Grid Shots: A visitor from D.C.

M. Jantzen visited Chicago earlier in August 2011 and recently uploaded photos from his trip.

[flickr]photo:6048305242[/flickr]

Upon arriving at Midway Airport, one is presented with three distinct types of fare vending machines. One takes cash only. Two take credit cards. One dispenses multi-day passes. Two add value to Chicago Cards. O’Hare Airport only has two types of machines and they have small signs above them that say “Cash only” or “Cash and credit.”

[flickr]photo:6047762457[/flickr]

Fifty feet away from the vending machines, in the paid area, are two units of double deck bike racks that can hold 28 or more bicycles. It’s well-used, even in the “less warm” months of the year. 

[flickr]photo:6048343742[/flickr]

You’ll pass the CNA building (333 S Wabash) on any of the elevated Loop ‘L’ lines. I like it because it’s not grey, black, or blue.

A Car-Free Exodus to “Little Egypt”

[flickr]photo:5805127410[/flickr]

[This piece also appears on Walk Weekend.]

Most people think of the Land of Lincoln as Chicago plus pancake-flat prairie, but Southern Illinois is completely different. The region, nicknamed “Little Egypt” because it’s located in the delta of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, is blanketed by the lush Shawnee National Forest and roller-coaster hills, which makes it a challenging, beautiful destination for bicycle travel.

Continue reading A Car-Free Exodus to “Little Egypt”