Lena G R

@lenagr

Chicagoan for sustainability, cultural diversity, & queer rights. She/her/hers 🚲🐶🌳🌻🌈🌊🍻🚉🏕️♻️

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Lena G R@lenagr· 8d

I also loved seeing this electrician with his work gear on a scooter like a badass. Who needs a pickup truck when you’ve got micromobility?

A tattooed construction worker with steel toed boots and a neon yellow shirt waits at a light with his scooter loaded with a big rolling tool box

Lena G R@lenagr· 8d

We’re bike rack maximalists lol so I’ll be curious to see people push these to the limit with real cargo

Bike rider on a rural road is loaded with panniers on the side and several bags on top of the back bike rack plus a dog in goggles on the front rack

Lena G R@lenagr· 8d

Here’s how the seat post (with potential back rack attachments) connects

Lena G R@lenagr· 8d

Tried an Also ebike today in lakeview, a spinoff cousin of @rivianofficial.bsky.social. It was nifty, with automatic shifting, built-in navigation, and turn signals. But the regenerative braking felt abrupt and the back rack worries me. Will be curious to see these roll out for real

A back half closeup of the Also ebike showing a knobby tire, belt drive (not connected to pedal shaft!), independent seat post, see-thru gear box, and white square battery with a purple circle handle on it. Also a double kickstand

Closeup of the also ebike display mount shows a big number in the middle for speed, a bar on the right side for energy efficiency (& regenerative braking), a green bar at the bottom indicating battery capacity remaining, a clock at the top, and two buttons on the left for assist level and automatic/manual mode. The whole top also turns righty tighty/lefty loosey to engage the bike in ride mode or return to the main menu. On the downtube is a secondary port for charging the bike battery or using it to charge your cell phone.

Lena G R@lenagr· 20d

Electrifying!

Lena G R@lenagr· 23d

Look how many people squatted in illegal shanty town boats in the Chicago River in the 30s!

Map of the Chicago River district north-south from Addison to montrose and east west between Claremont and California, showing a cluster of black dots on the river, indicating houseboats. The caption reads “map showing the location of chicago’s strange houseboat community. The boats are moored in rows along each bank of the river on both sides of the Irving park boulevard bridge.

Lena G R@lenagr· 27d

Bikes were here first!

Cyclist on Lincoln Ave by Belmont in the 1920s

Lena G R@lenagr· 28d

She did have to pee, but we kept it brief!

Selfie wearing a mask while walking a little black dog

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 15

Sheboygan has a beautiful state park on the lake! Campsites are hard to reserve but if you can swing a hike I’d recommended

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 9

Sidewalk sadness: look how much width we lost at Irving & keeler! Today, right by the highway, blue line, UPNW Irving stop, no way could you fit a bigass awning over that skimpy sidewalk. Back in the day the whistle stop cafe had a nice broad expanse out front

Sidewalk today outside the same corner building is rounded for trucks & cars to turn fast. Makes the corner narrow& dangerous to stand on as a pedestrian

Wider sidewalk at the same intersection in 1889, with streetcar tracks in the middle of the road and only a couple horse & carriages parked on the curb

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 9

Fun features! 🚍This mid century bus shelter ☘️The Irish import store where I got dance shoes as a kid 🏌️‍♂️you can go golfing by bus like this guy!

Fun & funky mid century bus shelter between the train tracks, Caldwell, & central

A bag of Irish Tayto potato chips and a green onesie that I got for my nibling at the Irish import store on Devon, where I used to get Irish dance shoes as a kid.

A man carries his golf bag onto the 84 Caldwell bus from the Caldwell Forest Preserve public golf course

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 9

A few photos of current conditions (sliplane excluded): Central is technically a bikeway, but since it’s 5 lanes of cars, bikers obviously use the narrow sidewalk! Also, ALL the ped lights stay red when trains come thru, even if you’re nowhere near tracks, so turning cars can get green arrows 🙄

Narrow sidewalks not fun for pedestrians

Central Ave goes from 2+turn lanes a block north of here to 4+turn lanes in the business district, which is dumb & unsafe. They fly through here too.
Technically a bikeway, who would want to bike here? So here you see a cyclist on the very narrow sidewalk which is already unpleasant enough for pedestrians

The railroad gate is down a block away, but they make all the pedestrians stop in case some car might want to turn

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 9

They’re at the very early stages of this process, so there were lots of ideas flowing tonight! Raise the train tracks? Lower the road? Build a big bike bridge? Who knows! People made short, med, & long term recommendations. Next public meeting this fall will have more specific options analyzed

CDOT’s Lindsey Frey presents the purpose & need for feedback

Old art deco entrance to Edgebrook school, now the park building behind newer school

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 8

Stevie says “please come, help make Edgebrook safer for all!” #bikechi

Stevie gives her paw in the front box of a red and black cargo bike. Devon avenue is in the background

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 8

Hey #bikechi, do you ride the north branch trail? Do you hate having to cross 6 lanes plus a high-speed slip lane at Devon? Come join me tonight to call for better/safer! At Edgebrook elementary from 5:30-7:30pm, there’s a CDOT meeting on improving this monstrosity!

A spaghetti of transportation in Edgebrook on the northwest side of Chicago includes Devon, Caldwell, Central, Lehigh, the MDN Metra line, the bus stop for 85A, 226, & 84, and the North Branch bike trail

A dog in a cargo bike looks back nervously, on a tiny concrete island between a slip-lane and high-speed Devon Ave, trying to continue south on the north branch trail

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 5

I got your book for my dad who loves Chicago history! Thanks for mentioning

Book cover of Beat Cop: Chicago’s chief O’Neill and the creation of Irish music by Michael O’Malley

Lena G R@lenagr· Jul 4

My Mexican mom’s tapestry depiction of the Midwest Assumption shows Mary as a brown skinned farm worker being taken up to heaven by tornado

Midwest assumption depicts Mary as a brown skinned farm worker being taken up to heaven by tornado

Lena G R@lenagr· Jun 30

My namesake has a day! She was dope, check it out

Lena Horne, black american actress, singer, civil rights advocate, smiles in a black & white photo with a white shirt on

Lena G R@lenagr· Jun 17

Dog on a couch cushion sleeps with her tongue out and paws all clustered in a funny way

Lena G R@lenagr· Jun 15

Music is one way we grieve and share stories of those we’ve lost. A city’s an ever changing thing We can choose to build anew To see another’s humanity To see Riley’s efforts through Adapted from the traditional Irish Raglan Road. #bikechi photos from @chiwho.bike

Lena G R@lenagr· Jun 9

The vigil & ride for Riley O’Neil was so powerful. Nobody should have to die to get that many electeds out to talk about better infrastructure. #bikechi Thank you to @bikegridnow.org @femnthembikechi.bsky.social Gage Park Cyclists, CDOT safe streets ambassadors for organizing/marshaling

Riders fill the street into the distance in Bridgeport, including a tall bike on the right

Fiery sunset behind the crowd and a Chicago flag as we return to palmisano

Die-in on Halsted stretched for two blocks near where Riley was killed

Lena G R@lenagr· Jun 6

“This is one of those times we have to remind ourselves that we can do hard things. There are so many of us keeping up the fight to protect our environment, to protect one another.” - IL Lieutenant Governor & Dem candidate for Senate Juliana Stratton at @elpcenter.bsky.social gala