HAPPY OBAMA DAY!

So much good stuff in one day! First, of course, is Obama as our new president!! I’m still pinching myself, it seems almost too wonderful. (Hey, shocker, we at Let’s Go Ride a Bike are liberals!) On November 4, 2008, I had a ticket to Grant Park and it was a magical night. After Obama’s speech, my bike and I joined an impromptu parade down Michigan Avenue, a street I never ride on due to the high speeds and heavy traffic. Tonight on my way home I stopped to take a picture of the pretty city lights over the park and only then realized the “OBAMA” lights. Perfect.

Cold Weather Cycling Outfit

Second, today was Chicago’s Winter Bike to Work Day, organized by the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation). I wore my work clothes on my bike (except I later changed from the snow boots to knee-high black suede flat boots) – a red turtleneck, black and white checked knee-length skirt, argyle knee-socks, wool leggings, and wool overcoat. A photographer from the Tribune took my picture and wrote down my name and age, so maybe I’ll make it into the paper again. That would be fun.

The turnout was much smaller than I expected, with no more than 15 people while I was there (including the volunteers). The summer Bike to Work day rally had hundreds of participants, with a speech by Mayor Daley. This confirmed what I’ve been noticing the past 2 months – the amount of commuters drops drastically once the cold rolls in.

Continue reading »