[AndrewJ]

Last year when I was living in Missouri I ran into the same situation a lot. I didn't have a car at the time, so I biked everywhere, but even at work (at a mall-attached store) there were no bike racks.
Well, there were bike racks halfway across the mall...still, one of the restaurants got pissed at me for locking up to their decorative metal fence outside.
Not exactly bike friendly.

One of the nice things about California is that they are much more bike friendly. Not every place has bike racks, but most places do. That and I haven't had to use my air horn in months. Air horn usage was an everyday thing in the midwest. As well as cursing, screaming, one-fingered gestures...