Biking in the Chicago Area

This is a lens on biking in the Chicago area. I have been biking since my sister got her first bikel Ha! I got my own the next year and rode continuously through the freshman year in college when I misplaced my bike after smoking a cigar! (I got sick and dizzy and walked off forgetting where I left it.) My husband and I each had our own bike when I was married and I always had a bike when I didn't have a car.

I had a hiatus in biking when I first moved to Chicago but made up for it once I got my first bike here. It was a red mountain bike. I bought it the first time my boss said I could make overtime by working on Saturdays. I bought it so I would have reliable transportation to work when the bus wasn't running.

It was a ticket back to possible health that I bought and I am grateful for the decision I made to buy a bike at that time. Biking is a great way to get my aerobics in. I have biked to work consistenty when there was no public transportation to a job at the hour I wanted to go or to come back home. I biked to chemotherapy some days! Biking is my thing. The picture on the right was taken on my cell phone by my friend Helene when I met her for breakfast.

A fun meander north...

The Greenbay Trail is my favorite recreational biking trail. I will ride the trail from Kenilworth to as far north as I can go, have a cup of coffee, and then come around and come back. The route parallels the Metra train. Some of my favorite memories are a Gazebo in Lake Bluff, riding through the sound of a Ravinia concert, seeing the small pint sized stop sign for cyclists when the trail crosses a highway. The picture on the right is of me and was taken by a friend of mine at Oakton and given to me.

Harms Woods

I enjoy riding my bike to the Botanical Gardens. I have riden the Botanical Gardens Trail from Devon in Chicago and back. I think it was on this trail that I came across a huge buck deer that stared me down as I braked to keep from hitting him. He then turned and galloped away. Once I took a brown bag lunch to the gardens, and ate in a gazebo before riding back. The picture of me is a selfie I took riding up the hill at Oakton Community College. There is a bike path that get me to the Botanical Gardens close to Oakton.

Beautiful Scenery

The Chicago Lakefront path is riding at its most scenic. I get on the path on the north side at Hollywood and go as far south as the Museum of Science and Industry. Sometimes, I will just ride as far as Navy Pier if I have to go to the city for something. It is best to ride this path when everybody else is at work! Ha! I love the area around Belmont Harbor. I used to ride my bike there and sit in the park with a friend who stayed in senior housing near the Harbor. In the picture on the right I haven't gotten to the Lake front yet. I ran into a young man i tutor, and asked him to take a picture of me with my cell phone camera. We are at Ridge and Church in Evanston.

The company moved and so did I! Type in 725 Washington, Evanston to see this route.

This was my most challenging bike to work gig. Type in 1722 Lake Wilmette to see this trip.

Here are some videos about biking in the Chicago area.

Chicago is a bike friendly town. I have thought about getting a picture of myself taken at the totem where the couple takes each other's picture. As you can see in the picture below, I almost did!

I have travelled this many times. It brings back many fond memories. The trail goes near Lincoln Park Zoo as well as the lakefront. You have to get off it and go under the Viaducts at Navy Pier. That part is scary the first time.

I recently moved to the Southside of Chicago. I have been taking the Halsted #8 CTA bus for the most part. The Redline goes down the middle of the freeway in this part of town. I was delight to see that there are bike lanes on Halsted this far south. I can't wait to get my flat fixed!

The Kinzie Protected Bike Lane between Milwaukee and Wells was finished in 2011. It was one of the first! You can see in the video below that it is well traversed.

What is your favorite Chicago area bike path?