… on your bicycle
Oh, the places you'll go
A tour around our great lake city and beyond
photography & words by Jason Shaffer
When I moved to downtown Lorain with my daughter, one of the first thoughts was, "Well, where the heck are we gonna ride our bikes?" Moving from the burbs to the business district carried some uncertainties, and honestly, I had no idea what level of "bikeability" our downtown had. Two years later, I'm going to give you one dad's opinion of the best riding spots when you're cruising around Broadway and nearby areas. And you're definitely in luck because there are some seriously sweet places to ride around here! Since moving downtown, we've taken major advantage of the brand new widened sidewalks and the Go Lorain bike racks on Broadway. The walkways are silky smooth and provide plenty of room for bikes and pedestrians to travel alongside one another safely. The recent changes have really reshaped the quality of recreational traffic overall, and among the new changes, the city has added several pedestrian crossing areas throughout. However, it’s always advised to remain alert and keep an eye open for motorists who may not stop at the crosswalks.
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Cruising down the sidewalks of Broadway's entertainment district is a short ride, but it's actually quite rewarding and perfect for younger riders. Starting at the Ariel Broadway Hotel, you can make your way down to the 900-block toward Broadway Mary's and themake edge of theway entertainment Personally, Hotel, youtocan your down to thedistrict. 900-block toward my favorite route is going under the Frank J. Nardini Gateway underpass and then turning intoand the Black River Wharf public boat launch, Broadway Mary's to the edge of the entertainment where we chill on the docks, look for fish and watch the boats pass by.district. When you’re readymy to start yourroute journey back, cross Personally, favorite is going underover the Broadway and take the sidewalk all of the way down ‘til you reach the LCCC City Center. Along the way, there areand a lotthen of great places to Frank J. Nardini Gateway underpass turning into stop and have coffee, smoothies, or snacks or just hang out on a patio and pre-sunset (Remember racksonI thegrab Blacka River Wharfdinner. public boat launch, those wherebike we chill mentioned!) the docks, look for fish and watch the boats pass by. When you’re ready to start your journey back, cross over Broadway From the corner of Erie Avenue & Broadway, take a and take the sidewalk all of the way down ‘til you reach the little cruise over the Charles Berry Bascule Bridge, LCCC City Center. Along the way, there are a lot of great take a right on Arizona Avenue across from Subway, places to stop and have coffee, smoothies, or snacks or just and head down into the Harborwalk neighborhood. hang out on a patio and grab a pre-sunset dinner. This nice and quiet area is another great place to take (Remember those bike racks I mentioned!) the kiddos, and there are gorgeous views of the river, lots of cool boats, and a fun little community to cruise around in. Don't miss the overlook platform for the best views of the Bascule Bridge and a great place to have a little picnic. Sunsets are breathtaking from this area! If you're hungry, don't miss The Boiler Room at The Shipyards, serving cocktails, appetizers, burgers, and pretty much everything else you’d crave after a bike ride. If you get there early enough, definitely check out Monkey Island Coffee; kids love the smoothies there, and they have great coffee along with local pastries and breakfast sandwiches.
Lorain Local Magazine | page 18
