I've been a lifelong Chicagoan with a brief stint in the western suburbs and as of late am enjoying life in the very near (technically suburb) of Evanston. Still, my life pre-kids was lived out all around Chicago. I enjoyed lots of the city, took advantage of many of its cultural offerings gladly and prided myself on my knowledge of the city and its history, though I'll admit I'm still at a disadvantage when it comes to naming all the streets on the city's far south side.
Though I know I still have lots more to explore, I never felt that I could see all that much of Chicago in one day, it's pretty vast come to think of it. That is, until I rode Bike The Drive on Sunday. There's nothing like riding down Lake Shore Drive on a beautiful spring morning to convince you of the marvels of living in The Windy City. First of all, I should note, my family and I were not attending this event in the typical way. We weren't riding our regular bikes with my son on his kids bike and my daughter in a child's seat.
Instead, we rode a bakfiets. That's Dutch for "box bike". A box bike is no ordinary bike, it's a lean, mean carbon-free pedal powered vehicle, like a mini-pick-up truck crossed with a bike, only way more stylish. The best part is that it carries not only your stuff: groceries, bags, etc. But it carries your kids too, not just one or two, try 3 or 4, even an adult can ride in its cargo seat.
You could consider it your new family car, minus the fuel, the emissions, insurance, maintenance, license, city sticker, car seats,... I could go on. The added bonuses of course would be more exercise and parking anywhere.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Jon Lind at De Fietsfabriek, me and Manda rode in style on a bakfiets each with our kids at Bike the Drive. It was the ultimate in family friendly travel. Below left is Manda on the bike she rode with their little cutie and a toddler friend.
At the top is me and my family after we returned back to Grant Park, tired but happy.
Nonetheless, my husband on his bike and I and our 9 year old and 4 year old trekked down to MSI from downtown and back up though a fierce wind kept our pedal speed at bay.
The kids were outfitted with a pillow, a blanket (they were up at 5 a.m.), snacks, water and my daughter's stuffed animal and they still had plenty of room.
We've been seriously thinking how/when we can lose our car. Now if we can just eliminate a work commute by car, we'll be all good for a bakfiets when that time comes.
-Christine
