Pooches: The Family Bike

While we love to get out and around the city, most of the places we can go with the pups are limited to places we can walk or drive and easily find parking.
For years we dreamed about getting a cargo bike. We loved the idea of all of us being able to bike around the city and the ease of popping the pups in the front. But we never really had a reason to get one or a place to store it.
Last year, with the demands of The Laboratory, we realized that we needed more than one car. Instead of buying a second car, we decided this was the perfect time to invest in the Nihola 4.0 so we could transport cargo to and from The Laboratory. Also, with the ailing Miss M and the aging Mr. B, our Nihola quickly became our family transport of choice.

Though we loved visiting our usual stomping grounds, since our pups were getting older it was getting harder for them to walk those few miles. Driving was not a convenient option due to the hassle of getting the pooches and Baby K into the car and reaching our destination to find that the closest parking spot is only blocks from our home.

The Nihola, with its 264 lb load capacity, gave us the option to safely, with its closed double tube frame, and efficiently go around the city, with a few modifications.

At first we tried to fit, everyone, including A, into the front cargo area, but it was very cramped. So our first modification was to fit a heavy duty bike rack in the rear that can hold A's weight safely. I added a padded seat with a backrest, flip up footrests and a small handlebar to make A's ride as safe and comfortable as possible.

For Baby K, we added the Babboe cargobike toddler seat shell, which is made of the same hard foam used in bicycle helmets.

Finally for the pooches, we have tie downs in the front that clip onto their car seat belts or harnesses and we tighten the tie down as much as possible to limit the possibility of an escape from a moving bike. We added padded floor mats cut to fit the floor of the bike so the pooches can comfortably sit and sometimes lay. The low entrance on the side makes it easy for our pooches to hop in and out with some assistance.

One major issue is that we did not opt for the e-assist and it is not a tandem, so moving is all based on pedal power from me. This makes going up hill and long rides really difficult. Luckily all of our usual stomping grounds are only 1-4 miles away, so once we reach our destination, we take nice long walks and breaks before we all head back home.

Even as Miss M was tired and slowing down, the Nihola allowed Miss M to continue her life of grand adventures.

Also:

This is where we get to ride it the most!

In case you were wondering.

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Red Door Animal Shelter: 2011 Gimme Shelter! Walk for the Animals

During the summer we try to find things that are fun for the dogs as well us fun for us. And sometimes we find an equal balance. One of our favorite events is a dog-walk fundraiser that benefits the Red Door Animal Shelter--where our friend Pip is an alumni. The pooches love going on a walk with a couple hundred of their closest friends, while we love exploring new-to-us Indian Boundary Park in the West Rogers Park neighborhood.

We were able to bring Bella and we were joined by our friend Winnie Cooper who is similar age and markings as Bella--people even thought they were twins!

We loved meeting other dogs (look how handsome our new friend Bruno is in the photo below) and walking through the neighborhood filled with historic Chicago bungalows and ornate gardens.

My highlight is visiting Indian Boundary Park itself. It's a huge park with a castle-themed play area and even it's own mini-barnyard with goats, ducks and chickens. Miss M pushed herself to the front to check out these critters:

They also have a beautiful duck-filled lagoon where the pooches were happy to check out more wildlife.

It's always so interesting to me to find these places I never knew about in the city.

Thanks again to Alexis for escorting Bella on her debut walk, and for Winnie Cooper and Gregg for joining the crew!

Chicagoing: The Colors of Winter

 

Just as I was excited to be getting back into our family walk routine, a huge Arctic blast blew into Chicago dropping windchills to blustery subzero temperatures. While everything seemed miserable and gray, we had a huge surge back up to 20 degrees; this felt absolutely tropical in comparison! Determined not to let the winters hold us back, we bundled up the pooches and headed out on a longer neighborhood walk. And despite all the grays of winter, there were many brighter hues. Miss M wore her bright pink coat in defiance of the gray weather:

I did notice that if I really looked, things were a bit more colorful and spring-like than I originally thought. I had never noticed this blue garage before:

Mr. B's blue coat looked vibrant in front of this wall:

Snow-covered branches in front of an orange condo:

 A bright-yellow bicycle snowed in.

And Miss M in pink along a snow-covered white picket fence.

Maybe if I just try to notice these types of things more, the winter won't seem as harsh. We're all starting to have cabin fever and just hoping the groundhog makes the right choice about spring. What else is everyone doing to get through the winter?

Chicagoing: The Chicago Way

They say you have to be tough to make it through a Chicago winter. Not only do we have to battle through daily dark walks and iced-over sidewalks, but our distant memories of family walks, ice-cream runs, and impromptu picnics make our winters that much more painful:

But then it became more obvious: we didn't really have to give it up. See, this past weekend after biking to Dottie's 'Ladies who Bike Brunch' , I realized that many Chicagoans are just going along their daily summer routines...just with much more clothes. Dottie writes her blog to show not only how easy and fashionable biking is, but how it can be done throughout the winter. So, much like E who rides through blizzards:

Many of the ladies at the brunch haven't locked their bikes up for the winter and are continuing to ride. Even in skirts and heels. Not only did this inspire me to bring my bike back out, but I realized we could make some accommodations to 'bring back the family walk' with the pooches.
Having survived several below zero days, this 30 degree weather felt downright tropical. The pooches have a variety of rain and winter jackets, and we even picked up some Paws Waterproof Dog Boots since things are getting a bit slushy outside.

We like these because they're inexpensive and keep the dogs' feet from getting muddy and lessening our clean up time later. The dogs also like that they keep their feet free of ice and salt.
So in the spirit of Shiva's 'rallying cry', we're going to break out of hibernation and continue with our regular ways. While we know we won't be having picnics any time soon, it is fun to be back on longer walks and exploring our neighborhood. Or at least until the next sub-zero day.

Chicagoing: Tourist in Your Own City

There's so much we take for granted living in the city. I remember  when I first moved here how magical everything seemed: from riding the El (elevated train), to seeing all the people, and taking advantage of all the city had to offer. But after working downtown, and living here for several years, I have become a bit jaded: I dread riding the trains, I get frustrated forcing my way through the crowds, and I'd rather be hibernating than going outside in this cold weather. Yet, we realize that there are a lot of people who spend a lot of money to come visit Chicago. So this winter break, as we were discussing our travel options, we decided we would be able to vacation with the dogs as we stayed right here and become 'Tourists in our own City'.

It was fun seeing the city through new eyes. While we've been to the Lincoln Park Zoo several times, I've never come at night. This year's Zoolights had every inch of every tree bedecked in lights. Plus, it was fun seeing the animals at night. The gorillas were sprawled out in every position sleeping, as if they collapsed mid-play.
We made like tourists heading downtown to stroll along the Chicago River

And head to Millennium Park to take our picture in The Bean. Can you tell which ones we are?

We stopped by Marshall Fields to see their holiday storefront windows; they didn't seem too interactive or over-the-top:

We went to visit some of our infamous museums, seeing the famous lions at The Art Institute of Chicago decked out for the holidays:

And actually went into the Chicago Cultural center for the first time ever, which I never knew was home to the World's largest Tiffany stained glass dome:

And we even stayed downtown for dinner to enjoy the lights along Michigan Avenue and try a new place to eat:

But unlike when we normally travel, we were able to come home to this:

Normally when we travel we end up paying a lot of money for boarding, worrying about how they're doing, and thinking about how much fun they'd be having if they came with us. So overall, it was a successful "trip". Did anyone else have fun staycations or learn something new about your city?

Chicagoing: Romantic Winter Southport Dog Walks

Miss M has lived in 3 different neighborhoods since I adopted her. Though she only lived with with me in my apartment on Southport , near Wrigleyville, for about a month, we took so many walks during that time that Miss M still remembers the neighborhood. It's too far from our current neighborhood to walk to, but sometimes if I have errands there I take Miss M along. Since I needed to take some shoes to the cobbler, and I knew we'd be snowed-in for the next few days, I took Miss M with me back to her old hood.

The one thing she automatically remembered was how many stores leave dog treats outside and she immediately turned into trick mode. Unfortunately, with the colder weather, there weren't any treats so she just had to eat what I brought.

With the colder weather, we basically just walked up and back the strip. When it's warmer out we love sitting outside at Coobah, a Latin-fusion restaurant. They have an amazing brunch, I especially like their Coobah Cakes: Blue corn buttermilk pancakes with Mexican canela-cinnamon butter and dark ancho rum maple syrup. All for under $9!

Then it's fun to sit outside at Julius Meinl. A unique Viennese coffee shop complete with pastries, an occasional orchestra and a feeling of Europe in the States. This is one of their first US locations.

While there isn't much to do there with the pooches, while we were on our walk I noticed what an amazing, cozy winter destination it really is. The restaurants are all decked out:

But are even more cozy inside. I like Cullen's , a cozy dark-wood Irish restaurant with amazing pot pies and mac and cheese and loads of winter decor.

And one of the best BYOB restaurants in the city, Tango Sur an Argentinian Steakhouse, is also on Southport. It's candlelit with huge portions and a meat-lover's paradise.

And it's fun to follow up dinner with a trip to the Music Box Theater, one of Chicago's last independently run movie theaters. They show a lot of independent and foreign films with the occasional Sound of Music Singalong or Rocky Horror Picture Show. Plus they often have a live piano player before each screening.

It was fun being back in our old hood and remembering how many cozy options we have to help us ride out the winter. Though with the cold weather options are a bit limited with the dogs; I miss our neighborhood walking routine, but even they don't enjoy being outside in this weather. Is anyone else venturing outside, or is hibernation the preferred method?

Chicagoing: Hibernation

We take full advantage of our summers in Chicago because we know how long and terrible the winters can be. Since we've arrived home last week, winter has been in full-throttle and we've all been happy holed-up inside the house.Miss M was reluctant to leave the house, even to go to the bathroom.

We do have a weekend winter routine. We load the pooches up, and Mr B brings his backpack, to head over to our favorite bakery to pick up some freshly-baked bread.

The talented E makes "flights" of grilled cheese sandwiches; each sandwich has a different combination of cheeses which we eat with tomato soup:

The pooches are captivated by the falling snow:

And the burning fire:

I'm hoping our routine can hold out until Spring before we get stir-crazy. Anyone else have fun hibernation rituals?

Chicagoing: Graffiti Wall Art

Living in an urban area, we get to see all kinds of 'art' just by going on our daily walks.It's almost like going to an outdoor gallery as new things are popping up all the time.
When most people think of graffiti, they think of vandalism and gang tagging:

The gangs will write all kinds of cryptic messages to eachother staking out their claim to show they're in the area; it's kind of like how our dogs pee in certain spots. Some of our students, involved in this type of activity, actually tag at school, so I've even learned to decipher some of the 'code':

Given all this "conversation", it's actually illegal to buy or own spray paint within Chicago city limits. We also have the graffiti blasters who will promptly remove this kind of writing.
At the same time, we also have graffiti crews which are still illegal, but view graffiti as an art form. They go out and tag, and even get some really high up or unexpected places:

It's fun to have things pop up in unexpected, 'ugly' areas. Like this random octopus in the middle of an alley:

Or a random zombie. Miss M should look over her shoulder:

But beyond all the illegal activity, many people do recognize graffiti as an art form and they've created 'permission walls' where people can legally create street art to liven up the neighborhood.

An

 And graffiti has also become a marketing strategy. Back when I worked in advertising, we had a whole graffiti campaign to advertise gum to a teen audience. It works because you don't realize it's advertising. Here is some kind of alcohol advertising:

Our area still has some old vintage ads on the sides of buildings, so you can tell it's not such a new idea:

And of course, some Blackhawk pride: