The extremes of Chicago weather showed their true colors this weekend as temps approached 80. This is unseasonably high for us here, but it's presence was nonetheless welcomed by any one that wanted to stretch their legs on their bikes (be that motorized or not).
I over-zealously prepped my day in accordance with the weather. Ran through my head the errands and tasks for the day to see how much seat time I could accumulate without just "riding around". In Chicago (and I mean I live in the actual city; not the outskirts or Chicagoland) it's not easy to just pick up your bike and ride around. Traffic (especially on nice weekends) is just too much and there is no joy in stop n' go traffic. So riding with a purpose validates a lot of my seat time.
Queue LSD. As you can see with the picture posted above, LSD provides hands down the most scenic route most of northern Illinois even has to offer. Getting a glimpse of the lake as you're riding and catching the cooler breeze it continually offers is one of best moments a motorcyclist in Chicago can experience. Oddly enough, LSD doesn't even get that busy and my apartment resides right on the entrance ramp to it. Having those variables makes it a common route for much of where I need to go.
If you're riding two-up, your passenger is as well benefiting from the experience. Getting an uninterrupted view of the lake for miles (LSD runs about 16 miles; about 2/3 of it being scenic) is a pleasantry any motorcyclist would enjoy. Luckily I live so close, but it's presence is a continual highlight to any trip of mine.
Viva Chicago!
Wow, that IS nice. i've never seen any of Chicago that looked like that.
It is a nice ride...especially early in the morning. @The Ferret: I was planning on taking you down LSD if you come up here this summer. Great description, specialist8
That doesn't look half bad.
Thanks specialist8.
@EmptySea/Ferret: let me know if you guys are gonna be around there at some point. I live close so being "bothered" by last minute plans is completely welcome.
I live near O'Hare. At some point this summer, I do intend to take a trip on LSD and stop for breakfast at Lou Mitchell's. If that starts to come close to being a reality, I will let you know.
G'day Specialist, you have given me a new take on Chicago. I once made a short "in and out" visit to O'Hare (ORD to play the LSD game
) when the weather was at the other extreme. Saw nothing except the colour grey. That is a beaut photo. Where was it taken from?
I appreciate your comments about living in the city. Living in Sydney, beautiful as it is, I need to ride for 45 mins to an hour to get to some open road.
Cheers
Pterry, you should extend your NC trip and ride up to Chicago. I tried to convince Cormanus to do this to no avail.
For the record, Cormanus did a fair bit of calculating and head scratching to see if he could make it work.
I've had so many great visits to Chicago over the years, it is one of my all time favorite places to visit.
True story (speaking of Chicago, LSD and motorcycles):
I have a friend who lived in Chicago for quite a few years and I visited him there a number of times. One night we needed to make our way north through town to get to a music club so my buddy hailed a cab. I was still pretty young then, and had never ridden in a taxi cab before. I was almost excited, thinking it would be "just like in the movies". (I was picturing the cabbie being an older guy wearing a worn wool cap with a toothpick in his mouth and a talking with a heavy Chicago accent while joking around with us as we all shared a good laugh.)
In no time at all, a taxi appeared right at our feet, ready to haul us off to our destination. When we got in the cab, the driver (a younger guy) was wearing a Yamaha motocross jersey. At first glance I thought that was sort of odd, but kind of cool. As he asked us "Where do you want to go?", he was pulling on a pair of leather motocross gloves (the old school tan leather kind with the skeletal black foam strips running up each finger. My buddy tells him the address and after repeating the address back, the taxi driver dumped the car into drive and floored it. But only for a few car lengths before jamming on the brakes and riding the tail end of the car in front of him while laying on the horn and shouting out the window. For the next few minutes, I was definitely terrified but also somewhat entertained as this guy proceeded to drive partially on sidewalks, run red lights, and pull off four wheel drifts through the Lincoln Park area. I thought for sure that we were going to die, yet my buddy and I couldn't stop laughing every time we looked at each other (this more than likely had something to do with alcohol consumption). It was totally insane.
When we got to our destination, the driver just muttered the address and the fare amount and that was it. He hadn't spoken to us since asking us where we wanted to go. I figured that the guy must have been totally high on one thing or another. I doubt that I'll ever have another experience like that one (I certainly hope not).
However, the next time I do encounter someone that is just a bit out there in the presence of a friend, I'll be sure to say "What do you make of Lake Shore Drive?"