My dad, newly returned from an extended sojourn with my sister and her family in the Netherlands, is posting some interesting stuff about the small but telling differences between life there and life here. With my growing concern with cycling and sustainable transportation, I was very interested in his post on the ubiquity of bikes - especially for kids who are getting to school. A few of us walked to my high school, many took buses of course, upperclassmen used cars, and basically nobody biked. It looks to be a bit different here in Northfield, but I would not send my kid off to school on a bike or on foot, given the iffy or absent sidewalks, bike lanes, or trails.
Coincidentally, the other day I also came across "6 Tips for Commuting to Work by Bike" on the Zen Habits blog. Not all of the tips are applicable to me (my ride's short enough that I don't have to worry about getting overheated and needing to shower or change), but the links at the bottom are great.