On days like today, when we Chicagoans ask ourselves, "Why is it again that we don't live in California?" I find it therapeutic to flip my calendar ahead a few months and start penciling in dates for events that scream summer. The 10th Annual MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive is one of those events.
Register now through Feb. 6 for Bike the Drive, and you'll receive something that's sure to brighten even the bleakest, most blizzard-ly day: a $10 break on the ticket price. (This is the best deal you'll find on BtD tix, so do make a note to your Future Self to thank you for being so frugal.) Registration includes an event T-shirt, access to rest stops, and a ticket to the post-ride festival with live entertainment and breakfast in Grant Park.
If you've never experienced Bike the Drive, take a few seconds to imagine Lake Shore Drive, forever open, free and clear (of gray slush and black ice), stretching for miles under the summer sun, an (ice-floe-free) glittering Lake Michigan to the east — and zero cars. Now imagine yourself on your bike (sans parka and snow goggles), arms outstretched, a slight (not Arctic) breeze gently cooling you as the bright summer sun warms your skin.
It's coming, my friends. You have to believe me.
One last thing: This amazing bike ride is a fundraiser for our friends, Active Transportation Alliance. So sign up now, while the gettin's good (and cheap!)
And stay safe today!