Hayward

So I think this flyover should be built immediately. I was involved in a multi bicycle accident the other day on the Lakeshore Drive bridge. I was behind a slow moving family of cyclists. There were joggers ahead of them and a big crowd of cyclists in the oncoming direction. This d-bag behind me couldn't wait until the passing lane opened after the bridge and tried to bypass it all. Unfortunately he didn't notice the pinch before the bridge by a vertical steel column. He had already passed me but one of the family members maneuvering around the column got side-swiped by this idiot. They slam on the brakes and I had no choice but to head straight into the side of the column or else I end up hitting them from behind. The steel rivots put a nice gash in my arm. Keep in mind this involved a few "fender benders" with other cyclists. Definitely not a tour-de-France accident, but one that could have gotten ugly. In find it ironic that the detour for bikes when the bridge was under repair was much more safe and effective: Biking has gotten too popular in Chicago. While a good thing, the city's infrastructure needs to be upgraded to handle demands. Some of the 1950's bridgework and approach ramps for the bike paths are too narrow, need higher railings, and better merge points.

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Funny you mention that. I occasionally here the alarm system going off at Prada. Maybe once or twice a month....typically some idiot bumping into the glass windows a little too hard.

I just don't get it. Every Friday and Saturday night around 3:00 am its the same story on my block. A bunch of drunk mid 20 somethings wearing affliction shirts get in some argument over some girl and a fight breaks out at Rush and Oak. As always the paddy-wagon is right there to arrest them all. After spending the night downtown, they get back to discover their cars have also been towed since the meters have reset to normal paying time and they did not move their cars around 5:00 a.m. So after $1000 in tickets and fines, was it really worth it? And why will no one learn.

Damn I'm bored. Went home to visit my parents in the Michigan burbs. Biking down spaghetti noodle streets is definitely not as fun as chicago streets.

Yeah, oldtown is doing well. Doesn't look like ink made it up to the street of my user name though

There's my ole hometown. The court theater and the tattoo place are in my old neighborhood. For having one of the most robust shopping districts in the state of Michigan, the city has sure fallen a long way. There was even a fair amount of retail downtown in the 80's. But gangs, crime, and of course all the shopping in Saginaw Twp emptied out the downtown. Then the city demolished 80% of it, including some of the city's tallest. There used to be a pretty cool flatiron where that park is in front of the Health Delivery building. No semblance of that now considering they reconfigured the streets also. I should dig up some historical photos. There's no possible way anyone can put the two together. The downtown has unfortunately been modified beyond all recognition.

LOL, yet notice the Lakeshore expressway to the right. It's jammed as well Here's a rendering of what the new flyover ramp will look like near the LSD bridge. It should help alleviate bicycle congestion and accidents. At the very lease, it will take bicyclists above the park. The bridge will cost $40 million to build. Source: Chicago Journal http://chicagojournal.com/Blogs/Near-Loop-Wire/12-17-2009/More_renderings_of_the_Navy_Pier_Flyover

I mean look at this..... I can't achieve 15 mph with all these people in the way. Make it a six lane bicycle freeway and call it a day In all seriousness, there are plans for widening.

We had a rep come to our office last fall to speak about permeable pavement streets. They were brick streets that had a long lifespan, withstand plowing better than conventional pavements and absorbed most of the water. This meant there was no need for sewers. In fact gutters were added only to create an "edge" so vehicles wouldn't park on the grass. If the bricks can be made of fly ash....even more sustainable. To top it off, the brick streets were incredible looking. They also showed how quiet and smooth they were to bike and drive over. It made me wonder what we are still messing around with asphalt for

I'll do my best! Keep in mind that a building becomes "endangered" when it switches ownership as well. A building can also become endangered when an owner proposed a renovation because interior can be altered. I am bothered by the length of time it's taking to get the Uptown Theater renovated. I see people working on site when I pass by, but rarely much progress.

Incredibly sad. When a building closes in Detroit's it's safe to assume it will come down, either by an authorized demolition or scrapping. I've never been opposed to Detroit's vacant building stock being stripped down of architectural detailing and shipped off elsewhere. I mean look at the Huntington, they'll just smash it to pieces with no regard to those details.

RELOADED. Summer in the Chi is coming and it has become much more comfortable to take photos at night. So here's a bunch from this past week to get things started again.

The whole block coming down is for a building that looks like a parking structure. It's absolutely offensive.

OFFER EXPIRED

Today I encountered a stupid group of people that decided to take up the entire bike path. They had their backs to me and were occupying the soutbound jogging lane, southbound bike lane and both northbound lanes. I squeezed through a gap between them right on the center line at about 10 mph and scared the crap out of them. It's amazing that even with posted signs and bold paintings on the ground, they don't understand shuffling along a major transportation route.

Not that I'm aware of...both 2nd level cities and subterranean cities. But consider this. Most of these systems are found in large financial districts where office towers dominate. The lobbies take up most of the ground square footage leaving restaurants and retail to be underground or on the mezzanine levels of buildings. Such is the case here in Chicago's loop where a 41 block underground and above ground pedway systems weaves between office buildings full of restaurants and stores. Ground level space is all leased out where available, but most of the good stuff I've found in Chicago's loop was below or up above street level.

Good thing people are okay. I've heard of these things happening on a regular basis. I really think vacant buildings should get more inspections to force owners to make repairs before they get worse. The damage reminds me of when University of Michigan's North Hall broke in half and tipped backward (but didn't break to pieces) due to a poor temporary retaining wall. They kept it "propped" against the new building until it was jacked back into place.

I notice it runs faster for me at work 1. Because my office network is faster 2. Because our firewall removes all advertising.

My favorite building downtown. I remember the security guard giving us an incredible architectural tour of this building. I think he was making a book about it.

^ Yeah you'd think they'd almost just fall over without the other buildings there.

The question was implicit in what he wrote: Do any Chicagoans have any definitive information on where in the business district skateboarding is permitted or prohibited, and whether there are any specific rules to follow to stay out of trouble? :) I know...I was being persnickety. LOL, MTS just doesn't want me disrupting the peacefulness of Oak Street. Am I that predictable? ;) You should come by these days. Ever since Barney's built the new 6 story beast, it sent all the stores on Oak into musical chairs mode. They are all reshuffling into bigger stores, and the old Barney's is now occupied by Hermès. I'm hoping when Block 37 Mall finishes up, they won't compete too much with some of the duplicates in my neighborhood despite being on the complete opposite side of downtown. Of course B37 has it's own problems...exactly what you'd expect of a place that has a traffic accident as their logo. Anyways, I got some info from the city via Human Resources at my office. There is a law against skateboarding downtown in zones that are specifically designated "downtown." My workplace and apartment are within those zones, so fail. BUT, enforcement is not strict at all, if I commute to work via skateboard in a method that is safe and prudent, I should be fine. Typically it was used as a strategy to remove skaters from office building plazas....especially the daley center where it was apparently the worst, and to keep them out of the chaotic business corridors. I did find that skateboarding on the streets is absolutely forbidden, and I must use the sidewalks. I'd really prefer the street.

The question was implicit in what he wrote: Do any Chicagoans have any definitive information on where in the business district skateboarding is permitted or prohibited, and whether there are any specific rules to follow to stay out of trouble? :) I know...I was being persnickety. LOL, MTS just doesn't want me disrupting the peacefulness of Oak Street.

So, I posted this on the other forum, but I'm hoping some former Chicagoan may have some information. I planning to get back into skateboarding again. I haven't since the beginning of college. I own a longboard and want to go from my apartment building to work. Both places are right at Michigan Avenue which is probably the worst place in the entire city to bike or skateboard on the sidewalk. In general, skateboarding on city streets is illegal, and must be done on city sidewalks yielding ROW to pedestrians. Bicycling on streets is always permitted, but not on sidewalks in business districts. The bicycle on sidewalks ordinance is not enforced unless you are being a douchebag and plowing people over. It IS enforced on Sheridan road because of all the old folks. I've gotten a bit more daring riding my bike on Michigan Ave sidewalks and passed by cops walking the beat and they've never said anything. I also see skateboarders downtown from time to time, and they only seem to get hassled when they linger in plazas. Otherwise I've rarely seen a boarder asked to dismount in a business district. But the laws are so ambiguous. Apparently there are certain zones in downtown where you can't skateboard, and I think that may ruin my plans for taking my longboard to work. Rush street may qualify as a route because it is service/utility oriented from Delaware to the river as opposed to State or Michigan which are commercial oriented. It's all so confusing. Basically I think the cops don't care. There are people at my office that have skateboarded to work for years without problems. But I don't want to get stuck with a fine or something by a cop who is having a bad day.

That makes me glad of my company policy. If you are scheduled in "The calendar" which shows up in Outlook, they can't change your PTO. It's in the system for good, unless you want to modify your vacation dates. So this isn't really a pet peeve, but more of annoyance. People who walk around downtown in pajamas. Okay, I understand it's Saturday, 10:00 am and you ran out of your damn Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Please walk to Walgreens with some decency. This is MICHIGAN AVE AND OAK STREET not on your way to the college dining hall back in the day. What do you think those Prada and Louis V folks are saying when you pass by in your penguin prints looking all like Christmas morning.