We rode 76 miles into Chicago, our longest day since our first day out of New Hampshire. As we rode, Stefano called for a stop because his wheel got severely untrue after hitting a bump. Upon closer inspection we saw that he had 5 broken spokes—more than we could handle on our own. He hitched a ride to a bike shop, and we three remaining riders pressed on through the wasteland of Gary, Indiana. We reached our meeting point and got some ice cream. As we ate and waited for Stefano, a pair of bikers out for a weekend tour stopped by to chat. They led us to a park where they stopped to eat and we picked up a trail into Chicago.
We rode by downtown Chicago along Lake Michigan.
Mike's cousin Joe put us up in his swanky apartment and got us deep dish and beers. Thanks, Joe!
Next day we walked around a bunch, pretty aimlessly. We got to the bean, which was about as great as I expected.
Shopping!
Dan Ryan!
Our second full day in Chicago was packed with activities. We started with the free and excellent Lincoln Park Zoo. Bears have funny butts.
We went to Taste of Chicago. We were there for a while and still didn't see all the vendors. I didn't optimize my ticket spending, but had a good time anyway. Mike's churritos were my favorite.
Mike then went to a bike shop, and the rest of us had a choice: Sears Tower or the mirror maze funhouse. It was an easy decision, and though the funhouse was a tourist trap on Navy Pier, the psychedelic tunnel made it worthwhile.
We joined up at Cozy Noodles, a hip Thai place Stefano had heard about. Delicious!
We ran around the corner to the Improv Olympic for the Cook County Social Club. It was just two people (I think they usually have more), and they put on an excellent long-form show full of characters.
Stefano had not been sure if he would stop at Chicago or keep riding to the Mississippi River, but with a bum hand, he decided to fly home from Chicago. The next morning we had breakfast together, and as we got ready to ride on, Stefano left to pack his bike and go to the airport. It's been real, Stefano.
One of the guys who started this new job at the same time as me did classes at IO, he said it was often a first stop for a lot of people who moved on to second city and comedy success.
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