Overview
Obviously, Damen Avenue in Chicago is not a bike trail. However, it it a great North-South alternative corridor to the Lakefront Path on a blustery day, when you want to get out of a cold wind off the lake. Most of Damen Avenue has either a dedicated bike lane or a marked shared lane.
My ride along Damen included a stop at Working Bikes, a charitable bike organization. I bought a women's Raleigh ten-speed there about six years ago. To be honest, I had to replace a few things, like the dry-rotted tires, right away. I didn't really care because what I spent on the bike itself was reasonable and I knew it was going to a good cause. All of their bikes are sold in working order, even if you do have to make a few tweaks.
What's close to this run down Damen Avenue?
- Lincoln Square
- The Conrad Sulzer Library on Lincoln
- Wicker Park
- Costco and all the other big chains near Damen and Elston
- Kinzie Industrial Corridor
- Damen bus route 50, which runs along the whole way, and can give you a ride home if you get a flat tire.
- United Center
Even though they're not quite on Damen Avenue, I included the locations of the Goodwill that is downtown, as well as that huge Salvation Army that you can see from the highway.
