Thanksgiving Staycation

Yes, stay-cation is a totally lame, played-out buzzword. Regardless, that was the goal for the last 4.5 days for Hannah and I. Having been to St. Louis twice in the last month, plus a weekend at the Wisconsin Dells, there was little interest or motivation in another journey down south for Thanksgiving. Couple that with the fact that I haven't had 4 days of true down time in Chicago and you can understand why I was so excited about this local R & R. I kept track of most everything we did using my iPhone camera. Here's how it went down...

Wednesday night: Kid Sister w/ Flosstradamus show at House Of Blues. Super fun all around, although I wish the crowd would have been bigger and the show later. All in time, I'm sure.

Here's Genevieve and Marah sporting their light-up pro nails. They got a shout out from the stage for those.

A rainy and cold Chicago night on a lit-up Michigan Ave.

Matt, Steve, Hannah and I hit Boston Blackies for a late dinner (their burgers live up to the hype) and some stupid fun with our phones.

Thursday: Slept in for the first of many days. The only thing on the docket was Thanksgiving dinner at Julie's parents' house in Joliet. The day had all the right pieces in place: great food, mild family tension, wacky grandma, gossip about the neighbors, naps. It was a lovely evening and we were glad to be included. Thanks Julie!

Julie decided to take an old painting from Joliet to Chicago in the back of her pick-up. After a few minutes on the highway we noticed it was catching the wind and close to flying out on to traffic, so we pulled off to a gas station to better secure it. It was quite a little MacGyver operation, but the painting didn't fly out the rest of the way home, so I guess it was a success.

Friday: That afternoon we checked out a new coffee shop in our hood. It's called Global Coffee and Cargo. They are a non-profit affiliated with the "church"/A.A. support group/halfway house upstairs. They serve cheap, good coffee (Intelligentsia), a pretty full food menu, it's comfortable enough, they have decent hours and it's quiet as can be. No one seems to know the place exists, probably because they have essentially zero online presence. Hopefully that will change and they'll stick around. I couldn't even find a Google Maps listing. Anyway, check it out if you live in the square. On Armitage just east of Humboldt.

Since Hannah didn't have work that day and didn't have to get to her Schubas shift until late, we decided to find out what Critical Mass is like on a chilly night. Turns out it's pretty great. There are probably a tenth of the number of bikers you'd see on a summer ride, so we pissed off drivers less than usual (they didn't have to wait long for us to pass by). Since it was "Black Friday" we had plenty of shoppers downtown to high-five and wave to. It was Hannah's first Critical Mass and a particularly unique one for me, so I'm happy we decided to brave the cold. Fun stuff. Happy Friday.

Later on I went up to Lincoln Hall to meet some friends and check the the Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros show. It was sold out and, in my opinion, the best show yet at Lincoln Hall.

There are eleven people in the band and the main dude looks like a mix between my friend Jason and Russell Brand. It was kind of cultish in the best way possible. They all went into the audience and the crowd was singing along. The album is excellent and so is the live show.

"Party Boy" Dave, Matt, Hannah and I met later at Smartbar where LA Riots were DJing. I saw a fight almost happen on the street between two guys coming out of another bar. They looked like the grown up version of these guys. It was hilarious.

Saturday: Brunch at Lula. Always a guaranteed great meal, be it brunch or dinner. Kristen's BF, Steve, was cooking. I had an omelet full of braised duck, dates, arugula, and feta.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning house and reorganizing.

Around 10, Fauzia came over for a couple hours before the three of us went out dancing. Here she is fixing up Hannah's nail-polishing attempt.

Hideout dance party was awesome. LDW with DJ sets from Bald E, Mother Hubbard and Sparkletone (who killed it - so much fun). On the way home I got an excellent Chicago style hotdog from the cleanest, most organized street vendor. This at 3 AM, no less. Thanks for all the driving Fauzia!

Sunday: Very productive. Grocery pickup at Trader Joes.

I put in some serious bathroom cleaning time. It's sparkling.

Hannah did some more cleanup/organizing and the place looks awesome.

Moved this thing into the other bedroom.

Now that we have a dinning room table (chairs coming soon) we had a proper meal consisting of Hannah's turkey chili and half a baked potato.

All in all, the long weekend was a total success. I'm very well rested and fed, got a decent amount done and I'm enjoying our home more than ever. Sorry for the cheesy "Tim and Hannah" post, but that's how it went down this weekend. She's on the couch next to me crying to an awful romantic comedy (Bride Wars), although I'm ashamed to say how much I'm enjoying it too. I missed my usual family Thanksgiving in St Louis, but we definitely made the right choice staying in town.

So, how was YOUR weekend?

This Could Have Been Me

Here's a nicely written and disturbing true story, complete with some great photos, about a guy attacked while riding his bike home. I ride this same route home from Stevie's, and many other places south of me, often at 2 am. Guess I should be a little more careful.

Sometimes You Get Hit By a 2x4 and Robbed

Girls On Bikes

Some possibly Dutch girls riding bikes in a gym, doing some insane tricks. The music is cheesy, epic and majestic, in that order. Their skills are mind blowing.

(via Brendan)

Marissa's Critical Mass Photo

Click to see the big version

Marissa says:

Hey ya'll. I found a program on my computer, "picture stitch" that creates a panoramic image with a few photographs... last time i was at critical mass in Chicago (this summer maybe? I don't remember when it was) i took 4 pictures of Daley plaza.... here they are all stitched together. kinda cool.

My Nephew, The Latest

This is my nephew Lennon. He lives in St Simon's Island, GA with his parents Chris and Dawn.

In other news:
-The trip to Kate's lake house in Michigan this weekend was excellent. Saw lots of Amish people, Tom caught a fish, I shot a pellet gun and bought a 6 months supply of pure maple syrup.
-Hannah moved in to my place last weekend. I hurt my back a little, but, thanks to Brendan, as well as Hannah's preparations, the move went smoothly. We're both pretty excited about the whole thing and the place is looking great so far.
-I saw Mastadon last Thursday. I got to go backstage and on their bus and the night was a hoot all around.
-Has anyone been to Five Guys on Clyborn at Webster? That's a great burger. The fries are fresh and come in a massive quantity.
-If you are on Twitter and a political junkie who wants to know some inside scoop on White House activities, follow Mark Knoller. I've really been enjoying his tweets.
-Tom thinks this news of the "ledge" at Sears Tower Skydeck is newsworthy and so do I. Now they'll have something more to compete with Hancock's drink and view deal.
-My first Critical Mass of 2009 was a success. It was short and sweet, but we had a nice posse including Julie, Jason, Jaime, Jayla and a first time ride by Tom (third mention!) and Ryan & Laura Dowling Keller. I took this photo on the early part of the ride while riding using my phone.

The Future Of Ladies Cycling (NSFW)

As found here. She's got her biking heels on too.

Millenium Bike Storage, My Flat

Because they are clearly the healthiest company I know of, McDonald's acquired the naming rights to the fancy McDonald's Cycle Center in Millennium Park. I'd heard the place was impressive and I had to chance to tour it recently.


The facility is open to single day use for a fee and Chicagoans can also get memberships. I gather it fills up quickly, but I've never tried myself.

Some of the bike are stored in racks that are stacked.


This list of regulations states that you can shower and rent a locker for $3 per day.


They've got all the amenities.

I can only assume something is powered by these solar pannels. Maybe they're just leftover from the Exelon Pavilions.


Here's a clever feature: all the stairways have a tire-wide groove on either side so you can easily walk your bike up and down without having to carry it.


More indoor bike storage...


Lockers, the bike service center.


Exterior view from the rear of the building...


All in all, the place is really impressive. It could certainly accomidate more people, but I guess it's a good thing that loop bikers are clamoring to get into this place. It's also a nice display of Chicago's commitment to it's cyclists. Find out more about it here.


++++++++++

This morning I went on the "preview-ride" for the Boulevard Lakefront Tour. I woke at 6:45 and took two trains and a short ride to 49th & Woodlawn, which is the heart of University of Chicago. Our group opted to preview the southern leg of the ride and I was ready for it too. The majority of our posse was considerably older than me and they thought my decision to bring my fixed gear bike on a 40 mile ride was humorous. I managed to get a severe flat and, of course, I had no extra tube or anything that would get me out of that bind. A couple of the riders did their best to help me out, but the repair didn't hold and it was decided that I would have to find my own way home. This all went down at 92nd and Kingston, which is very far from my home in Logan square. By the time I completed a 25 minute bus ride just to reach the southern-most station of the Red Line, this much was clear. After about 90 minutes of CTA action I was back in the arms of Boulevard Bikes where I fixed my tire. The whole thing was actually fairly entertaining and could have been worse and the weather was perfect too. I was reminded today that Chicago is a huge city. Here are a few pictures from the day.


Some crazy sculpture on the U of C campus...


Hyde Park and The University of Chicago campus are both beautiful and covered in green.



This is a Vietnam memorial we encountered shortly before my debilitating flat tire.


Heading north on the red line, my first sighting of the Sears Tower.



35th/Sox. Getting there.


Homestretch.

Bike The Dog

Ok, so I'm going to do this bike ride.
17.8 miles, 9 Hot Dogs

BIKE THE DOG

BIKE THE DOG IS CHICAGO'S PREMEIR GASTRONOMIC CYCLING CHALLENGE. IT IS NOT A RACE. THE POINT IS MERELY TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT AT A CASUAL, LEISURELY PACE AND HAVE FUN. IT IS 100% FREE FOR ANYONE TO JOIN. HOWEVER WE ARE RAISING MONEY FOR THE FAMILY OF STELLA ACKERMAN. SHE IS 2 1/2 YEARS OLD AND LIVING WITH A RARE BLOOD DISORDER. DOWNLOAD A PLEDGE FORM HERE AND ASK FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO SPONSOR YOU AS YOU EAT YOUR WAY AROUND TOWN. ALSO PASS THE WORD ALONG TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO LOVES TO SAVOR THE FLAVOR OF THIS ICONIC AMERICAN DELICACY.

September 13 at 10 am. Who wants in? I guess I should solicit sponsors since it's a charity ride. I don't think I could eat more than 5 hot dogs in a day. I wouldn't want to, at least.

Here's all the info.

Critical Mass 6.27.08

Surprise, surpise, more bike pictures. Well, bikes rule, so deal with it.

Critical Mass can be lame sometimes, but sometimes it can be unbelievably excellent. This ride was an awesome one. The weather was perfect and the route was new to me. This map is fairly true to our path.



Lots of the ride was through industrial areas and nearly all of the ride was on the south side.


People are usually excited to see a group of hundreds of bikers come out of nowhere, but we had a particularly great response from the southsiders on this ride.




Shortly before we passed this building I'd reached the "where the hell are we" point. After we passed this I fell right back into it for another hour or so.



Bridgeport kids...



Kids and old people seem to be our biggest fans. Remember how much fun vans used to be when you were little? These kids agree.




This is Chopper Carl with the trailer of speakers. I've mentioned him before, but I don't know much except that he's a fixture in the Chicago bike scene. I took a class at West Town Bikes last week (Bike Basics with Mike - it was highly informative) and Chopper Carl was hanging out in the back patio with the guy who runs West Town. I showed up to the class with the more beat-up of my two bikes and they complimented it saying it was a hard working steel frame fit for Chicago commuting. I was proud even though I don't love the Fuji, aka Lauren Hill, as much as I used to. Now I know how to take better care of it. Anyway, he blasted great tunes for the whole ride as usual. This video kind of sums up the ride I'd say.

Seriously, where the hell?


This was the end of the ride, 31st St Beach. Check out how far south of Sears Tower we are.


I highly recommend you try a Critical Mass with me sometime. You don't need to be some bike nut, just capable of a long slow ride. All skill levels welcome. Last Friday of every month leaving Daley Plaza around 6.

This photographer has a huge load of awesome pictures from this and many other rides.