No More Car Keys

Alright, I turned in the keys and parked the car at my dad's warehouse, where it will enjoy a restful Lent.  So far so good.  My first adventure has been getting the front bike tire replaced on my bike because the front wheel got stolen in Chicago.  My brother and I drove the bike (I get the irony) to Midwest Bicycle on Grand in Waukegan.  The guy there was super nice and I'm picking it up tomorrow with a replacement hybrid tire and fixed up brakes.  I'm also going to invest in a nice new bike lock.

I asked the bike shop employee, and he told me Midwest Bicycle & Billiards, Inc. [(847) 249-5670] opened in Waukegan in 1980 and has been 
at 1928 Grand Avenue since 1993.  

The shop is great and they have all kinds of used parts and specialize in repairs and tune ups.  I'm sure I'll be back there again soon.  In the mean time, I'm trying to decide where my bike is going to live.  There's not a lot of extra space at my apartment, and I'm considering asking my landlord if I can come up with some kind of covered outdoor storage for my bike in my parking space.  We don't have any public covered bike parking in Waukegan as far as I know, although some of the apartments around here do.  There are a ton of cool examples in other communities.  It's also one of the criteria for getting certified as a bicycle friendly city by the League of American Bicyclists.  

Gotta get to a meeting (conveniently within walking distance) but I'm psyched for my trek to buy a bus pass tomorrow.  Bring it on, Lent.