WASHINGTON —  Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (search) enjoyed a quiet day off the campaign trail on the Sunday before Memorial Day, riding a bicycle through the city's Georgetown neighborhood that he calls home.

Kerry waved and greeted a group of reporters who had been called together to watch him ride by.

Afterward, the Massachusetts senator planned to attend evening Mass at a Roman Catholic church in Georgetown (search).

In celebration of Monday's holiday in remembrance of those who died serving the country, Kerry was to fly to Portsmouth, Va., to participate in the city's 120th annual Memorial Day parade.

The visit to Virginia would be Kerry's first since his campaign announced last week that he would begin advertising there, despite the state's solid record of voting for Republican presidential candidates.

Campaign aides say population shifts over the past few years have made Virginia more attractive to Democrats. They also say Kerry — a decorated Vietnam veteran — can appeal to voters along the Virginia coast, where there is a heavy military presence in such places as Portsmouth and Norfolk.