Great meetings in history that never occurred: Ben Franklin and Rocky Balboa. Two famous Philadelphians — the worldly inventor-statesman and the rough-and-tumble, fictional boxer of celluloid fame — separated by several centuries but living only blocks apart. You know something, they'd have gotten along fine.

But that's Philly for you. One minute you're strolling in an 18th-century time warp on the streets of Society Hill, the next you're caught up in the pulse of funky, tattooed South Street ("Where the hippies meet," as the song goes). Cheese steaks and five-star restaurants, Mummers and opera, Philadelphia (or "Fluffya") is a city of contrasts that somehow works. Must be all of that "brotherly love."

Bikers are thankful for yet another Philly contrast: the undisturbed natural beauty of Pennypack and Fairmount Parks versus the industrial waterfront along the Delaware River. The parks place Philadelphia among the most green-blessed cities in the world.

To appreciate this side of Philadelphia, find your way to auto-free Forbidden Drive along Wissahickon Creek in the northwest part of the city — reachable by bike path from downtown. Tulip and oak trees tower overhead. The creek tumbles below. Deer wander the hillsides. You're 13 miles and a world away from downtown. Alternatively, head out of town along the Schuykill River Bicycle Trail to Valley Forge National Historic Park and enjoy the roads out there, especially those along the Valley Forge Auto Tour.

Like Rocky, you might be inclined to say, "Yo, Philly."

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Patricia Vance has toured several countries by bicycle including Cuba, Turkey, and Iceland. Her book, Bicycle Touring: The New Complete Guide to Touring by Bike, was published this spring. She is now writing a book of bike routes in eastern Pennsylvania. Not limited to traveling by bicycle, Pat and husband, Michael Parente, sailed their boat from Philadelphia to Venezuela and back in 1988 and 1989. She has also backpacked frequently on the East Coast during all four seasons.

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