The Chainlink

Out of town chainlinker ideas....

I am coming to town for Bike The Drive with three ladies this weekend. I have in the past rode on many streets, but am a little worried about one the ladies as they are not used to riding in traffic. We are staying in River North, and I have checked bike maps. It looks like we can get to the Lake Front Path on Illinois. Also I think Wells has a bike lane for on our return trip. Do these routes seem good?

I was hoping to do Critical Mass, but there is an extra Friday so we will miss it. Would we be better off heading North Friday evening, or South? Any biker friendly pubs or restaurants we should try and hit? Thanks for the info!

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Permalink Reply by JeffB on May 20, 2013 at 11:30am
Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 20, 2013 at 11:37am

Or better yet, take a ride down the Dearborn Protected Bike Lane to Monroe. East on Monroe gets you right to the starting point. On the way back, take Jackson to Michigan to Adams to Dearborn.

Gives you a change to firsthand experience the Dearborn PBL both ways and see if it is worth all the hubbub.

At time of day, there should little traffic on the streets downtown.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on May 20, 2013 at 11:42am

Depending on where you are staying in River North you might consider taking State Street to Wacker Drive and then taking the ramp from the northeast corner of State and Wacker down to the Riverwalk.  The Riverwalk connects to the Lake Front Path on the south side of the river.  It is pleasant, and you would avoid the ride over the river on lower Lake Shore Drive.  Of course if you are planning to arrive at 5:30, or even as late as 7:30, you will see little traffic no matter where you go.

The Riverwalk to State would not be a bad way to go back, either.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on May 20, 2013 at 11:43am

As others have mentioned, there will be zero issues with traffic and streets when you start. by the time you get kicked off Lake Shore Drive, around 930 am you will still be fine as its early on a Sunday morning. As far as places to go, Chicago is a big city with lots of great places to eat and entertain.  You have to use your own tastes and desires as a starting place. In general the area where you are staying is great for access to Bike The Drive.  The entertainment and food options nearby are the same ones tourists flock to and may not tell you much about Chicago.  After all, how different is Hard Rock Cafe Chicago from the ones anywhere else.  This is not 100% accurate but generally true.  Once you figure out what you like, escape to a neighborhood for something more local and colorful. That being said, the public places in Chicago, such as Millennium Park, museums etc, are worth checking out. Have fun.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on May 20, 2013 at 12:02pm

I second the recommendation to get out of the River North tourist trap.

 

If you're worried about how comfortable one of your friends is going to be with traffic, the lake front path is truly beautiful despite the bashing it gets on the Chainlink for being full of clueless pedestrians and rollerbladers. If you won't have time to Bike the entire Drive, it would be nice to take a ride on the lakefront path in whichever direction you won't be Biking the Drive. A nice Friday evening ride might be to head south on the path toward Hyde Park to get a beer at the Woodlawn Tap, somewhat of a local UChicago institution, on 55th St. I believe the stretch of 55th around that bar now has protected bike lanes as well, which could be interesting to check out. I don't think they extend to connect with the lakefront, but it's a fairly calm street anyway.

 

A more "exciting" Friday night might take you northwest up Milwaukee, toward Wicker Park or further to Logan Square. In both neighborhoods there will be throngs of young people out on the streets, etc. Be warned that, despite its reputation as a biking thoroughfare, Milwaukee is a little tight between Division and North; I usually just ride slow as there is not a ton of room between you and the parked cars. Also, there is some road construction happening on Milwaukee just north of the loop that may be unpleasant.

Permalink Reply by Mark Newald on May 20, 2013 at 12:15pm

Thanks for all the great tips! I am from Michigan, and bike commute to work. I love the Chainlink, and have gotten many great ideas.

I was thinking of Friday night and Saturday riding to Lincoln Park or somewhere else North. I think we would all love exploring Old Town, Ravenswood, etc. That was why I was looking at Wells as a good route North.

Being from a smaller town, you can not believe how awesome it is for me to ride in Chicago. Really a rush. I pass on the touristy stuff, and love the neighborhoods.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 20, 2013 at 12:19pm

Mark-

Bring U-Locks. Chicago's a big city and not a cable lock kind of town. ;-)

Mark Newald said:

Thanks for all the great tips! I am from Michigan, and bike commute to work. I love the Chainlink, and have gotten many great ideas.

I was thinking of Friday night and Saturday riding to Lincoln Park or somewhere else North. I think we would all love exploring Old Town, Ravenswood, etc. That was why I was looking at Wells as a good route North.

Being from a smaller town, you can not believe how awesome it is for me to ride in Chicago. Really a rush. I pass on the touristy stuff, and love the neighborhoods.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on May 20, 2013 at 12:28pm

As mentioned, Wells is not a two-way street until Superior.  You can go one block west to Franklin and take it to Superior to get to Wells.  Unfortunately, north of Chicago Avenue the Wells bike lane is a mess because of some construction from last year.  Then when you get a bit north of the construction--starting at about Schiller--you are in the "restaurant zone" on Wells where there seems to be a valet parking stand every 20 feet and a lot of clueless people opening doors into the bike lane.

Clark actually has a pretty nice buffered bike lane both ways starting at Oak north to North Avenue. 

If you want to go to Lincoln Park, head over to the park that starts north of North Avenue and meander along the various paths until you get to the general vicinity of where you want to be.  Then you can find a side street to take you west.

Mark Newald said:

Thanks for all the great tips! I am from Michigan, and bike commute to work. I love the Chainlink, and have gotten many great ideas.

I was thinking of Friday night and Saturday riding to Lincoln Park or somewhere else North. I think we would all love exploring Old Town, Ravenswood, etc. That was why I was looking at Wells as a good route North.

Being from a smaller town, you can not believe how awesome it is for me to ride in Chicago. Really a rush. I pass on the touristy stuff, and love the neighborhoods.

Permalink Reply by JeffB on May 20, 2013 at 1:49pm

Yeah, skip Wells.  Its not good biking in Old Town.  I agree that you should take Clark instead.

A good recommendation right on the border between Old Town and Lincoln Park is Perrenial Virant for dinner and J Parker for drinks.  Both in the Hotel Lincoln, where Clark, Lincoln and Wells meet. Great food in the restaurant, and J Parker is on the roof with one of the best views in the city.



Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

As mentioned, Wells is not a two-way street until Superior.  You can go one block west to Franklin and take it to Superior to get to Wells.  Unfortunately, north of Chicago Avenue the Wells bike lane is a mess because of some construction from last year.  Then when you get a bit north of the construction--starting at about Schiller--you are in the "restaurant zone" on Wells where there seems to be a valet parking stand every 20 feet and a lot of clueless people opening doors into the bike lane.

Clark actually has a pretty nice buffered bike lane both ways starting at Oak north to North Avenue. 

...

Mark Newald said:

Thanks for all the great tips! I am from Michigan, and bike commute to work. I love the Chainlink, and have gotten many great ideas.

I was thinking of Friday night and Saturday riding to Lincoln Park or somewhere else North. I think we would all love exploring Old Town, Ravenswood, etc. That was why I was looking at Wells as a good route North. ...

Permalink Reply by David P. on May 20, 2013 at 3:55pm

If you're open to roaming a little further, go up to Andersonville and, say, Hopleaf. I really like Andersonville and Hopleaf is terrific, though on a weekend night you will have quite a wait. There are plenty of other options up there. From River North, take the Lakefront Path - Clark is packed with crazy taxi drivers and oblivious people on weekend nights between roughly Armitage and Racine.

Permalink Reply by Mark Newald on May 21, 2013 at 7:24am

Thanks again. I was worried about the bike locks, so I may need to pick up a U-lock. We have cables, and our bikes are full carbon frames. Looking forward to a Chicago weekend.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on May 21, 2013 at 8:41am

Mark, if you need any more incentive to get at least U-locks, read this:  http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/public-service-announcemen...

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