Humboldt Park is community area number 23 and sits four miles west of the Loop. Humboldt Park is a community area, a neighborhood and a huge city park, all three named for Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist. The neighborhood extends from Western to Pulaski and from Armitage to Chicago leaving half of the total neighborhood, and half of park in the community area of West Town. The community area begins at Sacramento/Humboldt on the east and is otherwise bordered by rail-lines; the Bloomingdale Line and Street on the north, the Union Pacific at Kinzie on the south and the Belt Railway on the west, just east of Cicero avenue. The area known as West Humboldt Park extends from Pulaski west to the other borders of the community area.

The area is also home to some of the greatest work of some of the most heralded figures in Chicago and American architecture and landscape design, including William Le Baron Jenney, Jens Jensen, William Carbys Zimmerman, Dwight Perkins and Schmidt, Garden & Martin. The area is resplendent with a vibrant palette of murals and community gardens. The tour will explore all of Humboldt Park; the neighborhood, the park, and the community area. We will visit the National Landmark namesake park and all of its buildings and major sculptures, Dwight Perkin’s Moos and Nobel schools, the Paseo Boriqua, and the home-sites of some of Chicago’s most famous figures.

As always the tours are roughly 15 miles and 4 to 5 hours in length, and are completely free.

We are however asking, as we did once last year, that you consider making a donation to our special partner on this ride, West Town Bikes. Please visit the following link and put “HUMBOLDT PARK TOUR” in the space for “Designation” to make a donation in the amount you see fit. West Town Bikes is a jewel in the city of Chicago, and an extremely worthy cause. We hope you will consider helping out if you can.

Donate to West Town Bikes

If you prefer to donate on site, they will be on-hand for bike-checks before their ride with the usual shop-tip cans.


Additionally, there are three research rides, which are as follows:

Research Ride #1 on May 5, 2010 from 4pm to 7pm
Research Ride #2 on May 15, 2010 from 11am to 2pm
Research Ride #3/Pre-Ride on May 20, 2010 from 6pm to 9pm


Here are the remaining rides for the Chicago Bikexposition 2010

June 19, 2010 – East and West Garfield Park
July 25, 2010 – Near West Side
August 22, 2010 – Lincoln Park
September 19, 2010 – Bridgeport and Armor Square
October 24, 2010 – Norwood Park