This morning I had a beautiful ride through downtown. Grant street is gorgeous in the spring/summer, and traffic was so calm, that I took the whole lane and never once felt the need to hurry (I'm usually in a rush).
I also love the jail trail in the summer. wearing shorts, tshirt, sandals, ride slowly, enjoy the graffiti, maybe sit on one of the benches and nap for a bit (anywhere that I can nap outside safely without being bothered is my happy place)
Anywhere on a bike trail,especially the Montour and Yough.The last place that I would ride to relax is on roads,especially roads in downtown Pittsburgh where I have to contend with not only cars but with pedestrians.The only time I ride on roads is if I have to get to a specific destination and don't have a choice.My relaxing happy choice is on bike trails.
I get on my bike with nowhere to go when I want to relax.
Riding through downtown relaxes me. I'm so focused on not getting hit and whatnot that anything that is causing me stress goes away.
Riding in traffic can be nice. And it's very rare for me that a trail will take me where I need to go, without first going a few blocks out of my way to get to the trail. I do miss living in my old place, I used to commute via the jail trail, and that was REALLY nice.
I did have a destination today, but it was to pick up cookies for my best friend's birthday, then to take them to her work, all in areas of town that I love going through. Sure a few drivers passed too close, but I was happy and had a big smile on my face (especially when I caught up to them at the red light), so I didn't care one bit.
PS The 16th St Bridge is my favorite bridge.
the dirt roads in fox chapel/indiana twp. They are also my favorite nearby roads to go really fast on.
I can't decide if I want to go on this sort of ride tonight, or one that will actually help me prepare for the MS150. Heh.
A relaxing ride through the city can help you prepare for the ms150. i was wandering though downtown the other night, enjoying the calm, and it turned into a competition with myself to climb as many news hills as i could. i figure if i can hit a handful of cat5 hills for funsies, the ms150 shouldn't be too harrowing.
i saw the most gigantic catfish do a free willy style leap out of the water the other night riding by myself near the point. i love the random stuff you see when you decide to just keep riding.
*channeling Chuck Berry* "...with no particular place to go..."
Just kinda exploring, often on a street or trail or in a town or neighborhood I've not been in before. Maybe a big staircase.
One of my memorable relaxation rides was from the 10th St Br to the 31st St Br via the steps up to Duquesne U, back alleys through the Hill, and down the entire length of Harding Way.
I don't really relax when I'm riding, even if I don't have any place to go, some primitive part of my brain always kicks in and says "go faster".
On one ride a couple weeks ago, I went out toward Burgettstown, and was coming back on Noblestown road, some sweeping curves and easy rolling climbs, I was working through some conversation in my head and I suddenly realized I had completely forgotten about pedaling, I hadn't consciously thought about pedaling for about 15 minutes. That was pretty awesome.
Other than that my happy place is my garage, after a nice ride, I put on some tunes, get a couple of beverages, take things apart, and put them back together, better. I like to fine-tune the s##t out of things.
Bridges - the views of Pittsburgh from the bridges are just gorgeous.
Cleveland.
aside from echoing robjdlc and edmonds59: little pine creek road. i don't hit it very often, and i know that at the end i'm going to have to go up wetzel, but fookin' 'ell, that road is nice to ride on.
also, it was nice to be able to relax this weekend on the way down saxonburg into etna. i made the mistake of biking a good little distance into the north hills to take part in a hurling match, then biking back. i can't remember my legs hating me more, but it was still pretty cool spying a kingfisher while riding along the road.
Jail trail. I take that route home because there aren't any gnats, it's flat, and I can just look around at the grafitti and relax after a stressful day.
I second TeamDecaf's love of bridges. I quite like the trail north of the Allegheny - it's far enough removed from everything that I normally do/go, that if I'm on it, it is not part of any agenda or goal or errand, so very relaxing. It's also the way I get to all the lovely bridges to ride on 
But I'd have to say my absolute favorite way to relax is a Flock ride. I don't have to decide where to go or when or how far, I don't have to worry about traffic, I don't have to worry about anything. Just follow the happy crowd in a roving happy place, very nice.
I can't say riding in or around Pittsburgh has ever been very relaxing for me. Granted, I started biking in Central Virginia where I could be out my door and on back country roads in 5 minutes and the worst I had to contend with were tractors and dogs for 100 miles of rolling paved and gravel roads.
Frick Park
+1 for Frick Park
Little Deer Creek Road was on our route Sunday morning. Little Deer Creek, which runs along the Road was pretty, but nondescript, until I glanced over and saw what I think was a heron flying up the creek bed about six feet above the water.
That was a Happy Place at that moment.
Love riding through Schenley Park on my daily commute, during any season it's beautiful and relaxing.
If I want to do a relaxing distance, I go up to Riverview Park. Otherwise I'd just meander around the East End Flat area (Oakland, Shadyside, Highland Park, East Liberty, Point breeze, etc)
Now that the Steel Valley is open, that might be a fairly relaxing ride - in the past, getting to and from Mckeesport from Homestead was not relaxing
bavington. miles and miles of beautiful single track where you hardly see another person, unless you are riding with them.
i hear ya on the bavington!,
otherwise, i need to kayak to relax. cycling is war.
