Downtown bicycle routes--one ways etc (Sacramento, Sutter: home, legal, shopping mall)

[fringepod]

New in Sac...and I've been using google's new bike routes and attempting other sources but...without time to leisurely find the best route at the moment, asking for suggestions from other bikers on a good way to get thru downtown on bicycle friendly streets...Newly replanted to curtis park and trying to bike to the amtrak station daily without getting runover on 5th st (which is what I took today from T--oy!) ...is the best route likely along the river once I get over there off broadway? Is 11th a one way or could I take that to the capital and reduce my time on 5th...? I know I could figure this out on my way home tonight but figured I'd ask now since I'm here :-)
thanks people!

[wburg]

11th isn't really a connector street; 10th is, but it's worse than 5th in terms of traffic (three one-way lanes, no bike lanes.) If you're coming from Curtis Park, you might try 21st or 19th Street, those are two-lane streets (albeit one-way) with bike lanes on either side (which can be used two-way) and then take H, I or L Street downtown (none of which are particularly good choices.) Or if you have a light rail pass, bike up 21st to the 23rd Street light rail and take the Gold Line directly to Amtrak.

The other option is to take Sutterville or other street directly to the Sacramento River and bike up the levee through Miller Park and the Docks area, all the way through Old Sacramento. This is a bit out of the way, but you don't have to fight cross traffic and cars the whole trip north until you hit Old Sacramento.

[wburg]

To add to the above--K Street might be the best bike option. It has bike lanes, and it is legal to ride a bike on the K Street pedestrian mall west of 14th (but not in the Westfield shopping mall west of 7th, so you'll have to turn north at 7th Street.)

[fringepod]

Thanks a lot wburg--I'll try them all out!