If you've been to any major city lately, or maybe just your local mall, you've probably seen people riding Segways. And even though you probably laughed at them and made fun of them out loud, deep down, you know you wanted to try them. It's ok. I did too. So when Jason suggested we actually purchase an online coupon for a 3-hour segway tour of Washington, DC, I was thrilled.
Getting the hang of it
First of all, let me tell you. Riding those bad boys is not as easy as it looks. My sister was convinced I was going to crash, and with good reason. They're so darn wobbly, it's impossible to get your balance at first! And you propel them simply by shifting your weight...not with a hand accelerator like a snowmobile or something. To turn, you kind of have to lean. But lean too far in any direction, you'll go tumbling!
Not only are you riding a wobbly, weight-sensitive dork-machine, the tours make you go out on the open road! Bike laws in DC mean that it's actually illegal to ride on the sidewalk in many places, and on some roads the bike lane is in the middle! Imagine the traffic of a downtown city street at 6pm with a chain of Segways riding in the middle of it. Yep, you're imagining it correctly.
The good news is, you eventually figure out your balance (I guess it's a bit like skiing, or riding a bike.) Once you find your center, Segways are the coolest vehicles on the planet. You can zoom around, weave in and out of obstacles, turn on a dime, anything. Everyone fell in love with them by the end of the tour, despite the constant loud harassment from the hundreds of middle school tour groups.
I'm not going to pretend like it's possible to look cool at any point while riding on a Segway, but if you can get beyond your inevitable helmet-hair, I can't recommend doing a tour enough. Find a deal in your city of choice and get riding! It's the best way to hit all the attractions in a short amount of time and it's a ton of fun. Go with friends and bring a camera. Set the camera on video when they aren't looking. You won't regret it!
Peace and Love,
Tori
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