I didn't think DC was the most bike friendly place but this was way prior to commuting. Didn't live there. It's just very different from Ottawa for me. It was also a long time ago. My parents were recently there and said they saw a lot more biking infrastructure this time and now riding by bike is the "cool" thing to do so transit is having a hard time keeping up with options. They seemed impressed. I just didn't see a lot of people living there. Granted, I was talking to bureaucrats - a lot of people who live in NoVa and MD not D.C. proper. Coming from the suburbs myself, I didn't consider these to be parts of DC but the surrounding area. Did not mean any offense by that. That was just my experience as a person visiting and talking to people who worked at various agencies.

I would LOVE to ride from Ottawa to QC. I know you don't have to speak French but I force myself to try because if you don't use it, you lose it and I really have to learn how to listen for different accents. It's good for my brain even if I feel nervous doing it! I don't get much practice living in Missouri, unfortunately. I would love to venture further out into the province but just don't have the time right now. So many places I want to bike!