Chicago - from Lincoln Park to Hyde Park by bike

[aspiringArchitect]

So during the summer I (as well as many other folks from what I can tell) like to take my bike downtown and bike along the lake front. I did this twice this year; once from Lincoln Park to the convention center and back and another from the convention center to Hyde Park and back, where I got off and explored the neighborhood a little.

So here we go. I start off at Lincoln Park Zoo. One of the last remaining free zoos in the country.


I'm gonna throw in some critters here, just cuz I took so much.




(That's a little cheetah guy napping in a bucket)






Monkeys!






After the zoo I make my way over to the Lincoln Park Conservatory.


If I had come a little later in the year, all this dirt would be full of flowers.


I like palm trees.








Exiting the conservatory, I see this to my right:


At that point I get on my bike and begin my trek south.








My last shot of Lincoln Park






North Avenu Beach


Looking back


and forward




Lake Point Tower














Museum Campus - Field history Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium




















Soldier Field






The first time I had gone, I skipped Northerly Island and just went straight to the convention center. However the second time around (yesterday) I took the loop around it.
Skyline from the tip of this "island" (its really more of a penninsula, but whatever)


Northerly Island used to be home of Meigs Field, Chicago's downtown airport. However after 9/11 Mayor Daley, without telling anybody, had a crew rip up the runway in the middle of the night. Now all that remains of this airport is a garage and the control tower.






The convention center, McCormick Place. This is the point I turned back the first time.


I continue south for about 7 miles until I get my first glimpse of the Museum of Science and Industry.


Across from the front entrance to the museum.






The back, viewed from Jackson Park


As many of you probably know, this museum is the only remaining structure from the 1893 Worlds Fair's "White City". Personally, it is my favorite museum in the city.


Now I head west to the University of Chicago. This is the most impressive church I have ever seen: The Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. It was built to purposely be the most dominant building on campus.






Now I decide to walk around campus.












From there I go to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House for a tour, just a short walk a way.






Here we are. They didn't allow photos of the interior, unfortunatly. But they were rehabbing it to its former glory so I guess any pictures wouldn't be worth much anyway.








After the tour I take another short walk around the block to see a sampling of some of the neighborhood's beautiful homes.








There were lots of churches in the area.


And from there I get back on my bike and head home.

If you are ever in Chicago, I would highly recommend renting a bike and taking a ride along the lake. It really is a nice ride.

[JManc]

nice pics!

Originally Posted by aspiringArchitect

If you are ever in Chicago, I would highly recommend renting a bike and taking a ride along the lake. It really is a nice ride.

i think i would do just that. looks like chicago has great bike paths.

[killaviews]

^^ Great pics, and remember, keep to the right!

[ikcyzrteip]

Great pics! I'm glad to see pics from the zoo and Hyde Park! I did the same thing recently only I went from Whiting all the way up to Wilmette. I posted a thread with my pics. heres the link:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...=171743&page=2

my photography is not as good as yours though

[aspiringArchitect]

Thanks guys. ikczrteip I saw your thread, it was a very in depth tour. I want to do the trek north of Lincoln Park to Wilmette one day because I've never been up there and that area has alot of nice old houses from what I'v seen.

[bnk]

This one is a bute



and this one lets me know you are in Chicago




Talk about a green building!!! Imagine entire city covered in ivy

[Okstate]

I'm envious of the museums in that city. Thanks for posting.

[SLO]

Very nice, Chicago rocks.....in the summer!!

[ikcyzrteip]

Originally Posted by aspiringArchitect

Thanks guys. ikczrteip I saw your thread, it was a very in depth tour. I want to do the trek north of Lincoln Park to Wilmette one day because I've never been up there and that area has alot of nice old houses from what I'v seen.

i definately recommend it. Evanston and Wilmette are full of extremely nice old mansions, its fun riding through and dreaming of what it would be like to live in one of those bad boys

[Para]

Beautiful picture.

[aspiringArchitect]

Summer '10 UPDATE!!

I did the whole lakefront bikeride again yesterday and I took some more pics. I figured I'd put 'em here since I don't really have enough for a whole new thread. I took a little different route this time, starting at Lincoln Park and turning around just past McCormick Center, with a little detour through Grant Park on the way to see the filming of Transformers 3. (which we never did get to see, dang it!)

Here we go...
The South Loop


Rounding the corner at Shedd


MIGRANTS as in birds. Birds.


lookey but no touchey


This is my favorite picture I took that day


once again:


the railroad through the park makes a pretty neat picture, but it'd be great if they covered them up in the near future


look at all them pirty flowers


and again, but this time with a giant horse!


at this point we locked our bikes up and took a stroll up a closed Michigan Avenue to try to catch a glimpse of the filming. I snapped this across the street from the bike rack.

btw does anyone actually know how to read those roman numerals? They look very complicated

how many times in one's lifetime could you get this shot without running the risk of getting run over?


almost there...


...and unfortunately this is all we got to see


comin back


ate at the palm tree restaurant (don't know its actual name) on Oak Street Beach. It was really good, plus the atmosphere was awesome. Lots of palm trees and flowers everywhere!


one of the funny begging birds that acompanied us at our table






and lastly, a (very) little Lincoln Park teaser


It would be so totally awesome if I could live in this place!

[FREKI]

Great pics mate!

[OhioGuy]

My kind of town!

[arkitekte]

Awesome pics!

[Robert Pence]

Wonderful tour! It looks like the lakefront bike path is pretty calm when the weekend/holiday/rush-hour hordes aren't on it; I might be tempted to try that sometime. The only issue is logistics. Usually I come by South Shore, and bikes (except folders in bags, on the overhead racks) aren't permitted on any trains, any time. I'd probably have to drive to some point within reach of CTA or Metra to bring my bike.

Actually, I like the view overlooking the Metra Electric/South Shore approach from the south through Grant Park, and the skyline view that the open ROW provides. If it were covered over, a la Millennium Park, I expect that plantings and structures soon would block that view.

The University of Chicago campus is a beautiful place to stroll or just sit and take in the ambience. The landscaping is gorgeous and impeccably maintained.

Interior rehab of the Robie House has been ongoing for at least ten years. It's nice, though, that the structural repairs and exterior restoration now are complete. It's fortunate that the house survived various development plans that wanted to raze it and use the land, and it's a remarkable piece of design when you place it in the context of most homes, even the most lavish and expensive ones, that were built in 1910.

[aspiringArchitect]

Originally Posted by Robert Pence

Wonderful tour! It looks like the lakefront bike path is pretty calm when the weekend/holiday/rush-hour hordes aren't on it; I might be tempted to try that sometime. The only issue is logistics. Usually I come by South Shore, and bikes (except folders in bags, on the overhead racks) aren't permitted on any trains, any time. I'd probably have to drive to some point within reach of CTA or Metra to bring my bike.

Well, that last set was taken on a Friday. My pictures don't show many people because I don't like taking pictures when there are lots of people around; but trust me, there were lots of people out and about. Between Lincoln Park and Navy Pier is the worst - once you get past Navy Pier though it seems to clear up a lot. I was surprised how many people were down there on a weekday.

[10023]

Nice pics... as for Rockefeller Chapel (it's not a cathedral), it's nice but if that's the most impressive church you've ever seen, get thee to Europe!

I would suggest Seville or Aachen. Cologne and Paris (Notre Dame) also quite impressive. Or of course the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, but that's very different and far from complete. You could move the entire Rockefeller Chapel structure inside one of these, and have room to spare.

[VivaLFuego]

Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by Robert Pence

Wonderful tour! It looks like the lakefront bike path is pretty calm when the weekend/holiday/rush-hour hordes aren't on it; I might be tempted to try that sometime. The only issue is logistics. Usually I come by South Shore, and bikes (except folders in bags, on the overhead racks) aren't permitted on any trains, any time. I'd probably have to drive to some point within reach of CTA or Metra to bring my bike.

Perhaps with the new bi-level cars, NICTD might consider revising the no-bikes policy?

[sopas ej]

Great pics!

BTW:
MDCCCLXXII = 1872 (M=1,000 DCCC=800 LXX=70 II=2)
MDCCCXCV = 1895 (M=1,000 DCCC=800 XC=90 V=5)

And, I would imagine a filming in Chicago would attract much interest.

[The North One]

why are they filming in chicago? Michigan is the new filming HQ.