Grand St, South Shore / Shoreline

Grand is a wide street that runs the short length of Alameda down the water to Shoreline. The lanes are really wide. There's plenty of room for a car to pass a left turner without veering into the bike lane.

Did I mention the bike lane? It's heaven. Wide enough in some places for two folks to ride side by side, families on bikes are a common sight here.

As much as Alameda has hills, Grand is it. There's a noticeable incline headed from Lincoln (where I live) to Otis (where the grocery store is). Traffic patterns permitting, I can put a few good pedals into my bicycle and coast all the way down to Otis. Heading back up the "hill" is a lot less pleasant, so I've taken to Safeway.com and the spare trip to Lucky's for my groceries after one too many trips with a six pack weighing me down.

There are plenty of trees and grand is the best way to get access to Alameda' bike routes. A good ride, but take a flatter route back if you have time.