Catherine, 2000 Block of North Ave, Chicago, IL

Catherine rides a  Silver Marin Larkspur hybrid.

Make/model color of your bike, and where you got it? Silver Marin Larkspur. Didn’t have a good experience where I bought her but I’m horrible & hardly ever even oil the chain so she gets a lot of attention at Johnny Sprockets & Uptown Bikes

Where are you going? To a friend’s house up north

What are you wearing?  REI jacket, scarf I got in Cambodia, garage sale cords & cashmere sweater, Smartwool socks, boots from the alley behind my apartment (thx departing Loyola student), pearl izumi bike gloves, Bern helmet.

Why ride? b/c I love it, it’s often the easiest way to get around the city, & I like beer & chocolate & hate gyms.

Favorite ride? Don’t have one favorite but I love biking along the lake or through the city late late on a summer night

While riding you … hum, swear at bad drivers, smile stupidly at beauty.

How can Chicago improve bike infrastructure or make Chicago more bike friendly? No cars in the city center?  Since that’s never going to happen, whatever needs to be done to deal w/the drivers who don’t want us out there & the ones who are just plain bad - Education, enforcement, & dedicated & protected bike lanes. (& thanks Active Transportation Alliance for working on these things & more)

And other tips? Wear the appropriate clothing & you can ride most of the winter, often more comfortably & w/less hassle than cramming your down-encased self into an overheated 'el' car.