Sprinkles

Posted by Dottie at 08:37 commute diary 5 Responses »
Feb 022012

As the mild weather continues, I’ve been dressing for spring and removing my light jacket during rides.  This weather really feels like April.

The warm weather also makes it a good time to ride with friends and take the long way home, instead of the usual winter feeling of “Get me home as soon as possible, Ms. Bike!”

After work on Tuesday, I met up with my friend Sara downtown and we meandered home up the Lakefront Trail, riding side-by-side and chatting.

But not before fueling up on cupcakes at Sprinkles.

Yummy!  So even though it literally started to sprinkle a tiny bit on our way home, I was feeling good and grateful that the sprinkles were not snow flurries.

Happy February!

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Black Ice Weekend

Posted by Dottie at 08:22 commute diary, safety 15 Responses »
Jan 302012

After mentioning that I have not put my studded tires on Oma yet, I missed them this weekend.  Some mild precipitation on Friday night caused patches of black ice to form all around the city.

I had to walk Oma over black ice several times while getting around on Saturday – biking to Logan Square to try on vintage outfits from Holly’s Lucite Box for the upcoming Bike Winter Fashion Show (found a gorgeous blue velvet dress), back to Lakeview for Heritage Bicycles’ grand opening party (crowded!), and to Wicker Park with a bikey group to see circus-punk marching band Mucca Pazza (pure fun). On Sunday, I decided simply to take the L to the Loop to see Mamet’s Race at Goodman Theatre (excellent).

Not simply a wet road, but a sheet of thin black ice

Based on this experience, I decided to put the studded tires on Oma, but today’s forecasted high of 44 F has me delaying the studs again. But I’m extra cautious while biking, especially at night.

I’ll leave you with a Mucca Pazza song to brighten your Monday morning. :)

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Winter Bicycling Midpoint

Posted by Dottie at 11:26 commute diary 23 Responses »
Jan 282012

I consider winter to be more than half-way over around this time, late January/early February. February is usually brutal, but at least I know spring is around the corner. This year, November, December, and now January have passed with only a few super freezing days and two noteworthy snowfalls that melted quickly. I haven’t even put studded tires on Oma yet.

By enjoying this extremely mild winter, I feel like I’ve gotten away with something major, like a jewelry heist. I almost don’t want to write this down for fear of jinxing myself, but I do want to celebrate making it over the hump of winter, however small said hump was this year.

How’s everyone else doing with winter bicycling this year?

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Carpooling in a Snow Storm

Posted by Dottie at 10:39 commute diary 22 Responses »
Jan 212012

Six inches of snow fell on Chicago yesterday afternoon and evening.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I had no intention of cycling in that mess.  My plan was to take the L train, but a co-worker mentioned that she and a friend carpool along a route that passes by my L stop.  She offered to pick me up anytime and I gladly accepted the offer.  The car is already on the road anyway.

In the morning, I walked a block to the L station and a couple of minutes later she pulled up.  I sank into the heated passenger seat – yup, heated - and enjoyed friendly conversation during a calm drive downtown.   (I wonder, is there a way to make my Brooks saddle heated?  ’Cause that would be amazing!)

The car ride was no faster than my bike ride along the same route, about 25 minutes.  (This is the busy route I recently recorded.)  There’s a lot of backed up traffic, so I’m able to keep up with cars most of the way.  Funny, they used to see me on my bike a lot in the mornings, when I took that route daily.

Snow started falling fast and furious around 1:30 pm and my office decided to close early at 3 pm.  I knew that taking the L home would be an easy 25 minutes, much faster than a car in a snow storm, but deserting my co-worker wouldn’t have been very nice.  :)   The car ride home in the snow took one hour, but I didn’t mind at all.  In fact, I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know her better.  In my heated seat.

There is no way I would have biked in the snow given the road conditions.  If I were in Copenhagen with protected bike lanes maintained by snow plows, sure, but that was obviously not the case.  (You wouldn’t know, but there’s a snow-covered bike lane in the photo above.)

I saw a couple of intrepid cyclists during the ride and I was stressed out just watching them.  I saw a couple others walking their bikes, like this mom and child below.  I assume they set out on the bakfiets hours earlier, before the snow got out of control.

Does anyone else carpool sometimes?  Seems it was all the rage in the ’90s, but I never hear anything about it now.  I enjoyed the experience and in the future when I need to take the L train, I may text my co-worker first to see if she’s carpooling that day.  I hate standing up on the L, plus it costs $2.25 each way.  And did I mention heated seats?  ;)

Did anyone bike home in the snow??  If so, my hat is off to you.

 

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A F-ing Cold Bike Commute (brrrrrrrrrr)

Posted by Dottie at 21:40 commute diary 29 Responses »
Jan 192012

Have I mentioned that winter’s finally come to Chicago?  And she is not messing around.

This morning I biked to work in 15 F temps.  My alley was an ice rink, but the streets and bike lanes were clear and dry.  That’s good, because I haven’t put studded tires on Oma yet.  I was totally comfortable throwing a puffy vest over a wool skirt suit and wool undershirt, plus cotton tights, snow boots, scarf, gloves, and earmuffs.  I stuck heating packs in my mittens and boots, otherwise I wouldn’t have made it.

By the time I arrived at work, I felt refreshed and happy.

Unfortunately, the day grew colder and this outfit proved to be lacking for the commute home.

The temperature on the way home was effing cold:

For the non-Americans out there, that’s:

Plus, it was windy!  As usual.  Windchill of -7 F, -22 C.  By the time I got home, my fingers and toes were in pain (despite the warmers) and my thighs were bright red.  Not gonna lie: my spirits were low.  But now that I’m warmed up, I feel good for the activity and fresh air.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since I can bike in -4 F temps, today should not have been a problem.  Now that I’ve been harshly reminded of the reality of Chicago winters, I wont be caught unprepared again this year.

Tomorrow happens to be Chicago’s Winter Bike to Work Day, but up to 7 inches of fresh snow are supposed to fall, so forget that.  I won’t be on my bike, especially without studded tires.  Not my idea for fun, but I hope anyone who rides has a good and safe time.

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At Long Last: Snow!

Posted by Dottie at 22:11 commute diary 23 Responses »
Jan 122012

The inevitable has happened: snow finally arrived in Chicago!  Yesterday evening I was biking home without a jacket and today the streets look like this:

Instead of my bike, I took public transit:

I’m escaping to Nashville for a long weekend tomorrow, so I can deny the arrival of winter a little bit longer.  :)

Anyone enjoy a snow ride today?

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A Downtown Chicago Adventure on New Year's Eve!

Posted by Dottie at 20:24 explore, style 6 Responses »
Jan 112012

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, I was sipping coffee in my pajamas when I got a text from my friend Elizabeth, encouraging me to join her for a bike ride downtown.  I was sorta prepared to spend the entire day in my PJs with books, but after some peer pressure, I said yes (don’t we all need a lil’ push sometimes?).

I’m so glad I did because it was a lovely way to end the year!

The weather was chilly but mild for Chicago winter.  I broke out my new hot pink Kate Spade tights to go with my suede boots and red jacket – a totally comfortable outfit for the day’s outing.

Betty Foy was ready to go, dorked out with her Christmas lights and mounted camera (with which I recorded this video of the Lakefront Trail).

And of course my dear friend Elizabeth with her Santa hat!

We took the Lakefront Trail south 7 miles to the Buckingham Fountain.

 It was off – booo.

Then we made our way to the Art Institute of Chicago…


…to check out the awesome lions with their famous holiday wreaths.

About that time we started to get a bit too cold.  No problem – we popped into a cafe for hot cocoa.  Mmmm, the perfect fuel.


Next, we looped over to North Michigan Avenue, where I had to take one photo of this truly ridiculous temporary Marilyn Monroe statue.  I’m a fan of MM and kitsch, but  if you have any doubt how icky this installation is, watch for five minutes how tourists interact with it when posing for photos!

Finally, I said goodbye to my favorite Chicago building before getting back on the trail to return home, stopping at local book shop, Unabridged, on the way.

By the time I got home in the late afternoon with nearly 20 miles under my belt, I felt great – tired in a good and healthy way that allowed me to spend the next two days curled up with books and scotch without feeling too much like a sloth.  :)

Here’s to motivating friends, fun bike rides, fresh air, and 2012!

{Read Elizabeth’s side of the story at Bike Commuters.}

{See a similar ride I did two years ago (dang, time flies!!) complete with holiday lions.}

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T-Shirts and Holiday Lights

Posted by Dottie at 20:54 commute diary 12 Responses »
Jan 102012

I continue to ride with my Christmas lights on Betty Foy.  Apparently, I’m all confused about what time of year it is.

Adding to the seasonal confusion, the weather was so warm when I left work, I shoved my light jacket in my basket because my cashmere sweater (another $6 thrift store purchase) was more than enough to keep me warm.  A few miles from home, I began overheating and pulled off my sweater to ride the rest of the way in my t-shirt.  Imagine that: a t-shirt in mid-January in Chicago!

So if you see some crazy lady biking by with short sleeves and Christmas lights, that’s probably me.  ;)

 

 

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Video: Chicago's 18th Street Protected Bike Lane

Posted by Dottie at 08:20 commute diary, explore, video 12 Responses »
Jan 092012

Yesterday I was in the Pilsen neighborhood on Chicago’s southside for the Women-Who-Bike brunch.  I decided to take the Lakefront Path for the 10 mile ride home, which I could reach by taking the new protected bike lane on S. 18th Street from Canal to Clark Streets, connecting the Pilsen and Chinatown areas.  This protected bike lane is one of three in Chicago and exists in part thanks to Alderman Solis (read more about his Ward’s projects and his recent trip to the Netherlands here).

Here is a quick video I made of the entire half mile long lane, sped 250%.

Grid Chicago reported on the construction of this bike lane in November.  Progress has been made since then, but I assume (hope) that the lane is not finished because there is no protection on the grated bridge and not much treatment for the intersections.  The riding experience for new bicyclists could be stressful at those points.  Overall, the protected bike lane was a pleasure to ride and certainly an improvement, although not as thoroughly executed as the Kinzie protected bike lane.

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Is it really January?

Posted by Dottie at 10:37 commute diary, Uncategorized 20 Responses »
Jan 072012

Sunny blue skies, clear roads, mild temperatures – is it April already? I’m used to the occasional brief warm up during winter, but this year winter hasn’t yet arrived at all. If the forecast is right, this will continue for at least the next five days.

Yesterday was so warm (relatively) that I simply threw a long cashmere cardigan over my dress before heading out the door. By my evening commute, the temps had increased to 50 degrees F and I didn’t even use my cardigan. And I’m thrilled to continue riding Betty Foy, who usually gets packed away for the harsh winters.

This is the same outfit I wore two years ago for my video demonstrating how I dress for winter bicycling, but now without the wool leggings, second pair of socks, wool sweater, wool overcoat, huge mitts, handwarmers, scarf, hat, and glasses!

I think the weather I’m experiencing now is more like typical winter for most of you, but this will go down in the books as one of the warmest winters in Chicago’s history.

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