Being Totally Sweet in Chicago

Photo by Havanai

"One of my favorite things about cycling is that it can reward suffering with joy." - Bike Snob NYC

It seems I'm the last to report the 2009 Tour Da Chicago. Beaten to the punch by Hipster Nascar and Dispatch 101,I'm none the less stoked to see another season of the foul weather classic unfold. For the uninitiated, the Tour is a series of bicycle races set in live traffic; graced by freezing rain and numbing cold . Check MySpace for more info and don't forget to pay respects.

Alligator pizza in Brooklyn, photo by moviemuff. Will it translate to Wicker Park?

Bi-polar weather has been on everyones' minds, from the spring-tease on Sunday to controvery-inducing snow late in the week. 

 A lot of the cool kids are talking about chickens, but who's gonna but their money where their, er, eggs are?

A suprising number of cyclists are out in the snow, and some of them are making money.

Free pizza has arrived in Wicker Park, but will it measure up to its NYC roots?

Finally, contrary to common sense, there are no shortage of reasons to go out this weekend.

City chicken hipsters, photographed by artcphoto.

Both Chicagoist and Gapers Block ran stories about urban chicken keepers yesterday. Raising laying hens in the city appears to be a hot trend nationwide. Click the previous link to the Christian Science Monitor for a very informative article on the topic.

Photo by Flickr user key lime pie.

Chickens are still legal in Chicago so now is the time to jump on the bandwagon and source your omelets from the back yard, porch, or rooftop.

Backyard coop by Philip Ferrato.

For more urban poultry reading:

• Urban Chickens blog
• UrbanChickens.org (unrelated to the blog)
• How to keep chickens in the city, via wikihow
• BackyardChickens.com

A beacon for the lost: Cal's Liquors, photographed by ten-nine.

This was a good week for street photography, with memorable offerings from Insomnia Jones, J.D. and Sean's 100 Strangers efforts. Jay Ryan made a beautiful poster for the Illinois State Cyclocross Championship, Cal's is still the best downtown dive bar, and Metropolitan Brewing was on TV.  Make sure you check out all the going's on this weekend! 

Stylish Thanksgiving Woman, by Flickr user Insomnia Jones, J.D.

Insomnia Jones, J.D. posted a few nice Thanksgiving street shots.
I've always felt this kind of photo typifies the urban experience.
Everybody walks around doing their thing and nobody pays much
attention, then wham!, someone turns you into an icon of late-fall
couture.