Last Saturday a friend finished riding all of the streets in Chicago. Yes, take a second, think about it, all the streets. Pretty bonkers, but that’s Steve. Of course I knew that he was doing it, and he was just about finished; there was even a group ride to go collect the last tiny bit down on Michigan Ave (I did not go, had a training ride on the calendar). I did not know that Steve was doing it as a fundraiser for Active Transportation Alliance, a group advocating for equitable transportation options in Chicago.
I don’t like riding in the city, so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the magnitude of Steve’s accomplishment/adventure. But, I totally understand why we need better options for pedestrians, cyclists, and folks on public transport in the city. Maybe if that was better, I would like riding down there more.
In early 2021, I headed into Chicago to the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood to visit Sputnik, a south side coffee roaster whose beans I had recently bought in an Evanston grocery store. On that ride, I fell in love with exploring more of the city: riding the boulevards, viewing the architecture, talking with people, the smells from chocolate factories, bakeries, and taquerias. That ride started what has evolved into a three-year project to ride every street in Chicago. By August 2021, I had ridden 25% of the streets and thought I would just cover the major streets to see most of the city. I kept going and eventually aimed for 50% so I could see most neighborhoods. When I got close to 60%, I wanted to finish the whole city…and that’s when I wished I hadn’t skipped all those dead ends early on because I had to go back to ride them all. In 2023 alone, I rode 942 dead-ends.