Great post and sweet that you "reunite" with your bike when you come back.

I have always lived in a cycleable/walkable neighborhood until I moved out here. It's really gotten better since I first got here 4 years ago, though. Well, in town. It's still a mess when you get into the more "sprawl" areas. Public transit is still terrible but they are working on that, too. It's improved, at least, since I arrived. I still would prefer to be back in a place like I grew up outside Chicago or a major city downtown but I can at least ride to work most days!