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Couldn't ask for a better birthday than biking around the South Side with friends
We ogled some shiny new buildings.
Appreciated this majestic dead tree in Harold Washington Park.
Lamented some beautiful buildings with rich pasts and very uncertain futures.
Marveled at the existence of a geodesic dome greenhouse in South Chicago.
Had our plan to visit the @EastSideTapChi foiled by bridges too heat-swollen to close, despite the fire department's best efforts to cool them down.
Got food at Calumet Fisheries, where they were dishing out amazing fish not a week after the longtime manager succumbed to COVID-19. A Chicago treasure of the highest order. – bei Calumet Fisheries
Marveled at the mighty infrastructure of the Calumet region as trains rumbled by.
Took yet another picture chronicling the sad decline of the lonely southernmost house in South Chicago.
Puzzled over the enduring presence of Chicago's third monument to Christopher Columbus, "the discoverer of America", in a neighborhood populated by the descendants of those most affected by his legacy. – bei Drake Fountain / Columbus Monument
Cruised down the quiet, modest, charming streets that characterize most of the South Side, just as they do other parts of town.
Wished for the opportunity to pop inside and see whatever business this once was, from back when neighborhood businesses where still ubiquitous and the South Side had a functioning economy.
Fawned over this cute-as-a-button house.
Looked up in awe at St. Michael the Archangel.
Paused at home just long enough to torment Clyde, who made it known loudly that he wanted...something. Who knows with cats.
Cruised north on the Lake Front Trail, fretting a bit about the worsening impact of rising water levels. – bei Lakefront Trail (at 67th St)
Guessed at the age of the tallest tree on Wooded Isle.
Breathed in the sublime beauty of the Garden of the Phoenix. – bei Osaka Garden
Worried some more about rising lake levels after noticing the pile of sandbags now holding the water back from swamping the Garden of the Phoenix. – bei Osaka Garden
Captured the same transcendently tranquil scene I've shot dozens of times before, but it never gets old. – bei Osaka Garden
Strolled through Bobolink Meadow, an oasis that owes its improbable existence to the lingering impact of a Cold War-era missile installation.
Stopped to smell the flowers, or at least attempt to identify them.
Pedaled the familiar route home, filled with a delirious gratitude for this amazing, crazy place, and the people who make my life here what it is. Or possibly heat exhaustion. A good birthday. – bei Lakefront Path
