Long Beach, California

I've been in Long Beach, CA since Monday.

I understand why cruisers make sense here. There are miles and miles of paved walkways along the ocean. Flat, slow, pleasant. Cruisers excel in this department. There's also a ton of carbon/full kitted racer types, most going about the same pace as the cruisers. It's weird.

I've seen a few brave souls commuting.

It seems like there are two types of roads here: slow back streets and 50 mph multi-lane gashes chopping up otherwise walkable neighborhoods. The gashes create the many smaller locales in the Long Beach area: South Beach, Downey, Bellflower, etc. If you want to cross a gash you must walk to a crossing light, which seems like it's usually at least 1/4 mile or so away in either direction.

I think if I lived here I would surf. Our hotel is on the Pacific Coast Highway, which is the final gash that separates humans from the ocean. Our hotel room looks out over the ocean. The last couple mornings, Maddie and I have got up at 6 am, got a coffee and chocolate milk at Jack in the Box and sat in the sand, watching the surfers come out for their morning ride. You can tell right away that like anything worthwhile, that it takes skill to surf. Some surfers battle frantically against the waves while others just seem to work with the waves and enjoy the ride.