Pleasant Pedaling

All summer I’ve been meaning to bike the lake path. I’ve really wanted to buy a bike, and after renting one for a few hours last week, I’m more convinced than ever that this will be my next big purchase. First of all, so much is within perfect biking distance from where I live. Second, after how my hip has been acting up recently when I run, it’s looking like I’m going to have to switch my form of exercise.

We rented from Lakeshore Bike, on Recreation Dr., just a few blocks north of my apartment on the lake path. The guys who ran the little stand were super friendly and helpful, and seemed genuinely excited for us to enjoy our ride. It’s a very relaxed operation—all you do is give them a credit card and you can basically have the bikes as long as you want; you settle up whenever you get back.

Although my original plan was to head north to Evanston, the man helping us said it would be a much more interesting ride to follow the path to its southern end, biking past the downtown, Navy Pier, various beaches, and the gorgeous Museum campus. It ended up being the perfect distance too—about 10 miles each way by my estimate. We stopped a couple of times to snap pictures, take a drink and stretch, and just enjoy the scenery.

It was a great way to see the city in a new way. The only drawback—and there’s really nothing to be done about it—are the congested areas of the path. This is especially problematic for a nervous biker like me. Between the intense Lance Armstrong types aggressively barreling past and the small children darting every which way across the path, I definitely had a few close calls.

Luckily, I had an experienced biker by my side to keep the ride going smoothly (and to keep me at a heart-pumping speed). One of my top three favorite days in Chicago so far.