Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by DonRay A.K.A. Zesty on July 2, 2009 at 7:32am

thanks Lauren...well - thanks all except IGGIE!
that's what i was looking for - I didn't know if i should just go from 51 to King or take drexel up, then drexel kind of ends and that was throwing me off. I didn't want to take the LFP because i thought some zig zag way leading me northwest would be faster.
IGGIE - i threw everything out, sorry man.
z~

lauren sailor said:

hyde park to logan square has been my route to nookie more times than i can count. i think i got this. there are simpler routes, but i think the zig-zags liven things up a bit.

1. take 51st west to Drexel.
2. go north on Drexel until either Oakwood (if you prefer bike lanes, albeit with plenty of bumps, nice old houses and tree-lined streets) or 43rd (a bit smoother, not much car traffic, kinda barren, wide lanes but no bike markings). i prefer oakwood, but it does entail either a short sidewalk-jog around a fountain, or cutting over a block early.
3. go west on Oakwood (or 43rd) to King Drive
4. north on King until 35th
5. west on 35th two short blocks to Giles
6. north on Giles to 33rd
7. west on 33rd to Halsted (i posit that 33rd is the absolute best east-west cross through the bridgeport/bronzeville area. it has slower/less traffic than both 31 and 35, and it has a marked sharrow. 31st is kinda desolate, while 35th has plenty of activity but not necessarily the kind you'd want to ride your bike through. 33rd, on the other hand, has a lot of tree-lined, residential, IIT-campus kinda riding.)
8. north on Halsted to Milwaukee/Grand
9. NW on Milwaukee to Logan Square

going TO hyde park i wouldn't bother with the 35th/Giles leg, opting instead for 33rd to King. but if you're northbound, it's a lot easier to make a left turn onto 35th (major intersection, marked turn lane) instead of 33rd (when you'd potentially have to make a quick merge left across 4 lanes of speedy King Drive motorists). the short ride up Giles from 35th to 33rd is pretty and residential.

OH and if you just need to get to the loop, forget going west to halsted. take king drive north past the convention center, where king will curve west into cermack (2200 S). go west on cermack until you find the most convenient street for going north on (depending on your loop destination).

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Permalink Reply by lauren sailor on July 2, 2009 at 7:49am

don't get me wrong, King is great! but it's nice to take Drexel while you can: calmer, smoother, wider (though if you're riding on a sunday morning, expect plenty of churchgoers to be double-parked in the bike lane).

the transition from Drexel to Oakwood is easy if you hop on the sidewalk by the fountain at the north end of Drexel Blvd (map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2969227 This way does have curb cuts [aka ramps] but it probably won't be free of snow/ice in the winter)
or, like i said, you can cut over a block early like so: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2969236 (this was a part of last year's CBF Boulevard Lakefront Tour, so you may notice little greenish yellow "BLT" markings. those marks usually make me feel hungry...)

if speed is your biggest concern, you can probably go faster on the LFP (unless you have a headwind) since you won't get stopped by traffic as much. the lake path isn't the shortest mileage, though. when i lived in HP, my route decision of lakefront versus city streets was often determined by which way the wind was blowing. nothing beats a tailwind on the lake path!

DonRay A.K.A. Zesty said:

thanks Lauren...well - thanks all except IGGIE!
that's what i was looking for - I didn't know if i should just go from 51 to King or take drexel up, then drexel kind of ends and that was throwing me off. I didn't want to take the LFP because i thought some zig zag way leading me northwest would be faster. IGGIE - i threw everything out, sorry man. z~

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Permalink Reply by Brian Bird on July 2, 2009 at 5:42pm

Here's my suggestion:

King Drive north to Roosevelt Road. Left on Roosevelt going west to Halsted Avenue. Right on Halsted going north to Diversey Avenue. Left on Diversey going west to Logan Boulevard (just after going over the bridge crossing the Chicago River's north branch). Left on Logan Boulevard going southwest, then west under the Kennedy and you ride the final 1-2 miles to Logan Square.

I think you can incorporate a Milwaukee Avenue trip between the respective Halsted and Diversey stretchs if you wish.

I personally like the Greektown stop-and-go. I've seen some of the best free Chicago street-theatre on that portion of the route courtesy of those weekend warriors coming in from the 'burbs.

Safe trip to you!

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Permalink Reply by payton on August 17, 2009 at 2:37pm

Lauren, great minds think alike. Actually, they don't, but your route is pretty much mine -- did Terry Clark have anything to do with that? Anyhow, I discovered Drexel after I got sick of lakefront headwinds.

That said, I've done Woodlawn to Bucktown in 40 minutes with a tailwind on the path. Here's how to cut across the Loop:
- exit the path just before the river and go through the "tunnel" with the tile mural of Chicago history
- west on the riverwalk to the Michigan Ave bridge
- run up the stairs to go north on Lower Michigan
- turn left for west on Kinzie
- turn right/northwest on Milwaukee at the chocolate factory

If you want to avoid Halsted through Greektown, you can cut over to Morgan or Loomis (anywhere from Pilsen north to UIC).

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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 18, 2009 at 12:07am

Was hyde park cheaper than da square? Or is that your exit stage left to warmer climes before the winter beast breathes down your neck?

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Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on February 5, 2011 at 10:14am

With the recent snow taking the LFP out of commission for a little bit -- more snow to come!! great!! -- I'm glad I remembered this thread.  I'll be riding to the Loop, and am thinking that going north on State will be the best bet for me, once I pass the convention center and am on Cermak.  Anyone have any recommendations?  (I eventually want to end up at Randolph and Franklin.)

Great directions, Lauren.

lauren sailor said:

hyde park to logan square has been my route to nookie more times than i can count. i think i got this. there are simpler routes, but i think the zig-zags liven things up a bit.

1. take 51st west to Drexel.
2. go north on Drexel until either Oakwood (if you prefer bike lanes, albeit with plenty of bumps, nice old houses and tree-lined streets) or 43rd (a bit smoother, not much car traffic, kinda barren, wide lanes but no bike markings). i prefer oakwood, but it does entail either a short sidewalk-jog around a fountain, or cutting over a block early.
3. go west on Oakwood (or 43rd) to King Drive
4. north on King until 35th
5. west on 35th two short blocks to Giles
6. north on Giles to 33rd
7. west on 33rd to Halsted (i posit that 33rd is the absolute best east-west cross through the bridgeport/bronzeville area. it has slower/less traffic than both 31 and 35, and it has a marked sharrow. 31st is kinda desolate, while 35th has plenty of activity but not necessarily the kind you'd want to ride your bike through. 33rd, on the other hand, has a lot of tree-lined, residential, IIT-campus kinda riding.)
8. north on Halsted to Milwaukee/Grand
9. NW on Milwaukee to Logan Square

going TO hyde park i wouldn't bother with the 35th/Giles leg, opting instead for 33rd to King. but if you're northbound, it's a lot easier to make a left turn onto 35th (major intersection, marked turn lane) instead of 33rd (when you'd potentially have to make a quick merge left across 4 lanes of speedy King Drive motorists). the short ride up Giles from 35th to 33rd is pretty and residential.

OH and if you just need to get to the loop, forget going west to halsted. take king drive north past the convention center, where king will curve west into cermack (2200 S). go west on cermack until you find the most convenient street for going north on (depending on your loop destination).

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