Get Out While You Still Can: Drunken biking
Andrew Reilly
No related
With the CTA still in flux, gas prices still out of control and parking still the same-old headache, biking remains a highly appealing form of transport for countless city folks, be it to work, to play, or to the local watering hole. While a slightly sauced ride home may be fun in the warmer weather, the prospect becomes less entertaining once snow, cold, wind, and ice are thrown into the mix—not to mention Chicago drivers' behavior in bad-weather. Decider offers up a few places still worth the trip between the bars and handlebars—though doesn't necessarily condone this sort of behavior.
Handlebar
Easily the epicenter of the bike-booze community, Handlebar offers a huge bike parking area out front and hosts the official Critical Mass afterparty at the end of each month. Extra-eco-conscious riders will also love the almost entirely veggie-friendly menu. Worth biking for: Free fries for bike messengers every Monday, and free appetizers for Chicagoland Bicycle Federation members the first Wednesday of each month. Handlebar also boasts a huge outdoor patio open when the weather permits, and it may be some time before that happens again.
Easily the epicenter of the bike-booze community, Handlebar offers a huge bike parking area out front and hosts the official Critical Mass afterparty at the end of each month. Extra-eco-conscious riders will also love the almost entirely veggie-friendly menu. Worth biking for: Free fries for bike messengers every Monday, and free appetizers for Chicagoland Bicycle Federation members the first Wednesday of each month. Handlebar also boasts a huge outdoor patio open when the weather permits, and it may be some time before that happens again.
Montrose Saloon
Close enough to wide-open Horner Park to offer a good post- or mid-ride cooling off, the Montrose also boasts drink specials almost every night of the week. Worth biking for: The patio out back is nice on its own, but also features one of the city's only horseshoe pits.
Close enough to wide-open Horner Park to offer a good post- or mid-ride cooling off, the Montrose also boasts drink specials almost every night of the week. Worth biking for: The patio out back is nice on its own, but also features one of the city's only horseshoe pits.
Cal's Bar
A low-lit punk bar just down the street from the Board Of Trade, Cal's is small, loud, cheap and teeming with business folk and bike messengers in search of $2 PBR and Schlitz after work. Worth biking for: The bike lane on Van Buren makes it an easy ride, and the biking crowd means you won't stick out with that helmet head. Cal's also hosts mostly local bands every Friday and Saturday night—but if you don't feel like sticking around for the entertainment, check out the attached liquor store for drinks to go.
A low-lit punk bar just down the street from the Board Of Trade, Cal's is small, loud, cheap and teeming with business folk and bike messengers in search of $2 PBR and Schlitz after work. Worth biking for: The bike lane on Van Buren makes it an easy ride, and the biking crowd means you won't stick out with that helmet head. Cal's also hosts mostly local bands every Friday and Saturday night—but if you don't feel like sticking around for the entertainment, check out the attached liquor store for drinks to go.
Whirlaway Lounge
More closely resembling the corner of the basement than a corner tavern, this Logan Square establishment offers up plenty of cheap suds and ample lock-up space outside—perfect for two-wheel travel. Worth biking for: Located just off of Kedzie Boulevard, the trip to Whirlaway past the brownstones and Victorians along the tree-lined boulevards is as visually compelling a ride as any Chicago biker could ask for.
More closely resembling the corner of the basement than a corner tavern, this Logan Square establishment offers up plenty of cheap suds and ample lock-up space outside—perfect for two-wheel travel. Worth biking for: Located just off of Kedzie Boulevard, the trip to Whirlaway past the brownstones and Victorians along the tree-lined boulevards is as visually compelling a ride as any Chicago biker could ask for.
