Saturday, May 23rd, 2015
This year I will be leading a Shop & Ride tour as part of the growing Bike to Shop Day movement. Yes, you really can shop by bike and I will be glad to help show you how. You don't need a special bike or special gear, just a willingness to leave the car at home and explore our wonderful area with some like-minded riders. We'll make sure everyone has a great time. The pace will be mellow and the stops long enough for people to browse a bit and pick out what they'd like. I've selected specific shops who have offered us special discounts for the Bike to Shop Day event, and a safe and fun route to get us from each one to the next. There are several food stops along the way so you don't need to bring anything to eat. A water bottle to sip on while we ride may be a good idea, but not necessary.It's optional but you can RSVP to let us know you'll be joining us. RSVP Here
We will start our Shop & Ride tour at San Jose's Diridon train station at 10am. There is a train that arrives at 9:53am so you can arrive from points northward and be ready to enjoy a great day of riding and shopping. Here's a map of our planned tour:
You can click on the map above or this link to explore the map in more detail on Google Maps. The total distance is between 6 and 12 miles depending on whether you do the second half Willow Glen part. For those of us doing the whole route we will probably be out until about 3pm, at which point we might just decide to stay for an early dinner, but we can plan that according to what people want to do.
Our first stop on the tour will be La Dolce Velo bike shop on The Alameda to pick up a free inner tube (you can never have too many of these) and take advantage of the 10% off discount for anything else people would like to purchase.
Next on our tour will be a Curbside pick-up in front of Target on Coleman Ave. You can download the Curbside app and use the discount code BIKE2CURBSIDE when you sign up for a $10 discount on your order of $20 or more.
After a short ride along the Guadalupe River Trail we will hop on to Hedding St. and enjoy one of San Jose's best bicycle lanes as we make our way to the first stop in Japantown, Roy's Station Coffee & Tea. This is one of the best cafe's in the entire Bay Area with ambiance, food, beverage and service that is second to none. We'll linger here for a while and enjoy the amazing time we're having shopping by bike!
Next up in Japantown is a stop at Biscuits Pet Boutique to pick up some treats and other goodies our favorite furry friends. If you don't have a furry friend you can walk around the shop and take in a passion that for some is as strong as ours is for bicycling.
We'll carry the positive energy from Japantown down 4th street until we reach the Paseo de San Jose, a lazy, friendly street that meanders its way through the heart of San Jose. Here we will stop at DH Company to shop at the pop-up shop specializing in San Jose and Bay Area centric clothing items that help you show your love for your city and/or sport. They're offering us 20% off so it's a great time to pick up an "I (heart) SJ" or similarly themed t-shirt.
At this point we should be approaching lunch time and a stop at one of San Jose's best brew pubs for some grub and suds will be in order. Original Gravity serves up more than a dozen fresh beers on tap that you will likely not find anywhere else. They also have an excellent selection of sausages for the meat lovers, some vegan dogs and grilled cheese for the non-meat lovers and french fries that everyone loves. They have an awesome patio in the back where we will hopefully score a table and relax for a while.
After lunch our Shop & Ride participants will have the option of heading back to Diridon if they are ready to call it a day or to continue on to Willow Glen for some more discounts and fun bicycling. Willow Glen is experimenting with a road diet along Lincoln Avenue, the main street that goes through the heart of this part of San Jose. We'll enjoy wide bike lanes and a vibe that is fun and invigorating (don't be surprised if people call out "bike party!" as you ride by).
We'll make a stop at Mike's Bikes for a free water bottle and any other cycling gear we might find in their two-story showroom. The service staff here is great so feel free to just chat with them if your wallet is starting to run low.
Next up will be a stop that nobody will want to miss. All of this riding will work up an appetite (and caloric burn) that will have you craving something sweet and delicious. Powell's Sweet Shoppe is there to serve. We'll take advantage of their 10% off gelato discount and see if we can resist the many novel and delicious sweets displayed so temptingly throughout the store.
Our final stop will be a super stylish boutique whose small size belies the many treasures you'll find inside. 20% off shoes and sales items will surely offer up something tempting for our female riders or the male riders trying to help justify a day of riding and shopping away from the significant other.
