How to meet the Valencia police

Hmmm. This has started out to be an interesting day. First, the guide told us breakfast was a 7. I figured great, I can eat quickly and rent the bike for four hours because the bus leaves at 12. I get up early, get ready and come downstairs, only to be told that breakfast was at 8. So I get all the paperwork for the bike done, adjusted the seat, took a test ride around on the sidewalk and came in and ate.

Now, I knew that the river park was only two stops away. I debated if I should just ride there on the bike path next to the street, but wasn’t exactly sure if it went the way I wanted to go, whereas I knew that the subway stop was right at the park.

So, let’s take the subway. I take the elevator down, buy my ticket (I was told I didn’t have to pay for my bike.) keep in mind that I purposely asked at the hotel desk last night if I could take the bike on the subway during rush hour, because I know some cities don’t allow that. The reply was that I could take it on ANYTIME. After I bought my ticket, I had to go through the sliding gates. I get through and it closes on the bike. The seat is stuck in the sliding gate and the gate won’t open. Help!! There was nobody official in sight.

Finally another passenger used his ticket to come through my gate and pushed the bike through in front of him. So I go down to track level and find out I’m I’m the wrong side. I have to take the elevator up and cross over to the other one and go down again. I’m waiting on the right side of the track and a train comes. It’s totally full so I don’t even attempt to get on. As it pulls away, a female police officer approaches me. I’m assuming someone radioed her that I was there.

She explained that, contrary to what the hotel people told me, bikes are only allowed on the subway on weekends and holidays. She escorted me upstairs again and let me out the gate. Ok, no big deal the park I wanted to go to was only two stops away and the street I was on had a separate bike lane, so I just rode down. I should have done that in the first place!
In any case, the park is every city’s dream. The city had som bad floods in the 50s, so they decided to reroute it to the harbor on the outskirts. What to do with the dry river bed? The mayor at that time wanted to build a major highway through the city. There was such a popular protest, he couldn’t get it through. So they made it into a park with bike paths all around, walking paths, soccer fields, handball courts, you name it. People were out there with their personal trainers, kids were at soccer camp. What a way to revitalize a city. Rochester, if you want to go forward, create some green space people can use.