A few good reasons to see ArtPrize by bicycle
- Free parking wherever and whenever you want.
- Three square miles: too far to walk, too short to drive.
- No waiting for shuttle buses.
- You can stop and see each venue or installation. If there's a crowd, skip ahead and come back.
- Refillable water bottle!
- Coast down the hills!
- If you find yourself in a traffic jam, just take a different street.
- With all the extra visitors and drivers out and about, traffic is moving slowly, and everyone is being more aware of pedestrians and bicyclists. It's a great time to saddle up and ride!
And some helpful hints
- Wear brightly-colored clothing and a helmet.
- If you'll be out after dark, bring lights for your bike (time-honored tip: A standard flashlight and a rubber band to attach to your handlebars). Also see hint #1.
- Put a carrying device on your ride. Bike shops have a good selection of handlebar baskets, saddlebags and racks that fit over the rear wheel. Or wear a small backpack. Or loop a reusable grocery bag over the seat (make sure it clears the wheel). You'll need something to hold all the "vote for me" cards.
- Bring a lock for those multi-artist indoor venues.
- Follow traffic rules, and obey the signals. Stopping for a red light is a small price to pay for this amount of freedom.
- You do want to check out the interesting art in the Heritage Hill area, and there's a reason it's called a "hill." The most gradual slope east of Division is up brick-paved State Street.
- A couple of binder clips will hold your ArtPrize route map on your brake cables.
- City ordinance: no riding on the sidewalks downtown. A moment's reflection will make the reasoning behind this very clear.
- Pick up a copy of the Bike GR map, published by the city, and available at local bike shops, libraries and City Hall. It shows streets that are recommended (or not) for bicycling and many more helpful safety tips beyond this overview.
