Beverly by Bike

Usually, i'm not used to having a day off during the World Music Festival, so I took advantage of it and led some friends on a bike ride fro Bridgeport to Beverly. Considering that I hadn't done a test run of the route prior to yesterday, the ride itself went smoothly. Heading down to Beverly, we took Loomis and cut through the heart of Englewood. Somewhere around 74th and Loomis we were treated to the spectacle of slack-jawed black kids yelling from their front porch, "Look! White people!" So we were probably as much of a novelty to them as, all the boarded up bungalows and two flats we encountered were to us.

We headed west along 83rd to Damen (one of the best streets for bnikes in the city) and got on the Major Taylor Trail at Dan Ryan Woods, which we nicknamed the "Major Dead end Trail" on the way back, as it seems to lead to nowhere at it's northern edge.. From there it was a straight drop south on Longwood Drive to Beverly. Riding past all the colonial style homes and mansions, we mentioned that Beverly could be the bizarro-world Sauganash. Or vice versa.. Brunch was at the Original Pancake House on Western, and we lifted a pint at Cork and Kerry. Then we headed back, making great time, since we were sticking north on Damen. It must have been a better time than that, as one fo the riders said that she was straining to keep up with the pace I was setting.

We stopped for ice cream at Scoops on 31st, once we made it back to Bridgeport. The total mileage for the round-trip? 26.2 miles. I'll be recommending it as the new route for the Chicago Marathon any day.