The Chainlink

The daily commute

I'd like to propose a new topic of discussion where we can relate interesting experiences about our commute to and from work. Here's my first entry: 

My bike commute is along the LFT from roughly Foster Ave to downtown and back along the same route.

On my ride home this evening, I passed a bunch of geese just south of Randolph, some of whom had the effrontery to be in the path as I was approaching. I quacked at them, as I normally do. I run into them frequently in this area.  One of them turned his head and looked in my direction. I felt vindicated.

Moments later, I passed a few police officers by the cul de sac at Randolph. I quacked at them too. One of them, who was talking on his cell phone, turned and looked toward me. I pedaled as fast as my little feet could turn the crank. Tense seconds passed, but I was able to get away with it without being stopped. I was lucky (this time). But believe me, I won't be foolish enough to pull that stunt again.

Just after that, I saw a guy with a plastic rear milk basket on his bike as I was reaching the river bridge, which had a 12 pack of Pabst in it. Now this is significant in relation to this article, which I had just read this morning. As I passed him, I told him I prefer Old Style. He turned his head toward me, but I didn't slow down to discuss our beer preferences, as I had other priorities to deal with at the time. 

As an aside, as I mentioned in a previous post, there's heavy construction equipment in DuSable Park and I noticed beams on the ground nearby that looked an awful lot like the superstructure meant to span the bridge for the expanded LFT over the river. I had to pinch myself. 

I swear on a stack of bibles (old testament) that everything stated above is true to the best of my recollection, your honor. 

The weather has turned brisk lately, and the days are getting shorter, making it harder to find the motivation to pedal into work. These true life stories, about life in the big city, make it a little easier.

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Permalink Reply by Ernesto Lube on October 18, 2018 at 10:28am

The commute this morning was sort of boring - Dearborn was just meh. No cars in the bike lane, pedestrians being legit. I had to run an errand all the way to the Gold Coast. Did I lock my bike ok?

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on October 20, 2018 at 4:32pm

No, you forgot to remove the bike seat. We deduct points for that sort of thing. I hope it was still there when you returned. 

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on October 18, 2018 at 1:36pm

Madison ave was a bike lane before it became a bus lane. I still rode it to work. The bus drivers were considerate. Nowadays, some drivers are getting aggressive with me much to the chagrin of their passengers as they buzz me way too close. Not easy being green and healthy.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on October 20, 2018 at 9:50am

Well that's where you need to don your Spiderman outfit and leap on top of the bus. Then lower the bike rack as you descend in front of the windshield and adroitly mount your bike on top of it. Feel free to stick your tongue out at the bus driver, if the impulse overwhelms you. But don't make any offensive hand gestures, that would be tacky. A concluding smile and wink would be the icing as you wave to the stunned driver and passengers.

I'm quite certain someone will video this and you will be world famous once it goes viral. I'm sure it will inspire copycat stunts, and you can take some satisfaction knowing that bus drivers are gonna think twice before buzzing any cyclists again.

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