Folks,

We had a wonderful turnout of stylishly dressed ladies and gentlemen, as well as beautiful bicycles, for Summer Babes and Elegant Bachelors. Todd Allen supplied a delightful mix of classic jazz and bossa nova on his rolling sound system and we turned quite a few heads as we cruised Division Street.

After a delightful dinner on the patio and round of martinis, mojitos, Sazeracs and Singapore Slings at the Motel Bar, where we applauded each time the bride and groom from a nearby wedding passed by, we dashed through a refreshing light rain a mile east to Nomi ("North Michigan") on the 7th floor of the Park Hyatt hotel. Unfortunately the rain grew heavier and shut down their excellent patio. But we enjoyed more rounds of drinks in their swanky bar as we hid out from the storm.

It was wonderful to arrive in such a fancy lounge with two dozen people on bicycles
and feel like we were all perfectly attired for the setting. Trisha, who co-authors the stylish cycling blog http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com with Dottie (the two ladies helped organize the ride), reports that a gentleman she chatted with at Nomi refused to believe such a well-dressed group had pedaled there. But the dozen helmets hung on the coat rack proved it.

At that point the hour was growing late, so as the rain tapered off we decided to
abbreviate the route and head to Chuck's cocktail party in Logan Square. We inspired quite a few double takes as we passed by the Viagra Triangle at Rush, State and Chestnut (a high-end nightlife area where well-heeled older men take their younger dates.)

At Chuck's we were greeted by a yellow Schwinn Varsity suspended from the building facade, so we new we were in the right place. Lawyer Jim manned the well-stocked bar, and we all enjoyed a last nightcap to end this most memorable evening.

Cheers,

John Greenfield

P.S.: Does anyone have photos to immortalize the occasion?