In early August, my friend Susan & I signed up for one of Tom Limon’s Biketropolis biking adventures called Graffiti & Gears. We traversed through the city, seeking out hidden treasures of cool graffiti. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride, and once again, Tom did not disappoint.
We started downtown at Daley Plaza, then wound through parts of the city that I have never been to, and I am a Chicago native! We discovered very cool, sometimes bizarre, but always interesting works of art. It depends on who you ask, but I found it all pretty amazing.
We headed through downtown streets & alleys to the south loop, then heading west on 18th Street to Pilsen. Heading north via Damen Avenue, we passed by Rush University Medical Center & the United Center (the house that Michael Jordan built!), through West Town, Ukrainian Village, Humboldt Park, and ended up in Logan Square at a bike show & graffiti throw-down.
Tom, as usual, had a couple of experts on the tour to discuss certain pieces, and his team of volunteers helped us safely through the lights, making sure to leave no one behind. We stopped to check out West Town Bikes and to grab lunch at local restaurants & the empanada bike.
West Town Bikes is one of the organizations Biketropolis supports. They promote bicycling in Chicago, educate youth focusing on under-served populations, and foster and serve Chicago’s growing bicycling community. While their headquarters/workspace is in Humboldt Park, they are a city-wide service provider for youth programs.
All that riding made us hungry, so we stopped for a snack before taking the blue line closer to home. We got off at the Damen stop in WickerTown & had a drink so we could make it home. 🙂
My apologies for the blurry photos, but I will shoot while I’m riding. Maybe it’s time for a camera upgrade or a GoPro? Stay tuned. Thanks for reading Biketropolis’ biking adventure Graffiti & Gears. Until the next adventure!
According to MAP MY RIDE, the route was about 13.8 miles. To check out more routes, go to biketropolis. Tell Tom, city girl sent you.