Vida

A couple weeks ago after partying at Grovefest the night before with VIP passes, which included free alcohol, we pulled ourselves out of bed in the morning for one of a Connecting St. Louis Ride.  And we did not regret the decision. We all met on our bikes in our neighborhood, made several stops a developments, hearing mostly positive, but also some realistic views on what some large developments cost people.  We ventured west, north and downtown before wrapping up the ride back in our neighborhood at the brewery that's slated to open in the next few weeks (yet we've already been there multiple times for parties they've had over the summer).   We rode in the existing bike structure in St. Louis and learned about future plans.  It was a pretty lovely morning!

Let me set the scene.  Monday was President's Day, both Mike & I had the day off work and it was 60 degrees in February.  Once Mike peeled himself out of bed from his recovery from the Auto Show.  (He was there for 12 hours and a little sore on Monday...)  I suggested a bike ride.  There's a sign by us that says Chicago River North Branch 1 1/4 miles.  Neither of us were familiar with it so we thought we go check it out. First we started with empanadas from Cafe Tola.  Yum! As we sat there we realized the 1 1/4 miles note didn't make any sense.  There is a Chicago River North Branch that is mostly in the suburbs and the furthest south it goes is Lawrence... was that it? That's definitely more than 1 1/4 miles north of us.   We still don't know what that sign is referring to, but we ended up on the Chicago River North Branch and it was lovely.  A nice relaxing bike ride.   We made it up to Skokie and decided to tu...

Of course I'm following the story of the bicyclist who was hit by a flat bed truck and killed Tuesday morning on Milwaukee Avenue.  It made me cry when I first read about it (although I think I'm starting to become more of a crier).  Milwaukee is one of the few Chicago streets I actually feel felt like I could let my guard down just a little bit. I read a comment that stated: " The city absolutely needs to be held accountable for their negligence in failing to protect both cyclists and motorists. The array of construction projects on Milwaukee have eaten away at the bike lane and often there is no adequate signage or markings provided to indicate where cyclists are entitled to ride. I ride this stretch every day and it's terribly unsafe during commuting hours. This was entirely preventable, and a tragedy for both the dead cyclist and the driver of the vehicle who has to bear the guilt of this accident." I get the outrage from bikers.  (Today one smashed the ...

I've written about this before, but biking Milwaukee Avenue is such a different experience for me, I feel like I need to again. I was heading to my sister date with my sister in Logan Square and we both had our bikes at work so we decided to bike straight there. First of all, Milwaukee has such a great bike infrastructure, it'll spoil you quick.  On the way home, we did not take Milwaukee and the contrast was strong. While making my way through Wicker Park one of the drivers pulled up next to the pack of bikers at a red light and said, "you guys are tough." The other bikers ignored him.  I glanced over.  "I don't usually even drive in the city.  It's crazy."  I smiled.  The other bikers still ignored him.  (They must have been focused on the light.) As we past North Avenue I felt like I was in a little pack (lights will do that) and I started to size them up.  I was with three other bikers, they all looked like regulars, two especiall...

And the most bicycle-friendly city in the world goes to: Copenhagen! About 50% of residents commute by bicycle every day in Copenhagen. By comparison in the U.S., about 6% of Portland residents and about 4% of Minneapolis residents commute by bicycle. These cities are considered two of the most enlightened American cities when it comes to bicycling and yet the U.S. trails far behind our European counterparts. ( via ) 50%!   50%! Read more on how Copenhagen surpassed Amsterdam  here:  How Copenhagen Became A Cycling Paradise By Considering The Full Cost Of Cars . ( via ) Looking around Portland, I thought it was a bikers paradise.  I can't begin to imagine the bike structure of Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Dear Chicago: First step, have cars stop parking (with their flashers on or otherwise) in the bike lanes. Thanks.

As summer (slowly) approaches, it's time to talk about the current state of the bike path.  Messy. At Fullerton , it sounds like it will be better in the end, but they started ripping things up and blocking things off in the fall.  From my peeks through the fencing it seems they've made very little progress.  Once summer hits, it's going to be a disaster.  I can honestly only imagine at this point. Completion date:  summer 2016 ugh At Ohio, they've also had the main path blocked off for the flyover bridge since last spring.  They did reopen a portion of it a couple months ago, but it's still pretty bad (and a bit unsafe).  This will be a disaster...again.  Maybe it won't be as bad as summer 2014...? Completion date:  2018 We can only hope for the best, but I imagine I will be taking streets on my commute home a lot this summer... I really hope they have a plan for the summer crowds...

I had another minor bike accident.  More minor than the last minor bike accident. I'm really only upset that I ripped my favorite kakis and that someone watched me fall...again. Honestly, I had sort-of a bad feeling the entire ride home.  Buses kept cutting me off.  Cars kept getting into my area (especially cabs).  I just felt rather unsafe. The best part I texted my sister, Karen, to tell her I ripped my pants and she left me a voicemail to see if she needed to bring me bandages.  This is one reason I love her.  After my last minor bike accident I walked with an open wound to trivia night until Karen got there, checked out my wounds and headed over to Walgreens to get my bandages.  Before coming back to trivia night to put on all the bandages. Yes, she takes care of me. I did not need bandages this time, but I'm still real sad about my pants... :( p.s. Please be nice, cars.

As everyone is talking about right now...it's cold.  Like January cold...in November.  Tuesday I honestly don't think we hit 20.  Le Sigh. I haven't yet given in to the freezing temps...I'm still biking to/from work.  I add the from designation because on the way to work, the sun is out, it's not too bad.  The ride home, when the sun has set, is when it seems a bit stupid. I layer. I wear jeans over my tights. And wool socks over the tights. One heavy duty pair of mittens on the way in.  Gloves and mittens home. Hat. Scarf. Real winter coat (which I've never worn this early before). My tips of my fingers still get cold.  What do I do? No, I seriously don't know the answer.  If you have any suggestions for biking in the extreme cold, please share! I have -30 degree gloves on my Christmas list.  Do they make those? My 16 ⁰ ride to work this morning almost felt warm...maybe I'm acclimating.   Doubt it. I did take the bu...

Chicago bikers are amazing. A few years ago I discovered when it's super windy, bikers will line up on the path to create a wind block.  It took a bit for me to get the hang of this, but now I follow suit all the time. Especially on days like today with a SUPER strong headwind. Chicago has a pretty great biking community.  I was in a line of 4 people and I'm pretty sure no one knew each other.

Yesterday after work I biked straight to Ukrainian Village to meet up with a friend for dinner at Bite Cafe, which was delcious, but what I really want to talk about was how damn fine biking on Milwaukee was; it's probably the finest road I've ever biked on! First of all it was packed.  Bike to work:  represent!  We were literally biking in pairs (and there was room to while still feeling safe!).  That bike lane was NO JOKE! Yes, my friends, Milwaukee has the little lights especially for bikers that I raved about in Austria! The ride was smooth!  I didn't miss you for one second, potholes. I even got to Bite Cafe way earlier than I expected!  Win! And not only was the ride lovely, the weather was absolutely perfect.   Note:  I biked from it's start at Kinzie to Augustus.

July 1 Me:  Have you guys heard about the red divvy bike thing? Combination of Meredith & Justine:  What are you talking about? Me:  If you find the red divvy bike you get a prize or something.  Anyway I saw it today.  What do I do to win? M&J:  Did you tweet it? Me:  No. M&J:  Tweet that photo immediately. Me:  I didn't take a photo. M&J: You didn't take a photo!?!?  Girl, you're out of luck. Me:  Well I saw it today around noon at State & Ohio, just so you know. You bet I'll be looking July 8th (win Pitchfork Tickets).  But now you all know in case you see the red divvy bike...take a photo.

Alright all you Chicago bikers out there:  Bike to Work week officially begins Friday. It runs Friday, June 13-Friday June 20. Let's get out there and bike! Although, maybe just to work.  The path is already getting crazy, insane on the ride home.  The ride to work is so calm and lovely and then everyone has a long day, there are tons of people at the beach walking on the path with no care in the world, this creates anger and the path becomes angry and aggressive. Clearly I'm kidding.  You should bike home too... just try to have some more patience and please stay alert. That's all I'll say. Let's have a fun, safe week, everyone!

How was your Memorial Day weekend? Oh my goodness, so lovely!  My parents came in town on Saturday and Sunday and the weather was beautiful!  Amiright Chicagoans?!? We had a great time just hanging out and spending time together, but we did cross some restaurants off my "want to try" list.  (Which is mostly in my head ;) )  And nothing disappointed, it was all delicious and we all enjoyed the vibes!! * Lula Cafe (Logan Square) website If you go here soon, I recommend the corn cake pancakes with rhubarb something syrup.  So good!  And you can get a half order to share amongst the table!  (That's what we did.) *! Bang Bang! Pie & Biscuits  (Logan Square) website  (I had the Key Lime!!!) * Coalfire (Ukrainian Village) website We also went for a bike ride Sunday morning.  If you live anywhere near Lakeshore Drive, you probably know Sunday morning the Drive was closed for Bike the Drive, which is a grea...

On Saturday we had some snow...pretty much all day. I had lots of Christmas errands to run considering how far behind I am on Christmas things!  The decision was conquering the snow Saturday or waiting for very cold temps Sunday.  Cue: Riding through the snow/slush/ice on a bike with two wheels On the streets I go, braking all the way Slush covering me and soaked socks All to get some Christmas gifts before the temperature drops. Now snow can be frustrating: Then (circa 1990): yep, i'm hanging out on my dad's back i think karen's giving snow a taste yep, i was even stubborn at 3.  don't tell me i can't do something... FUN!  

Ok peeps.  I saw this one shirt in the threadless window on my walk to Next Door last week and I laughed out loud.  (one of the many things i stay extra alert for when biking.) ( via ) So it inspired a biking T shirt round-up.  Because I love my biking shirts ;) Yes, I've admired this one for ... a long time. ( via ) Awww... isn't this one adorable. I've only tried to ride a tandem bike once.. with Karen... when I was in grade school... we were not big enough for the bike... it did not go well. ( via ) A bit more of a statement ( via ) I could keep going because there are SO many... so many, but I will stop now.   I loved a couple weeks ago when I mentioned my car to a friend and she paused and said, "Wait, since when do you have a car?  You always ride your bike." Nicest compliment ever? p.s. My dad sent me this article on the best bike paths in the U.S.  Chicago's #8!   The picture for the Denver one looks beaut...

A few years ago there was a bike sharing program in Chicago.  Then it disappeared.  Not exactly sure why, but, I mean, I didn't seem to be that popular. Then a few weeks ago Divvy happened.  I don't know what Divvy is doing differently, but it is a hit.  It's everywhere.  And I also see their bikes out everywhere (they're easy to spot). Divvy is the new bike sharing system in Chicago.  (They're the blue bikes with lights flashing on the front.)  I haven't rented one myself, as that wouldn't make much sense since I have my own bike, but I heard some renters (they happened to be tourists) say they are definitely meant to be commuter bikes, not road bikes because they're heavy.  Which makes sense because that's exactly the market they're going for... commuters.  I don't work downtown so I don't know if a lot of commuters are actually using them, but I do know a lot of tourists are using them for sure. ( via ) Divvy is operated by...

Last week at volunteering we did a once around where everyone shared their favorite thing about spring.  Yes, I made it up.  It's because we were making butterflies.   Annnd maybe it had something to do with the fact that I'm over winter. So many people said they're excited for spring so they can ride their bikes again.   In honor of them and since I'm pretty much over winter let's talk about biking and especially the new bike lanes downtown! ( via ) I think that statement is a stretch, but every little bit helps and the bike lanes downtown are really nice.  You can read a bit more about the addition here via nbc .  (it always takes a bit for people to adjust to change) While this is very exciting, bikers need to be careful on the city streets.  Come on friends, let's not be stupid.  When you act like you rule the road, cars are going to dislike you and it's highly possible they will take their anger out on a different biker.   ...

It's been some week over here.  I hope you've had a lovely one! Today my intention in yoga was open-mindedness.  I'm usually a pretty open-minded person, but that probably wouldn't fit my state of mind this week, but any who... try to be open minded while I get all this out.  (There might not be much of a theme today... bare with me) Sunday night while I was out with friends one of them showed us her 2013 horoscope.  Do you believe in horoscopes?  Honestly, I don't.  But they sure do make you feel better and hopeful about the future.  Wednesday night I decided I wanted to see my yearly horoscope too... let's see if it comes true: Exciting things will be happening within the home and family in 2013. Now other family members may be more thrilled about new opportunities in this area than you, at least initially, but your domestic life is changing and it would be easier for you if you could drum up some enthusiasm too. Because changes ar...

I mentioned last week that my trips to the lake always relax me and help me return to a normal person. Today I used one of my other tactics to calm down... biking! I found this at my old job when I was an avid bike commuter.  Today I biked to the hospital I was working in.  It is in a bit of a sketchy area... to quote my contact at the hosptial once she found out I biked:  "you are a brave, brave soul."  I didn't have any real problems.  A couple Mexican men yelled at me (I wouldn't say rudely), but I am familiar with this because of Mexico. The bike ride home was what I needed!  It helped me return to a normal person and relax. What do you do when you need to relax?  I really think it's different for everyone.  You just have to figure out what works for you.

Check this out! They repainted Halsted between Diversey & Wellington and it is nice!   Can you see the dashes on the right side of the bike lane?  That's for car doors so it's not as easy to get doored!   And the path is spacious.   And notice the extra space on the left of the lane. Yes, it's only about 4 blocks, but it's the best 4 blocks I've ridden in the city! Today I'm thankful for legit bike lanes! Keep 'em coming!