Sixty Septembers: 07/06/10

My City

Lifted this off of one of my friend's Facebook pages....(thanks, Nita!)....because of its unique vantage point. It was taken from the Columbia Yacht Club in the harbor outside my condo building. My building is the third one left of Lake Point Tower (the building on the right side of the photo.)

I love the view of Lake Michigan and sunrises and Navy Pier and free fireworks displays all summer long.

But this evening shot of my Chicago neighborhood is great!

(Click to enlarge)

BikeLike

I found these photos reading biking blogs and wanted to share them with you. I'm totally in "bikelike" and the affair is growing. I'm biking almost daily, often times around town to do my errands. By "town", I mean my suburban place...too chicken to bike in city traffic.

San Francisco has great bike lanes...I see cyclists in Chicago weaving in and out among the cars and it scares the sh#t outta me...we need these lanes!

And this just makes me scratch my head and go, "Huh?"

Share the Road

I love this San Francisco police training video concerning traffic and bicyclists' rights and responsibilities. I admit ignorance of Chicago's policies, even though I'm active in two bike organizations and have volunteered for bike events in the city.

I'm going to have to find out how ours compare now.

Belated Birthday Wishes to my Sweet Little Character of a Grandson!

And just because, when scrolling back to January posts, I see I was remiss about posting birthday wishes for my darling little grandson, Cayden.......

Happy Third Birthday, last January, Cayden Matthew!

Happy Fifth Birthday, My Dear Granddaughter!

Madison Olivia turns 5 today!

Who could ask for a sweeter granddaughter? I am blessed.

Riding South

Ok, so I usually ride north from my condo along the lakefront path when I'm in the city. Last week I decided to ride south and rode about 6 miles, although I could've continued further. But it was awfully hot and a 12 mile ride was about all I could take in the sun.

South is less populated along the path and an easier ride, as you can let your guard down a little and enjoy the scenery rather than constantly glancing in the rear mirror for riders who come up quickly on your left, many of whom don't know the proper bike etiquette and don't "announce" and then scare the crap out of you. You also aren't continually ringing your bell (yes, I proudly own a bike bell) or yelling "passing on your left" and hoping the people you pass aren't ones who don't speak English, don't know what you are saying, and step to the left right in front of you, causing a nasty spill. Sometimes I get an ulcer riding north.

The key to it all, though, is to take off at 5:30 or 6:00 AM on a weekday and then you pretty much have the path to yourself, except for the more adept bikers who do follow etiquette.

But I'm not often up at that hour. Hell, I was up earlier than that for 32 years. I deserve a break.

(Click photos to enlarge)

South of Museum Campus

Past Soldier Field, the lakeside of McCormick Place

McCormick Place from the path

Tribute to fallen Chicago firefighters

A shady spot to stop behind McCormick

Bikers resting at the water's edge

Gardens behind McCormick Place

People who think the city hasn't natural beauty are people who don't know the city!

A nice, shady section

Bad storm damage along the path

This little guy didn't stand a chance.

Halfway back north to the city

Even during Taste of Chicago in Grant Park, the south beaches are much less crowded than the north. (My building is the first one to the left of Lake Point Tower...)

My favorite resting spot

Be sure to enlarge this one (click it) as it is a great cityscape from the south, with the Sears Tower on the left and the John Hancock building on the right!