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May 14, 2021 22 tweets 7 min read Read on X
I’m leaving Chicago’s Uptown nabe to bike to the closest #WaffleHouse in Avon, Indiana, outside Indianapolis. 70 miles to ride tonight to a bachelor party in the Indiana Dunes, where I’ll spend the weekend. It’s going to be a long night, but it’s a familiar route on trails. My bicycle parked outside J...
That last place was Jake’s Pup in the Ruf, specializing in broasted (pressure-fried) chicken.

Chicago’s Lakefront Trail is super busy today thanks to the gorgeous weather. Good to see that the separate pedestrian path south of Fullerton Avenue is repaired and re-opened. Image
The city is looking pretty today. Image
My first time experiencing the new bike-through bridge houses on the Navy Pier Flyover bike-ped bridge in person - pretty cool. Image
One of the nicest skyline views is by the Shedd Aquarium. Image
An elegant bike-ped bridge at 35th Street. Image
Here’s the historic 63rd St., Beach House, nicely illuminated.

I’ve got fried food on the brain, so I’m going to detour off the lakefront soon and head south on Jeffery Boulevard towards a dinner stop. Image
I’m in the South Shore neighborhood. As I stop to take a photo of this cool Mural, a nice lady says hello and hands me a business card for the Japanese Buddhist sect Soka Gakkai. I already know all about that organization!
newcity.com/2012/12/06/cul… Image
Another attractive mural at Horace Mann academy, 81st and Jeffery. Image
New Life Christian Ministry, 82nd and Jeffery, has a memorable A-frame building.

OK, if I don’t stop taking photos of cool stuff, I’m never gonna get to dinner, let alone the dunes. Image
Stopped at Heine’s, 104th and Torrence, and picked up and excellent fried chicken dinner and a bottle of hot sauce for the guys. Munched it on a bench outside a nearby motorcycle club HQ.
#IconicCHIRestaurants

OK, 48 miles to go, no sleep until the dunes… Image
Just entered Indiana, and I’m riding on the causeway bike path across Wolf Lake, in view of casino and steel mills. It’s a little spooky, in a good way. 43 miles to go.
Here’s a photo of the scene. Image
Making my way southeast through Hammond, Indiana. There’s a decent network of side paths and bike lanes. I’m even riding in a green bike lane right now. Image
Here’s a church in a geodesic dome. 38 miles to go. Image
I’m on the Erie Lackawanna trail heading south east now. Talk about eerie, check out this tunnel under I-94. 35 miles to go, so I’m at the halfway point. Image
I’m in Griffith, Indiana, heading on streets towards the oak savanna Trail. As I stop to re-fold my map, a guy in a hoodie cruises buy him an electric bike and beep the horn and says, “How’s it goin’, bud?” 30 miles to go. Image
On the Oak Savannah Trail now, a very natural setting. It’s pretty dark but I saw a deer. 25 miles to go, spirits are good.
Leaving Hobart, Indiana, where the routing for the Oak Savannah Trail was pretty confusing in the dark. Here’s a well situated bike shop next to the trail heading northeast out of town. 19 miles to go. Image
Heading NE on the Prairie Duneland trail. I was getting a little tired but then I put on the first Chicago Transit Authority album and it’s helping me to stay motivated and ride a little faster. I should’ve packed some sugary snacks though. Just salty cashews. 10 miles to go. Image
Made it to Hwy 12, main road through the dunes. The crushed lime stone trail that parallels it is flooded so Iwill have to take the road but I’ve got a safety vest. Found a $.50 soda machine. This room temperature Coke will give me the boost I need to make the last 7 miles.
You mean I could’ve just ridden the train here?!

Just kidding. I made it! Thanks for playing along at home; your “likes” helped keep me going. Now it’s definitely time for some whiskey and a soak in the hot tub... Image

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More from @greenfieldjohn

Nov 8, 2022
Some news: Tracy Baim, far left, publisher of The Reader just called to say they're going to pay me for last 2/6 branded features she hired me to write, but the series is cancelled and they don't want me pitch again. The timing suggests this is due to my Hideout reporting. Image
Here's my Medium post about the closure of the The Hideout music venue after an IG post by ex-booker Mykele Deville w/ accusations that it was a racist, workplace. One of Deville's Black coworkers reportedly said Deville's allegations may be exaggerated. medium.com/@johngreenfiel…
No hard feelings against Tracy, who is a heroic figure in the Chicago media landscape. She recently helped save @Chicago_Reader from going out of business, and she's been very supportive of my work in the past, including getting me this 6-part series. I wish her all the best
Read 14 tweets
May 18, 2021
Day 3 of my ride from Chicago to the nearest Waffle House in Avon, IN, outside of Indianapolis. After a good night’s sleep at this cheap motel in northeast West Lafayette, home of Purdue, I’ve got 69 miles to WH, 82 to my hotel near the circle in downtown Indy.
Downtown West Lafayette.
A nice concrete protected bike lane on State Street by Von’s Books. West Lafayette is a @BikeLeague-designated Bike Friendly Community.
Read 36 tweets
May 17, 2021
After a fun PG-13 bachelor party in the Indiana Dunes (hikes, homemade pizza, guitars, soft drug use by my companions, hot tub) I’m leaving Beverly Shores for West Lafayette today, home of Purdue, then on to the closest #WaffleHouse to Chicago in Avon, outside Indy, tomorrow. Image
I rode 70 miles to the dunes from Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood on Friday night. On a clear day you can see the Chicago skyline from here. 104 miles to go to my motel in West Lafayette. This will be my longest ride in a day for about a decade. Let’s see how I do... Image
Here’s the vintage station for the @southshoreline in Beverly Shores. Service is suspended on the east leg of the route, replaced by bus shuttles, for a double tracking project. 103 miles to go today.
chi.streetsblog.org/2021/05/14/goo… Image
Read 22 tweets
Feb 20, 2021
It's wild that for the past 24+ hours right-wing columnist @John_Kass's pinned tweet has been one throwing shade on me via a quote from Irish writer and gay icon #OscarWilde.

While I appreciate the exposure, here's why Kass should probably keep Wilde's name out of his mouth.
Here's the Kass tweet, still pinned to the top of his Twitter profile two days after I first critiqued his glowing eulogy for Rush Limbaugh, the radio host who was notorious for his hateful comments about LGBTQ people, and just about every other marginalized group.
This is my tweet that started this latest exchange, noting that, rather than taking a clear-eyed look at Rush Limbaugh's legacy, including his outspoken homophobia, Kass's eulogy was nearly all hagiography.
Read 16 tweets
Jul 26, 2020
THREAD: Last week right-wing @chicagotribune columnist @John_Kass ran a column blaming rising crime and civil unrest in big cities like Chicago on "left-wing billionaire George Soros [spending] millions of dollars to help elect liberal social justice warriors as prosecutors."
"[Soros] remakes the justice system in urban America, flying under the radar," Kass wrote. "The Soros-funded prosecutors... are the ones who help release the violent on little or no bond." The piece ran with a photo of Soros a frequent target of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
There was quite a backlash to Kass' Soros column. Some argued that while the Trib is laying off lots of actual reporters, Kass is getting paid 6 figures to spout off "anti-Semitic garbage," with terrible writing to boot.
Read 46 tweets
Jun 18, 2019
Thread: An argument I've been hearing about the high U.S. scooter fatality rate (2X as many deaths as U.S. bike-share in 1/10 the time) is "Scooters aren't the problem, cars & car-centric streets are." I think that's half right. Our car-centric system IS dangerous for everyone.
Obviously, to reduce overall traffic fatality and injury rates, we need to encourage alternatives to driving, and better enforce laws against reckless, intoxicated, and distracted driving. That's a lot of what I advocate for on Streetsblog.
And a big potential positive about scooters is that they appeal to people who aren't interested in biking. They don't want to exercise or risk getting sweaty while commuting. By attracting these people, scooters can help build political support for more protected car-free lanes.
Read 9 tweets

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