one spot to another, easily within 30 minutes.

x map WEB.jpg

It's quick to check the bikes in -- just shove them into the rack and wait for the signal that the bike return has been recorded. The bike racks are close to all the major tourist destinations.

x bike check-in WEB2.jpg


Where Did I Go?

It was fun riding along the Potomac River and from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, to the US Capitol and Union Station. I was able to stop in at more museums to see just the exhibits I wanted to, because it was a lot faster than walking from place to place.

x potomac river WEB2.jpg
It's fun to watch all the boating on the big Potomac River -- from little kayaks to big speedboats. The bike trails along the river run for miles!

x galleries WEB2.jpg
My destinations: The National Gallery of Art (top) and the National Botanical Garden (bottom). That's the Capitol in the distance, beyond the Garden's Conservatory.

And I was finally able to really appreciate the large trees planted around the memorials, museums, and Capitol grounds. On foot, it takes so much longer to check out the special trees. This time, I could get to so many trees! I'll show more about that in an upcoming post.

x monuments WEB2.jpg
I rode from one end of the National Mall to the other, from the Capitol Building (top) to the Washington Monument (bottom) and beyond. The whole area is like a big Arboretum, with many significant trees. A bike is the way to cover ground to see them - and get some breeze in hot, humid weather!


What Do You Think?

I hope you get a chance to enjoy some tourist sight-seeing soon, no matter where you go. If you see a self-serve bike rental system, I hope you give it a try and let us all know about it! Won't it be great when we can use Steemit to rent bikes this way?

  • Have you ever rented a bicycle from a self-service machine?
  • Have you used a bike to get around Washington, DC?
  • Would you try riding these clumsy-looking BikeShare bikes?
  • What kind of sight-seeing do you like to do?

If you want to see a great wild salad that I foraged for lunch on my day of sight-seeing, take a look here - Another Free Hotel Salad - Wild Style!.



** Haphazard Homestead **

** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land **

All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead - photos and all!

Sort:  

Love it as well. I try to always schedule a bike ride in there somewhere :) And DC is a fine location for biking, one of the best cities to bike in in the US!

I'm glad you have enjoyed the bike trails in DC! I am always surprised how easy it is to get around there by bike.

This service is very similar to what it says in my City......very comfortable

How great that you have that system, too. I think you have more hills, so it might be harder to bike some places, lol! : )

What a brilliant idea so much better for you :)

And it was more fun than walking all that way in the heat and humidity. I wouldn't have been able to see so many places, either.

More countries should do it, Such a great idea :)

It's been neat to see this is several cities I've been to, but I had never tried them out before. It is a great idea!

You can go and try them in other countries, lots more pictures and posts for Steemit :)

Wouldn't that be nice? I might report on some more trips! : )

Look forward to reading them :)

Thanks! I've been enjoying your gardening posts!

I have never rented a bike.. looks like fun and healthy we all know you went off trail to grab grub from a tree ... LOL

haha -- can't stop me from eating the trees! Maybe I am a human giraffe! ; ) They made it easy to try renting their bikes for a first-timer!

lol you need to rent climbing gear to go with the bike

If I can't reach the branches, maybe I would have to! ; )

I've never used those bikes, but it looks like a very fun and convenient thing to do. Especially when the airlines charge and arm and leg to bring a bike with you. Really like your pictures of the area as well. Some look like postcards. Great work, and thanks for the post.

Thanks, @ddschteinn! I was pretty pleased with the Washington Monument and Capitol photos. The sky helped out a lot, I think. Flying with a bicycle has become less enjoyable -- the airlines can really beat up the luggage, while they make you pay for them to do it! But riding a bike to see the sites while traveling is sure nice!

I've always said "biking is the only way to fly", and now, flying with a bike is not the way to go. It is a great way to get around in a new city, as you get to see so much more than in a car, and at speed over walking, so you can cover more ground. Nice they have the rental bikes.

I don't use credit card, but I would love to try that renting bike mechanism! I really love to ride a bike, but I never paid for it. If it's free I'm in!! So far I only found two cities with free bikes.​

Free would have been an even better price!

I know free it would be much better. Today I remember you in two occasion​s, first in the morning while seeing Lisbon is testing a bike share mechanism and about an hour or so while watching House of Cards, they mentioned "haphazard". I didn't know​ what it meant and always thought you've created that word for your nickname!! Ahah, improving my English​ thanks to you and to Steemit! :)

That's neat that Lisbon is trying out a bike share system. Maybe you will try it sometime!

The House of Cards probably did not use it as a positive term. Oh well, my name is an accurate description, lol. At least it's a Happy Homestead, too!

Probably I will if it won't cost obscenities! I love to ride a bike but don't mind to walk ;)

It could have been used as negative term in the series, but it wasn't. Glad I'm learning a lot of new words only with your nickname!! :))

I hope they keep the cost low for that ride sharing system. I like walking too, but having a bike sure was faster and I got to cool off a little in the heat. Here's to biking and walking!

Biking and Walking, hurray!! :)))

Nice post! It's great that you traveled around the city by bicycle! It would be a good time for you! The photos are really beautiful! I like them all; river view, blue sky, white clouds, and green trees! Thanks so much for sharing! ;)

It was a pleasant day -- a hot day, but very pleasant. Even a big city can have nature all around, especially when there is a river.

Yes, I absolutely agree with you! I especially like the river view, too! :)

Good! There are also lots of bikes in our city!

That's a nice red bike rack! It looks like an old steam-heat radiator that is being repurposed. Nice idea! Bikes are such a good way to get around!

Cool photos! I like the red bikes! Of course, up and resteemed!

Thanks for the resteem! Those red bikes sure did stand out. It was easy to see all the other people that had rented them, too.

Your story told that you love tourism
Any way
Nice Article
Keep it up

Thanks! I enjoy appreciating an area when I visit!

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.23
TRX 0.26
JST 0.040
BTC 98185.12
ETH 3486.20
USDT 1.00
SBD 3.27