Tag: Ash Lottes

Kidical Mass video

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Photo of a family participating in Kidical Mass by Sherry Keating. 

If you’re a Chicago parent and you want to cycle with your children, I invite you to check out Kidical Mass, “Critical Mass for the smaller set”. It’s a monthly, slow bike ride starting at Palmer Square Park (3064 W Palmer Blvd) for families. The next ride is December 10, 2011, at 10:30 AM.

Marisa Paulson published an introductory video at The Northwest Passage, embedded below. The video features short interviews with three Logan Square parents talking about why they ride in Kidical Mass.

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Watch the video on Vimeo. Elizabeth Bartom posted more photos.

Where’s the next Bloomingdale Trail?

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Looking west on the Bloomingdale Trail from approximately Leavitt and Milwaukee. The Blue Line towards O’Hare crosses here. Photo by John Tolva. 

The first public meeting for the Bloomingdale Trail, an elevated abandoned railroad line, soon to be an elevated linear park, happened last Thursday at the Congress Theater in Logan Square. This was the first meeting where members of the public got to hear from and meet the consultants the City of Chicago hired through a competitive bidding process.

The City awarded ARUP North America the contract to do Phase I engineering and Phase II design over a year after the company was selected. ARUP has nine subcontractors, several of which are based in Chicago (see page two of the FAQ). They are collectively called the “design team.”

Continue reading Where’s the next Bloomingdale Trail?

Kidical Mass, a critical mass of family friendliness

Children riding bikes in Kidical Mass

Children and their parents ride on the streets of Chicago in Kidical Mass, on August 13, 2011. Photo by Ash Lottes. 

Kidical Mass is coming up this Saturday! “Kidical Mass is a slow-paced group ride for families with kids of all ages.” It started in Eugene, Oregon, in 2008, and spread across North America (there are two in Canada) and Hungary. In Chicago, the ride happens every month, year round, on the second Saturday, starting near the playground in Palmer Square Park at 10:30 AM, rolling at 11 AM. I haven’t ridden with the families yet, but Ash Lottes, a Logan Square mom and passionate Kidical Mass promoter gives the scoop of Chicago’s ride on her blog, One Less Minivan. Continue reading Kidical Mass, a critical mass of family friendliness