Chicago: My Kind of Bike Ride

The scenery is the best any major city could offer: along Lake Michigan's harbors, a few quiet fishing spots, the museum campus. The quality of the trail is perfect, wide enough to speed along without paying much attention to who or what you're passing, no negotiating at all, just smooth sailing, no hills, just a few stops to cross Shoreline Drive. Best of all were the bikes--thanks, Bike Chicago, for those extra-comfy split seats I had just read about in "Bicycling" magazine. The review said they were great, and they were. I will buy one! Visit their website at www.bikechicago.com to see their rental offerings, end-of-year-sale, free guided tours, and 5 best rides, complete with directions and maps.

Quick Tips:

When Chicago is hot, as it has been for the last month or so, bicycling is the best way to keep cool. My companions & I were not physically comfortable or dry outdoors for 2 days except when we were on the bikes.

Another suggestion is to rent your bike on the internet for a /day deal for 4 days. You must reserve them several days in advance to get the internet deal at www.bikechicago.com -- and this is quite a deal, because rentals are usually .75/hour.

Bring a lunch. There are plenty of places to park & enjoy. Or, after your ride rest a while and take refreshment outdoors at Bubba Gumps or any number of establishments on Navy Pier. The best motel within walking distance is Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers or the Hyatt on the Chicago River. The Sheraton has a great internet deal right now.

Best Way To Get Around:

CTA station is 5 blocks from Navy Pier at State/Lake. Day passes are .00 at the Cultural Center or Amtrak counter at Union Station or other outlets listed at theirwebsite or 1-800-your-cta. We didn't buy passes because we were usually too far from an outlet in 92-degree heat with 86-percent humidity, so we paid full fare. You can't buy them at just any CTA station. We will buy them at Union Station next trip 9 days from now--I'm counting. Another suggestion: learn your way around the CTA BEFORE you go by checking out www.subwaynavigator.com. I made an index card for each line (green, red, etc.) with attractions and stops we wanted. My companions thanked me.

Other options include a free trolley to and from Navy Pier, which you can get at the Cultural Center and other points, and the Wendella RiverBus (), which docks at River East Plaza, Chicago River North 3 blocks west on Illinois Avenue from Navy Pier. We took the RiverBus up the Chicago River to the Amtrak station. More than anything else, the view from the river revealed why Chicago is a world-class city. For more info, check out www.wendellaboats.com

This hotel usually costs more than $250, but Sheraton has "Cities on Sale" that include Chicago and an "Escape" weekend at the Sheraton website. I booked the one sale that included breakfast, but the front desk didn''t agree and was really too busy to check. This hotel was too busy to be enjoyable!

First, we stood in line for 45 minutes to check in. I am a "Gold" member and had requested early checkin--no deal, forget it. I''d stand in that line again at 3:00 p.m. So we stood in another line 30 more minutes to check luggage, since we couldn''t get into our room or go anywhere with our luggage. At least 4 people were checking luggage; still, 30 minutes. That''s how busy. Did I mention it was 92-degrees with 86% humidity and we looked like drowned rats from rolling our luggage three blocks? But we couldn''t stand inside in the cool lobby--no, we stood outside in the heat to check our luggage. If you don''t know how miserable Chicago has been this summer, just imagine drenching your skirt from the sweat dripping off your nose. Should I get something else to wear out of that suitcase? And stand in line outside another 30 minutes to check my luggage again? Plus, these were the clothes I had slept in! I''ve always got an early checkin at every Sheraton I''ve ever stayed, so I forgave them--until I saw my room!

Three people booked for this room had one coffee cup, two glasses and two washcloths. The empty beer bottles on the floor and in the windowsill weren''t ours. The table where we usually sit with our visitors'' literature had only one chair. When I called to complain, front desk said housekeeping would be right up. An hour later, I heard a commotion in the hall and found someone else complaining that housekeeping hadn''t been to her room, and she had been waiting for them since the day before. In her room, 3 people had only 2 towels and those were yesterday''s towels. All this, plus I''ve never seen such a small, crowded room. But the lobby is wonderful and huge.

So, would I recommend this hotel? Yes, because it''s the best location in Chicago! No complimentary shuttle, meals overpriced in the dining rooms, no ice machine on the premises so that you must pay $3 for soda from your wetbar, need to tip those porters, since they MUST handle those bags so you can get lost! Still, the River North is where I want to stay, and the Hyatt looked just as busy. In the plus column, there is the patio grill beside the river and the location, location--beautiful neighborhood just a block from the MagMile and close to everything we wanted to do. One more plus: the taxis were lined up outside; no need to call for one. At least we had got that online discount--and one of my companions had showered without a washcloth before!

We stayed at the Sheraton, great hotel, and found a place for sweaty, overheated people to have lunch outside in the shade right on the Chicago River. Surprise! Who ever heard of a Sheraton specialty of hotdog? Yes, it was a "Chicago Hotdog" with fries and lots of greenery for only $5.50. Imagine that! A Sheraton lunch for less than any Sheraton breakfast I've ever had. Everyone in our party ordered the hotdog platter and enjoyed it immensely, plus the view was great.

To get to the outdoor grill, take the escalator down 2 floors from the street. I believe they're open only for lunch.

This is the silly restaurant Forest Gump and his army friend Bubba wanted to start, remember? So, the waiters have plenty of trivia about the movie "Forest Gump." But on the more serious side, the restaurant is in a historic building with some info on such inside. Outside, tables in sun or shade from which you can behold all that goes on on Navy Pier. See performers as they arrive, and watch tour boats as they depart. Bubba's is the prime spot for sitting on Navy Pier. Oh, and the food wasn't bad, nor expensive.

Theater on the Lake is owned by Chicago Park District, and you can view their schedule at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Their website directions tell you how to get there by bicycle, and I saw plenty people arriving by bike. After all, if you're going to Chicago to enjoy the lakeside, stay on the shore in the evening and you don't have to miss the theater scene. You don't have to dress up, either - shorts, even lycra, acceptable.

We saw a Lillian Hellman play, "Another Part of the Forest," performed by the Eclipse Theater Company. The play was wonderfully acted and staged and the theater small enough to make the performance even more special.

One drawback was the temperature. Perhaps the theater is air-conditioned. I'm not sure. There are ceiling fans, but the little hand-held plastic fans all guests were given at the door were kept busy all night, a few hundred of them going at once. This may have been appropriate for a Southern family drama, but it was distracting. I still enjoyed the play and will return to the Theater on the Lake, since they do such literary masterpieces as "The Cherry Orchard" (the week after I was there, darned, for it's my favorite).

To get to the theater, you must take the CTA red line to the Fullerton Avenue stop, then walk east all the way to the Theater, just a mile (their directions insist), maybe a mile and a half. We enjoyed the walk out Fullerton and back to the CTA because it is a pleasant neighborhood of brick & brownstone walk-ups with well-planted little yards, intriguing architecture, and plenty of people out and about, walking dogs and visiting. We felt like we lived there.