BIKE: commute advice: downtown to apple

[Mike Dahmus]

Oh, I should add - the pictures and editorializing are from 1999ish, unless 
otherwise noted. There is in fact a good way to get to Balcones southbound 
and cross Mopac on Hancock if you prefer - I hadn't figured it out at the 
time I wrote the slides. Northbound isn't as good a trip due to some big 
hills - but I do sometimes cross at Hancock on my trip home from work these 
days.

- MD

On 08:04 PM 1/26/2005 -0600, Mike Dahmus wrote:
>Jonathan,
>
>I biked from Clarksville to the vicinity of Oak Knoll / 183 about 300 
>times  (had 3 or 4 offices in the vicinity at 2 companies over a few years).
>
>See:
>
>http://www.io.com/~mdahmus/cgi-bin/slideshow.cgi?show=workcommute
>
>(has most of the route - you'll want to pick this up at either Shoal Creek 
>or Bull Creek - now that I go from my house in North University to 
>183/Braker, I usually head west on 38th to Medical Parkway, up MP to 45th, 
>jog over one block and cut through Rosedale to Shoal Creek at that point. 
>Woodrow is also a good north route, especially now that Shoal Creek will 
>be going under construction for the foreseeable future -- you can cut over 
>to the north Shoal Creek corridor on Morrow and then take Shoal Creek up 
>to Steck, which is where I prefer to cross Mopac and get to Mesa).
>
>E-mail me if you're missing anything from here.
>
>- MD
>
>
>On 07:21 PM 1/26/2005 -0600, Michael Bluejay wrote:
>
>>On Jan 26, 2005, at 7:02 PM, Jonathan Fretheim wrote:
>>
>>>I'm starting a new job at apple up by the oak knoll exit off of 183.
>>>
>>>Does anyone have experience with a best route to get there from downtown?
>>>
>>>I live around 18th and San Antonio (if you need a starting point).
>>>
>>>I'll probably bus & bike the first coupl'a days until I get the feel of 
>>>the place.  (as you know, sometimes a sweaty unfamiliar guy asking where 
>>>to change clothes isn't the best first impression you can make with huge 
>>>corporations).
>>>
>>>Anyway, thanks for any practical advice.
>>
>>
>>Not familiar with that area, but glad to hear someone else is biking to 
>>Apple.  I was about the only one who did so when I worked there, even 
>>though it was much more accessible (290 when I started, and then we moved 
>>down the road to E. Anderson Lane).
>>
>>Let's hope your success is better than mine.  I rode my bike to the site 
>>the day before my job started so I knew I'd have the route down because 
>>there were lots of confusing turns through the neighborhood.  I thought I 
>>was set, but the next day, my first day of work, I missed one of those 
>>turns and wound up going in the opposite direction of where I needed to 
>>go.  I eventually realized it and turned my bike around, wondering if I 
>>could still arrive in time, when I got a flat.  I jogged my bike to a gas 
>>station and tried to call a cab but they wouldn't dispatch unless I had a 
>>street address; the street names of the intersection I was on wasn't good 
>>enough for them.  I asked them to hang on while I walked a few steps away 
>>from the phone to look for the address numbers on the gas station window, 
>>but when I got back to the phone they'd hung up on me.  I wound up 
>>locking my bike at the gas station and begging a ride from a guy there 
>>filling up his car.  I was substantially late which was embarrassing for 
>>my first day, but they apparently didn't hold it against me.
>>
>>Apple had planned to move much farther north when I was there but they 
>>postponed it after Williamson County changed its mind about handing out 
>>tax breaks to Apple because Apple "supported homosexuality", since Apple 
>>granted benefits to same-sex partners of Apple employees.  I remember one 
>>of the commissioners who said, "I just know if I'd voted for this then 
>>people would have pointed at me and said, 'There's the man who brought 
>>homosexuality to Williamson County.'"
>>
>>I was conflicted about that whole thing.   On one hand I didn't think 
>>that any local government should hand out be handing out corporate 
>>welfare, domestic partners program or not.  But the intolerance of the 
>>Wmson. County Commissioners bothered me. Though on yet another hand, the 
>>whole debacle meant that my commute for the five years I worked at Apple 
>>was much, much shorter than it would have been otherwise.
>>
>>One thing that miffed me at Apple was that if you worked at the 
>>California campus you got credit in the employee store for every day you 
>>walked, bused, carpooled, or biked to work, but they gave no such credit 
>>for Austin employees.  I was surprised that the employee newsletter was 
>>candid about why:  They're required by law to take steps to decrease 
>>employees' car use in CA, but there is no such law in Austin or Texas.
>>
>>If you're doing tech support I have some great tips for calming down 
>>irate customers, which probably won't be a part of your training.
>>
>>-MBJ-
>>
>>________________________________________________________________
>>http://michaelbluejay.com     BICYCLE WONDERLAND  *  VEGETARIAN GUIDE
>>           SAVING ELECTRICITY * SOC. RESPONSIBLE STOCKS * CHEAP AIRFARE
>>
>>
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>
>Mike Dahmus
>mdahmus
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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Mike Dahmus
mdahmus