Boo, W Kinzie St & N Franklin St, Chicago, IL

Boo rides a built out Republic brand frame road bike

What are you wearing?
Dress: H&M, Sweater: AKIRA, Shoes: ASOS, Bag: BAGGU, Turquoise Cuff: Vintage- It was my mom's. Watch: Seiko
Make/model color of your bike, and where you got it?
My bike is 85% Republic brand. Frame: Aristole, Color: Putty. The handles, peddles, axle, and front wheel all come from various other sources, all on ebay. I'm slowly customizing each piece but the frame and aqua back wheel will never change.
Where are you going?
Home! I've just finished work at the furniture showroom next door and I'm headed to dinner with friends.
Why ride?
So many reasons. For me, (besides being able to go anywhere without parking) I bike because it is enables exploration. Biking is the pace that I like the view the world in; Cars are too fast so you can't really take in the scenery, and when I'm walking I can't cover enough ground. I could ride around the streets of Chicago endlessly, scoping out new neighborhoods, restaurants, buildings, and parks.
Favorite ride?
I love to bike from my neighborhood (Fulton Market) to Wicker Park for dinner or ice cream on summer nights. The landscape goes from old warehouses to picturesque tree-lined streets and it is the perfect distance for a casual ride.
While riding you …?
I don't know. I think I hum sometimes, but mostly I just daydream and watch the world go by.
How can Chicago improve bike infrastructure or be more bike friendly?
Chicago is in the process of installing bike lanes all over the city and it seems like everytime I'm out riding there's a new lane up. It is definitely getting better, but there are still so many places where traffic gets scary. I'm eager for all the roads to have a safe space to ride in.
And other cool, funny tips or stories?
My husband always clips my bike light onto the back of my shirt for safe night riding but we both seem to forget it's there when I arrive at my destination, so I'm often walking through restaurants blinking red and wondering why I'm getting so many stares.
We actually registered for bikes for our wedding and had our friends and family pool funds to buy them for us. We just decided that what we wanted most to start our life together was a set of perfect new wheels. So consider that, if you're about to get married!
No matter how you get a bike, you wont regret it. I don't know how I lived without mine.