This year I resolved to bike to work whenever possible, and I never would have stuck to my goal if not for the Music City Bikeway. The trail provides a convenient ride between my house in Inglewood and the Scene’s office in the Gulch, but what’s kept me coming back is the delightfully random assortment of people there at all times of day.
On the bikeway you’ll of course see people on bikes, from serious cyclists on ultralight carbon-fiber racers to tourists trying out the newfangled BCycle e-bikes. Then there are the people keeping up their pandemic hobbies by carving around on longboards, roller skates or electric Onewheel skateboards. I always smile when I see parents pushing strollers and older folks taking midday walks, and I’m touched when I see massive families — seriously, sometimes you’ll see more than a dozen people walking together as a group — taking time for a family stroll. Sometimes I’m inspired to pull over and watch kids playing baseball in the park or chat with other people on the paths, which is a much easier prospect when I’m on my bike instead of in my 3,500-pound car.
Seeing so many different faces all the time has completely changed the way I view my commute. It’s easy to see other cars on the road just as obstacles standing between me and my destination, but when I see other folks on a bikeway, it makes me feel like we’re all sharing a moment in the great outdoors. I’ll choose that over sitting in a car any day.
—Cole Villena
Associate Editor, Nashville Scene
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