Bridges

Chicago is a city of water and one of the best things about riding here is the amazing views from the incredible iron bridges.

We rode the Cermak bridge into Chinatown for a late dinner after visiting the Bike Winter Art Show opening on Halstead. Cermak was surprisingly

quiet though we took the deserted sidewalk much of the way. (We have a little crush on Hong Kong milk tea lately. We've been drinking way too much -- especially at breakfast). 

Bridge rides - with the bike loaded with kids or riding alongside them on their own bikes - take a little caution but they are one of the most fun things to add to any trip.

When the guys are on their own bikes we always walk or ride the bridge sidewalk, and we usually ride the sidewalk when on a bike loaded with kids. Some bridges in Chicago have plates on the right hand shoulder covering the steel gratings, which help make it less slippery, but I find the cars feel a little too close for comfort with the guys on my bike. Wet bridges take special caution as the grates get very slippery for both bikes and the cars right next to them. Sometimes your wheel can get wedged between two steel grates and throw you to the roadway, though that is uncommon and more likely with a thinner tire. All in all, a bridge is a good place to walk or ride the sidewalk.

See the plates and concrete covering the grates on the far lane?

The two green dots at the top are the Sears Tower spiffed up for St Patrick's day.

The views from the bridges are beautiful. It's easy to see the water and watch the barges or water taxis chugging along. It's also a terrific place to look up and see the intricate patterns of the huge girders. Downtown, the kids love to stand on one bridge and watch another going up to let boats sail down river from the lake. Lately we've been watching sparks shower down from the cutters and welders at the closed-for-repairs Randolph Ave bridge, easy to see from the Lake Street bridge (we often walk or ride the riverwalk sidewalk to get there).