Sneak Preview: Sunday's Burnham Ride Itinerary

Cyclistas:

The moment many of us have been eagerly anticipating is finally here.

The 2009 Lakefront Vision Ride Itinerary Committee has completed its labors and is proud to share the 2009 itinerary below for your viewing pleasure.

You'll notice a number of changes from past Vision Ride Itineraries and many new exciting additions. We look forward to seeing you all, rain or shine, on Sunday 2pm at Delay Plaza!

Cheers,
Michael



The 10th Annual Burnham/ Ward Lakefront Vision Ride
Sunday, August 30, 2009, 2pm, meet @ Delay Plaza
Sponsored by The Campaign for a Free and Clear Lakefront
www.ForeverFreeandClear.org

"History straight from those who made it up."

Special Feature at Daley Plaza: Jane Addams impersonator Janice Metzger reads from her newly-released book "What Would Jane Say?” examining lost opportunities to include prominent women’s perspectives in Burnham's Plan of Chicago. Books will be available for purchase ($20, cash or check) and can be signed. See http://tiny.cc/janesay for more info.

1. The Rookery, 209 S. LaSalle. 1888. Designed by Burnham & Root and housed their offices on the 11th floor.

2. Bust of Montgomery Ward, Grant Park, 1100 S. Michigan Avenue. . “Merrick, this is a damned shame. Go and do something about it!” (p.71).

3. Queen’s Landing, 500 S. Michigan. Queen Elizabeth II crossed LSD here in 1959 and was welcomed by 1 million Chicagoans. In 2005, Chicago removed the Queen’s crosswalk to expedite car traffic.

4. Monroe & LSD. This is where the Outer Drive ended until 1933, when the bridge over the river was completed. Consistent with Burnham’s vision of roads for accessibility to parks, not through them, the Campaign for a Free and Clear Lakefront’s plan will establish this area an a northern boundary of a car-free Grant Park.

5. Randolph St. E. of Columbus. Cancer Survivors Park. Where LSD was before the “S” curve was straightened. An example of how green space can be liberated from asphalt with a view to Museum Campus.

6. Daley Bicentennial Plaza. Proposed site of Chi. Childrens Museum.

7. Millenium Park. Hinky Dink Kenna, Bathhouse John Coughlin, and the “Ladies of the Levee,” where “joy reigned unrefined.” “Chicago ain’t no sissy town.” (p. 73). IC Tracks & Landfill.

8. Kinzie & Wabash. Site of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable’s house. First permanent settler, 1772. Bought later by John Kinzie.

9. Hancock Center. Site of Ma (Marie) and Pa (George) Streeter’s shantytown, 1886-1906. “This here’s my land. I built it. Now git!” (p. 58)

Page citations from Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago’s Lakefront, by Lois Wille. Available at Prairie Ave. Bookstore, 418 S. Wabash.