Anonanimal

It's been almost a month since I posted my last entry. I have a new job, and have not made the time to post about urban design. Today was Bike the Drive here in Chicago. Lakeshore Drive, a major interstate along Michigan Avenue, is closed to motor vehicles from 5:30 am to 10:30 am once a year. The result is a huge bike party in and around Grant Park. The Active Transportation Alliance, a not-for-profit with a focus on fun, active, safe transportation like walking, biking, and mass transit organized the event. I volunteered to work the membership tent. Volunteering with active trans is always gratifying and a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded people in Chicago. As I rode my bike home today from the event, I realized that we all want more bike lanes, bike parking, trails, and a safe way for our kids to walk or bike to school. I had almost no problem convincing people to become a member of Active Trans once they understood the scope of the Active Transportation Alliance's work. Since my mind is still recovering from the start of a wonderful new job and packing to move to a new apartment next weekend, I am going to take a giant leap and relate Andrew Bird to Bike the Drive. Andrew Bird, a Chicago native and the object of my obsession, gleans inspiration for his music while riding his bike. It's a beautiful thing to see him perform and think about how these compositions are born. Please see video below for his performance of Anonanimal off his new album Noble Beast.

Chicago: Style Destination?

Imagine my surprise and delight to see today, in the nytimes.com style section, that Chicago is, in fact, a fashionable city. The article, "IN CHICAGO, WHERE A NEWFOUND VITALITY IS FUELING A BOOMLET IN STYLE AND DESIGN, THE FUTURE IS NOW. BY GIOIA DILIBERTO" explains that Michelle Obama gave us the reputation of "stylish yet sensible girl-next-door". I'll take that. The images that accompany the article, by Raymond Meier, are of an angular blonde woman in geometric, architecture-inspired ensembles, posing on, against, and adjacent to Chicago icons like the el, Lake Michigan, and the Franklin-Orleans Bridge. I think this is an invitation to be inspired by our architecture and to get out and experience the gorgeous urbanscape.