Musings From the Windy City - The Critical Mass Ride



The weekend of September 29- October 1 was a fruitful one.

September 29th Friday saw the Critical Mass Ride of Chicago with me attending it for the first time. I barely knew what to expect when I went for the ride. In fact I bought my bicycle only on that afternoon, a 1963 Schwinn with the Sturmey Archer hub gear system. So the guys at the UIC College of Cycling invited me for this ride which, apparently, could be used to get familiar with my new stallion. I went along with the idea with now knowledge of what I am going to witness.

The name “Critical Mass”comes from Ted White’s bike-umentary 'Return of the Scorcher'. This video shows intersection crossing etiquette in China’s big cities. Cross bike-traffic waits until it has enough riders, i.e., a critical mass, to push it’s way through the intersection.

We all met in front of the Behavioral Sciences Building as per plan and set off to Daley Plaza from where the CM rides begin every month. By the time we reached, there were at least two hundred cyclists already getting ready for the ride. As time passed, the crowd swelled into a thousand riders before the actual ride began. There were all kinds of people out there in the crowd from various passes of life. They were doctors, there were students and there were teenagers and there were people over 60. I have found a few people campaigning for other CM rides nearby like the CM Evanston. There were other people handing out fliers condemning the Bush regime and inviting everyone to take part in the " World Can't Wait" protests. In fact an old lady made me take a bunch of them, supposedly to distribute among my friends. Jesus! Barely a month in this country and I have become an activist! Well, I am not. I am the observer, who sees everything.

So, it wasn't long before the actual ride began when all the riders started pouring into the streets together. A drizzle started around the same time but that did not deter anyone from going out and out. We went through the hazes of streets until we reached the Chicago river at the Wacker Drive. From there on, we continued along the river towards the west, crossing the river at every bridge back and forth. That was amazing. The beautiful river and the good ol' bridges in all its glory, and hundreds and hundreds of riders along the route like little ants. After the fun of the bridges for sometime, again we headed north towards Lincoln Square where its ended. We passed next to the Loyola University campus where there were a lotta people to cheer us.

Every time the front runners reach a major junction, they will just continue riding round and round in a circle, whose center consists of some thirty odd bikers lifting their bicycles above their heads and dancing. Complete anarchy! One full month of complete discipline in the roads followed by two hours of complete lawlessness. Even the traffic police were just watching. In fact there were a number of Chicago Police riders among us in the uniforms and all and all they do when we reach a junction is to stand aside and encourage people to move on. Looks like the city has accepted the Critical Mass as an unavoidable evil. I meanwhile forgot to mention that this ride's theme was Oktoberfest. We were all heading to this Lincoln Square area which has a lotta great pubs around to spend the rest of the evening.

Unfortunately, that was my first day of riding after a real long time and boy, that showed! The first thing I did was to head to this Pot Belly restaurant out there to get something to bite so that I don't drop dead with hunger. Once satiated, I found that I could barely walk, let alone ride back the twenty whole miles. It was aching in all unmentionable parts of my body and relief came when I consulted the map to find that I was barely a block away from the Brown Line rail station of the CTA. So all I had to do was to hop into the train with the bike and reached back to downtown in no time. After a short visit to my cousin's place there, I arrived at home uneventfully by midnight.

An amazing experience which showed me the rebellious nature of the windy city. But unlike the early Critical Mass rides a few years back, the riders were all behaving well, wishing everyone a 'Happy Friday' and without causing any friction with the authorities or within themselves. Altogether it made me a believer and I plan to be there for the ride in the coming months.

Issac Cheriyathu
October 19, 2006.

Musings From Windy City II

Here I am back agian,

The City of Chicago is great, an old city with all the myths and urban legends...

The name Windy City for instance, was given as an insult, but the Chicagoans have taken it as a pride to call their own city as the Windy one, attributing it to the strong wind that blows all the time from the lake Michigan. Even though the origin is still debated, it must be from the bragging nature of Chicago politicians which caused a New York Editor to give the name, or the bragging of the people about the sports teams from the city which made a Cincinnati ( A long time rival city) journalist to coin the name. But now it is a compliment.

Also, the way people around here pronounce Chicago is different from people outside Chicago... when the whole America calls it 'Chi- ca - go', the Chicagoans, as epitomised by our Maor Richard Daley, pronounce it as 'Chi - CAW - Go' with a ringing reverberating tone.

Another speciality is the Chicago Style hotdogs, which is normal hotdog plus mustard, pickled veggies, tomatoes, chillies and what else.... but no ketchup.

When I came to Chicago first, i could get a Chocolaty smell whenever i walk through the streets of the city, whether it is in downtown or at my University campus. All I could place of the smell was chocolates, even though I knew that was not possible. I thought that was the smell of some flower or tree which is found only in America, and not in my native, India. Then lasst week, the mystery was revealed when my cousin told that it is chocolate smell indeed. There is a factory at the West Loop called the Blommer Chocolate Co. which has a 150 year old factory, from which fine chocolate dust escapes and causing the aroma to waft all around the city. Sad part is that recently someone complained against the company accusing air pollution and the Depeartment of Pollution has made the company install new filtering systems which will trap these fine particles. From what I hear, these filters will be in place in a couple of months and a hundred and fifty year old legacy is going to be dead. For long the motorists returning to the city after a long trip knew that it was home when they get the aroma in their noses.

Then there are unending legends about the two baseball teams in the city namely the White Sox and the Cubs. Then there is the Bears Football team. I do not have to tell anyone about the Chicago Bulls though.

Then there is the media mogul Oprah Winfrey lives in the Water Tower Place, less than a mile from where I am.

The stories go on and I will be back with more

Musings From The Windy City

Today is September 24th and in just four days I will complete one month in ths soil of the United States of America, at Chicago , the windy city. To be fair, I must say that this country has treated me well.

So let us see what I have seen and experienced here in the last few weeks.


The place is good, with its jazz and blues bars... and the lake Michigan with its tropical blue waters. That reminds me of the story that I have read some days back. Five years ago, the waters of Lake Michigan was just sludge, with dark brown color. And no, it was not some 'save da lake drive' from the Mayor which has saved the lake, but some unsuspecting molluscans from Asia. These shell fishes came to the lake through ships that traveled to Asian seas. The main job that they do is to filter. Imagine millions of little filters installed by the nature performing their work incessantly for five years... that is what happened. And as always there is a catch, the local ecosystem is now gone down drains with the common planktons and all no longer present in the waters. But nevertheless, it looks beautiful now : truly enchanting.

One of the main attractions of the city is the Sears Tower which was, until recently, the tallest building in the world. But if you ask any local, they will tell you that the best view of Chicago is seen from the top of John Hancock Tower, which is about half as tall as the Sears but definitely the local favorite. I have not yet been to the top of both, so I am trusting the local wisdom.

Another main attraction of the city is the Navy Pier, with its Giant Wheel and other show goer attractions. In fact, the Wheel is the second tallest one in North America. These and all the coming trivia is sponsored by Mr. Shashank Sarveppalli, a half ABCD ( Well, he is not American Born, but definitely Confused ) aspiring to become a doctor, and now having the honor of serving as my room mate. Legend says that the whole navy pier was owned by UIC, my university but it was a neglected and a bad neighborhood until the City acquired it and made it to the attraction that it is. And 'grabbed' would have been a better word as Richard M Daley, the mayor of 17 years operates in real mafia style around here. There was a small airstrip around near the Lake front, which he came one night and acquired for a park. And all the Airplanes which were in the strip had to be either towed to the nearest air strip or had to be broken down into pieces, and then re-assembled at the nearest airstrip.


About the demographics, there seem to be two type of people around here. One : Hardcore athletic people who run a hundred miles a week and have the physique of Carl Lewis at his prime. Two : Really Obese people, who eat around ten thousand calories a day and have the physique of a hunch back whale. Boy, I have never seen such fat people back in India, many of them weigh at least 250 Kgs, and they are average. Also, whenever I see them, whether in the class or at the metro stations or in the buses, they will always be eating, a huge pack of chips, munching on and on to oblivion. Gross! In every sense!

Today I have been to the Field Museum in Chicago. They have a wonderful collection of stuffed animals and birds, many of them extinct and dating back to the early 1930s. Also, they have the world's largest and most complete fossil of a T. Rex, called Susie. Man, that is a wonderful sight to see. They have dozens of other fossils of big and small creatures from the Jurassic Era, which makes it one of the best museums in the United States.

The other place that I have visited is the John G Shedd Aquarium, which is one of the best in the world. There is this Female Beluga Whale which has given birth recently and the mother and the kid are having a great time out there. And there are thousands and thousands of different types of fishes from all around the world including those from the coral reefs of Philipines and other countries. The Pacific White Sided Dolphins were excellent during their show that we had. And add to all these the lizards and other dragons , with he King Komodo Dragon at the pinnacle. Awesome.

Last week I had been to the Devon Street with my room mate and friends. It is the Indian Street in Chicago. Well, Indian and Pakistani Street , one must say. One half of the street is called Honorary Muhammad Jinna Way and the other half is called Hon. Mahatma Gandhi Marg. It is full of Indian and Pakistani shops and one thing that I have noticed is that every where it is written 'Indian and Pakistani' . Always. Indian and Pakistani groceries, Indian and Pakistani Cuisine etc. There seems to be no enmity between the two countrymen in the US of A.

Well, it is getting late and I must retire.

Will continue posting on the happenings.. ..



-September 24, 2006