Bill Savage, who teaches Chicago history at Northwestern and grew up in the neighborhood with his brother, sex advice columnist Dan Savage, argued in a Chicago Reader piece that the $400 million project would waste money better spent on neglected inland parks. “I bike four thousand miles a year and I live right on the beach,” he said. “So the path extension would save me miles of riding on streets, but I still don’t want it.”
As co-chair of the 49th Ward’s Transportation Committee, Sharlyn Grace has an alternative bike path plan she believes could be implemented this year. Alderman Joe Moore, famous for crusading against big box stores and foie gras, agreed to let Grace’s committee spend part of the ward’s $1.3 million in discretionary funds.
Grace wants to create an off-street route from Loyola Park to the Winthrop and Kenmore bike lanes, connecting to the Lakefront Trail. Eventually she’d also like to create a northbound route. “Rogers Park is the black hole preventing there being a bike path from Evanston all the way south to 71st Street,” she said.
If all this controversy is wearing you out, take a break at one of the neighborhood’s eateries. Heartland Café, 7000 North Glenwood Street, a favorite with hippies since 1976, features hearty meatless fare like veggie chili and cornbread, as well as buffalo burgers. The Heartland regularly hosts fundraisers for progressive causes, like bike drives for Latin America by the group Athletes United for Peace.
Uncommon Ground opened recently at 1401 West Devon Avenue with environmentally-friendly features like an organic rooftop garden and solar panels for heating water. The menu focuses on locally-sourced comfort foods like wild mushroom risotto and pumpkin ravioli. Summer brunches mean a patio full of bicycles, said bartender Zach Drummond.
You could also enjoy the diversity of Rogers Park by rolling west on Devon Avenue to sample the dazzling array of ethnic eats between Clark Street and Kedzie Avenue, including several blocks of Indian restaurants.
The Recyclery: therecyclery.org
Roberts Cycle: robertscycle.com
Stop the Landfill: stopthelandfill.org
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