My first wild Segway sighting

[albaby]

Okay, I saw my first Segway in the wild (that wasn't a rental, anyway):

Wednesday night, in Tallahassee, Florida. Riding along Monroe Street. Was that anybody here?

Albaby

[woodenapple]

Albaby - That would have been me. Depending on what time you saw me I was either riding home from work or riding to or from Church that evening. Are you here in Tallahassee? From your previous posts I gather that you are not, and that maybe you are just in town for the Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan Open House at City Hall. I have been lurking here on SegwayChat since it's very early days, but I never felt the need to chime in until now. I am on my way now to glide in the Springtime Tallahassee Parade, so about 200,000 people are about to have their very own Segway sighting in the wild.

Rodney

[albaby]

Hi Rodney! Nice to have drawn someone to their first post!

It was early evening in front of Andrews, just north of the capital - probably between 5-6. If it was you, you were probably leaving work.

I was up from Miami for Dade County Days, which was on Wednesday. (for anyone else reading this, the larger counties will set up a day during the session to travel to the state capital so that local government officials can meet with their legisltors to talk about their issues).

Alan

[woodenapple]

Yep - I glide by Andrews Restuarant on my way to and from work every weekday, and usually go by during lunch hour as well. It is actually about a block out of the way for me, but I like to glide through the sidewalk restaurant area since it is usually crowded with pedestrians, including lots of legislators and lobbyists. That gives me a chance to show lots of influential movers and shakers how a responsible rider can use the Segway not only for a commute on wide open sidewalks, but can also blend in as just another pedestrian on a crowded sidewalk.

I was also at Dade County Days across the street at the capital during lunch enjoying some of their great food. You wouldn't have noticed me there, because the large plaza area was literally so full of people that unless you were standing right next to me on my Segway, I would have just looked like a tall person walking very smoothly through the shoulder to shoulder crowd.

Rodney

[pam]

Hey, Rodney, you must be the person my boss saw and mentioned to me not too long ago - she was in town (Tally) for a DOE meeting of some sort.
Pam

[woodenapple]

Pam - That was probably me. I am the only person I know of that regularly glides in downtown Tallahassee. I work within a block of the DOE building and the Capital building, and I am usually out and around on my Segway before and after work, as well as during lunch hour.

There have been a few other Segways around the Capital complex that were brought in to attract attention for different types of gatherings in the Capital courtyard. But I only know of about a half dozen that are owned by local residents.

Of course there are probably plenty more here that I am unaware of, as I have only actually seen one of the local Segways in person, even though I have heard about a few others. One of the Vice Presidents at FL State University has one that he lets the student aids use for running errands. And a local doctor makes his rounds at the hospital on his Segway. I spoke to the doctor's wife and she said he uses it because of his bad back, and he loves it.

I rode beside Governor Jeb Bush one day as he was walking home from work. He regularly walks the mile or so between the Governor's mansion and the Capital. Yes, he has ridden before and is a Segway supporter. I believe he was in on the gift to "Dubya" for Father's Day last year of the Segway that he infamously fell off of.

Rodney

[BruceWright]

Jeb is a big supporter of FIRST, so he knows which end of a Segway is up. (Unlike his brother!)

-Bruce Wright

Segway: Vehicle of Dream

[pam]

Well, I ride mine to and from work at Okaloosa-Walton Community College (soon to be Okaloosa-Walton College) in Niceville. I'll tell my boss that I've "met" the guy she saw. <G>
Pam