but are awesome to know about! I rode for many years without knowing about it, now I tell everyone.

Last night I rode my favorite 'secret street', Prairie Ave., it winds it's way from Wilmette down thru Skokie/Lincolnwood all the way down to Devon Ave. It's a nice alternative to the Greenbay/Sheridan rut we Way Northsiders ride day in and out. From this route there is a way to link over to Elston (it's a bit complicated, I will map that out later!)

Maybe this secret street will take you further than you think!

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/il/wilmette/400123810953910161

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My favorite is the "The Shoot" or "The Chute" downtown. I never really found out a correct spelling...

-Ali
I don't think so. It is the access road that runs from lower Wacker to 26th street behind the Art Institute and underneath McCormick Place. Actually it would be a cool place to do "sprint races"...

-Ali

h3 said:
Ali said:
My favorite is the "The Shoot" or "The Chute" downtown. I never really found out a correct spelling...

-Ali
Is this a reference to the Plymouth Court S. Loop passage?
Now that would be an "underground" race i would attend. How can you find it?

Ali said:
I don't think so. It is the access road that runs from lower Wacker to 26th street behind the Art Institute and underneath McCormick Place. Actually it would be a cool place to do "sprint races"...

-Ali

h3 said:
Ali said:
My favorite is the "The Shoot" or "The Chute" downtown. I never really found out a correct spelling...

-Ali
Is this a reference to the Plymouth Court S. Loop passage?
You will just have to wait until we can have a race to know where it is...

-Ali

alex said:
Now that would be an "underground" race i would attend. How can you find it?

Ali said:
I don't think so. It is the access road that runs from lower Wacker to 26th street behind the Art Institute and underneath McCormick Place. Actually it would be a cool place to do "sprint races"...

-Ali

h3 said:
Ali said:
My favorite is the "The Shoot" or "The Chute" downtown. I never really found out a correct spelling...

-Ali
Is this a reference to the Plymouth Court S. Loop passage?
Ali said:
I don't think so. It is the access road that runs from lower Wacker to 26th street behind the Art Institute and underneath McCormick Place. Actually it would be a cool place to do "sprint races"...
I believe that's technically a bus-only route, or am I in the wrong place?
Hubbard street west of the river to Western.
It's a very quiet street w/train tracks along one side for a lot of it. It's mostly industrial which means not a lot of general traffic, although occasionally you have to watch out for some truck pulling into/out of a dock.
It's far better than riding on Grand.

That being said, I did have my worst accident on this section. Ended up w/a concussion, so I have no memory, but somehow I ran into the back of a parked 80's Suburban, taking out the back door. Thankfully I wear a helmet.
Nope that ain't it. You have to squeeze through by a gate and there is hardly any cars there. It's an access road that hardly ever has a car there. It's about 5 miles long...

-Ali

Homebuilt said:
Ali said:
I don't think so. It is the access road that runs from lower Wacker to 26th street behind the Art Institute and underneath McCormick Place. Actually it would be a cool place to do "sprint races"...
I believe that's technically a bus-only route, or am I in the wrong place?
Ali said:
I don't think so. It is the access road that runs from lower Wacker to 26th street behind the Art Institute and underneath McCormick Place. Actually it would be a cool place to do "sprint races"...

That's the McCormick Place Busway intended to carry bus passengers from downtown hotels to the McCormick Place conventions (you know, instead of that more efficient rail line that runs the same length).

Sprints have been done there before.
Anne- This is great information, thanks for starting this discussion!
Hubbard is a well hidden secret, and you get to check out some old murals, too. i just say watch out for them potholes. because its not a highly driven street, seems department of streets has forgotten about it.

Homebuilt said:
Hubbard street west of the river to Western.
It's a very quiet street w/train tracks along one side for a lot of it. It's mostly industrial which means not a lot of general traffic, although occasionally you have to watch out for some truck pulling into/out of a dock.
It's far better than riding on Grand.

That being said, I did have my worst accident on this section. Ended up w/a concussion, so I have no memory, but somehow I ran into the back of a parked 80's Suburban, taking out the back door. Thankfully I wear a helmet.
As long as you're trespassing on McPier property (the busway), remember that you are legally allowed to bring your bike through the McCormick Place Grand Concourse if you're headed between the Near South Side and the lakefront path. The way through is easiest to find when coming from the city: go up the stairs to the north of the big entrance off the entry square (there's even a bike ramp, but it usually has planters on it). Walk straight through the complex past the gift shops. Hop back on the bike and bear right, going under the footbridge. Keep around the right side of the black Lakeside building and go down the stairs on the south side of it to get to the lakefront.

Some others I like that aren't marked as bike routes on the city bike map are on Bikely (I couldn't get that "right ride" site to work for me:
- Oakley Blvd., an alternative to Western from Wicker Park to Ogden Ave.
- Hubbard, Ohio, and other side streets through West Town (if you think Hubbard is bad, try Kinzie on the other side of the tracks - woah)
- Leavitt & Hoyne north/south
- Using various streets at 600W instead of Halsted
- and my favorite, two "wiggles" through East Humboldt ("West Bucktown") and Old Town that avoid Milwaukee and North, respectively
webster, east-west, between clybourne and leavitt.
paulina south, parallel to damen
shh...the sidewalk along california/humbolt park

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