How many of you know about Carfree Chicago?

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Permalink Reply by payton on June 12, 2009 at 10:15pm

nope, doubt they're related as Lee doesn't have family around here. Lee was my coworker for several years, not Sarah K's :)

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Permalink Reply by Dottie on June 13, 2009 at 10:11am

Great site! I've never heard of it before, but I'll sign up and contribute if I get any ideas.

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Permalink Reply by Lee Crandell on June 16, 2009 at 9:23pm

MARK -- thanks for plugging carfreechicago.com! And I've taken your advice and added a Contact link to the menu.

I could definitely use some more contributors and content, so please do sign up and post whenever you have something to share, and let me know if you have other ideas for the site. I just recently had someone new post a few excursions -- perhaps it was someone who saw this thread? I had originally planned on posting more often and recruiting a few people to help, but I hadn't had as much time as I thought I would, so I'd certainly appreciate if people are willing to help fill the gaps.

The original point of the site was to share ideas for trips and any other information that might be of interest to transit fans and pedestrian advocates. Since there's already a great bike community in Chicago, I've left the biking stuff to sites like this.

I think it would be a shame if only self-sufficient/independent people felt comfortable with going carfree. Not everyone is willing to or comfortable with straying from the "norm" of driving -- so I'm trying to use carfree chicago to make it a little less intimidating for people who may be used to driving, to help normalize the idea that you can live well without a car by increasing the visibility of carfree living, and to simply celebrate the joys of walking, biking and transit.

For some inspiration from another city, check out http://offmanhattan.com. I'm really jealous of their Weekend Getaways. I really haven't found any good weekend getaways near Chicago yet, so if anyone knows of any, do post them! I've been holding on to the belief that there must be a great beach town right on the Amtrak in Michigan that would make a nice escape from the big city. I've read a little bit about New Buffalo (interesting article here), but I'm reluctant to book a trip without knowing a little more about what to expect on foot after getting off the train. Perhaps others are more adventurous than I. The quote from the mayor in that article is great though! "You've got a million people there [Chicago] who don't have cars who can now get on the train at Union Station and be steps away from the beautiful beaches of New Buffalo."

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