This past Monday I rode the Chicago Lakefront Trail in both directions and then some. I discovered from experience that it was exactly 18 miles from end to end, but could have found that out more readily by checking out this helpful PDF which shows some highlights along the route. So, evidently the center point of the trail is almost exactly at the Buckingham Fountain right in the middle of downtown. They couldn’t have planned that, could they? 
Visually, though, it does seem as if the South leg is longer. That is a long way to those little/big buildings. At this point I should also note that though I found street parking as I had planned at the South end of the trail, the neighborhood was a little rougher than I had expected, even though I had no problems. The North end of the trail, on the other hand, is nestled in some decidedly more expensive real estate.
A truth you should know from this bicyclist/photographer is that the two activities do not lend themselves to one another, necessarily. It is true that bicycling around a city provides one with new perspectives and finds, and that traveling on bicycle is a great way to get to those shots, but if one wants to get in some mileage, which was my goal on Monday, well then one cannot often satisfy the urge to stop and shoot.
And, so, though I carried a long lens (which I never used) and a medium sized lens on my full-frame Canon 5D in my hydration pack (and it is also a truth that one’s hydration pack should be reserved for that function OR as a camera bag and not both ), I did not take too many pictures of sites around the trail save the ones below.
I could not resist hanging Sequoia on the fence along with other locked bikes for a shot with the Hancock Tower in the background.
You know it is hot when you feel the strong urge to eat a Chicago dog (I settled on the Polish sausage), just to get your salt levels back up. The picture below was my lunch time view, with one of the many beaches along the trail in the background. Regarding hydration, there are water fountains and restrooms at every beach.
The colored trees at the 31st Street Beach Marina were pretty cool, but I agree with this blogger that the real things are much preferred.
Finally, I did make one foray into the city, to Threadless on Broadway, to pick up some shirts. I had planned on getting this bicycle themed design, but on hearing that I could only get it at the warehouse or online, I settled on the design below. The beautiful top part more or less replicates the Lakefront trail, and while the bottom part is bleak, it is rather Biblical, “and to dust you shall return“…though there are whispers that that may not be the whole story.
