The Daily Commute

Could either be this ....

 or this ...

 I am super lucky to live within 3 miles of my job, so whenever the weather permits I get to ride my bike.  My grandmother gave me her old bike, purchased in the early 70's, a few years ago.  I started riding it to work and after a year of doing so the Mister insisted that I upgrade since the thing looked like it could at any time disintegrate into a pile of rust.  I got a purple beach cruiser on sale, with a nice wide seat and a handy-dandy basket on the front so I didn't have to wear a backpack anymore with all my stuff in it. 
Speaking of the backpack, a few good tips to know:
If you wear a backpack, you will arrive at your destination with sweat circles under your arms.
If your pants are say, green khaki capris, you will probably arrive at your destination with a lovely sweat stain on your crotch.  (I'm talking about the people like me, who sweat like Bill O'Reilly in church)
If you attempt to bike without wearing a helmet and have an inquisitive child, you better have a daggone good story made up as to why they have to wear one and you don't.  In fact, just wear the stupid helmet - we all look like dicks in them.
Invest in a bike with a basket or a back-rack.  If yours doesn't have one, they are fairly inexpensive and easy to add onto your bike.  I progressed from things flying out of it to getting to work with my purse, lunch bag, and travel mug of coffee all safely tucked in, not a drop spilled.

The benefits to riding your bike, aside from the obvious - that it is green and causes zero emissions - are almost too many to list, but I will try.
-It's sneaky exercise.  Just riding your bike to the store instead of hopping in your car will give you a great workout.
-You save on gas money - and with gas hitting $5 a gallon this summer, every bit counts.
-It's quiet.  Even if you have to ride on fairly busy streets, you will notice bird songs, snippets of people's conversations, the sound of the wind.  When I drive now, more often than not I don't have the radio on, and I appreciate the silence a lot more.
-It is cheap therapy.  I could get all pseudo-scientific here and say it is the endorphins or trypto-whateveryoucallit - but I think it has to do with the silence and the time to yourself.  I never arrive anywhere in a bad mood if I ride my bike.
-It sets a good example for your kids.  It shows your care of your Earth and that you are taking care of yourself, as well.
-It connects you with people.  On my little path I pass people walking their dogs, strolling, running, etc.  Maybe it's the sight of a grown woman on a purple metallic bike or the insanely lime-green helmet, but almost everyone smiles and says hello.  And the great thing is, since I ride at the same time every morning, I see a lot of "regulars".  
-It forces you to slow down and look around.  You may not notice how beautiful where you live is until you ride a bike through and become conscious of what is around you.  

 This one didn't come out so good, but there are 4 little bunnies back in there!  And that train next to the station is an Acela train - the tracks run right by my path, so everything will be all peaceful and then there will be this huge wooosh as the train goes by.  Very cool.  
If you aren't sure is a particular route will be bike-friendly, Google maps has a "by bike" option.  Even if you swap out one small trip a day with a bike ride, you will feel the benefits.