New Haven to Bridgeport

As you may know, I live in West Hartford (if you call this living) but frequently work in Bridgeport. In a perfect world, I would ride my bike to work and back every day, without the aid of trains, automobiles, or other like conveniences. But 60 miles is a long way to ride and still both get enough sleep and get to work on time. So I have devised many variations and multi-modal commutes to keep it lively and avoid living my life inside a car. In the process, I've biked from home to Middletown, from Middletown to New Haven, and now, finally, from New Haven to Bridgeport. If you care, click to read more about the coastal stage of my Tour de Connecticut.

Basically, the New Haven-to-Bridgeport portion is far and away the nicest, owing in large part to Long Island Sound, which is pretty and fringed by beaches. I started out in New Haven at 7:00 a.m. by Wilbur Cross High School on Willow near State Street (don't tell anyone, but there is free parking there, in the lot farthest from the school). I headed over on Willow to Orange, then down all the way through downtown, on Union past the train station, then left on Howard, right on Kimberly, and left on First Avenue. From there I followed the beach through West Haven and into Milford, and it was really really nice. Unfortunately, I thought I didn't have my camera (I actually did), so I didn't take any pictures, but that West Haven stretch is perfect: Ocean, weathered seafood joints, and little beachy cottages. A bonus is that it's not the quickest way to get anywhere (Route 1 is about half a mile inland, and I-95 just beyond that), so there's not much automobile traffic.

Sadly, I plotted a route that would allow me some scenery while still getting me to work in Bridgeport by 8:30. So once Rte. 162 (which traces the shore) emptied into Rte. 1 (which traces every fucking car dealership in Connecticut), I took 1. Yuck. Busy, unscenic, smelly, etc. But quick - in twenty minutes I turned off onto Long Brook in Stratford, which got me to Main Street (Stratford), and from there it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to Bridgeport's lovely Harding High School. 20 miles in an hour and twenty minutes, and I arrived feeling relaxed, rejuvenated, and generally awesome.

I can't believe we actually have to convince people to ride bikes! This shit sells itself like Hondas.