Commuter profile: Dolin in the South Bay

Dolin is a fashion designer in San Francisco who (until recently) commuted from her home in San Jose to her job in San Francisco via Caltrain, riding her bike the two miles from home to the train station. ” It was a very long and tiring commute,” says Dolin, “but the thing I looked forward to was the time I got to ride my bike through downtown San Jose.”

Dutch style cyclist in San Jose

Dolin told me she works in the fashion industry, “the last 12 for Gap Inc. But I recently quit the corporate life to pursue a more creative career path.” Most of her adult life has been spent between San Francisco, New York and Oakland, where she has always relied on public transportation. ” I do own a car,” she says, “but I am not much of a driver, I didn’t get my driver license until I was 29 years old.”

San Jose bike commuter

“My fiance bought me a vintage Raleigh for my birthday a couple of years ago, because he wanted to bike around San Jose with me when I would visit on the weekends. I hadn’t been on a bike since high school and rediscovered how much I enjoy it. I still plan on biking to run errands, to go to the train station and just for fun.”

I asked Dolin about her Electra Amsterdam that I saw her riding through downtown. “I wasn’t looking for a second bike, but one day walking down Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, I saw my bike in the window of Montano Velo. I liked the look of the Dutch bikes and really wanted one, but couldn’t justify the price, since I wasn’t riding a bike every day at that point. The Amsterdam was just so pretty and the right price, so I bought it. I really like it a lot, but I also like my old Raleigh.”

Dolin blogs about her creativity and crafts at her blog Lulu Bliss. Drop by to say hello!

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