Boston Pedicab makes me sad

My Mom is here! Hurray! Her last visit to Boston was in 2007. When she was leaving I asked what the highlight of her trip had been. My wedding shower? Visiting our family? Nope. The highlight of her trip was taking a pedicab downtown to dine at the harbor.

"OK" I thought, "we can start this visit off with style". I had it all planned. Mom would arrive at Logan and take the Blue Line just to Government Center where my husband and I would zip over by bike. We'd dine on the waterfront and caravan to my apartment by bike & pedicab for mom and her suitcase.

I checked the Boston Pedicab website, we would be well within the service area, timeframe, and guidelines. Just to be safe we made a point of finishing up our cappuccino before the bottom of the sixth inning, knowing that a home game would make cabs scarce. I had no idea that a home game meant that they would refuse us service entirely. They don't say that on the website!

All this has led me to the sudden shocking revelation that Boston Pedicabs are a fun gimmick if you can get one, like the horse-drawn carriages or the rockin' party bus, but not a reliable transportation solution. My own mother doesn't read this blog and I think our experience last night underlies why - we loaded her into a gasoline cab and raced across town to not leave her on the stoop too long, because pedal power remains a fringe activity which is not something my mother can embrace.

I sit here chastened, no longer so smug in my certainty that bikes are a solution for our city transportation needs. Bummer.