Tuesday, September 30, 2008

South Side History Bike Tour

This one for local readers:

Come explore the South Side of Chicago on the ideal exploratory vehicle. If you're a newcomer to the city and want to learn more, or an old hand at this Chicagoan thing (Eric and Jennifer!) and want to get a deeper bite of it, you'll have fun. And though Dean Boyer's been giving a bike tour for a few years now, this year we'll also benefit from Terry Nichols Clark's and Mark Hansen's good wisdom and knowledge.

This is one of the kickoff events for the new Chicago Studies program (academic and 'experiential learning').
Here's the blurb from the Chicago Studies web site. Sign up info is at the bottom--you can also sign up on facebook here.

Whether biking for recreation or transportation, sticking to the same tried and true route can become a force of habit. But on Saturday, October 4, participants in the South Side History Bike Tour will take the “road less traveled” through historic neighborhoods.

Even long-time South Siders are likely to discover something new about events and people that shaped Chicago-both the city and the University. Tour guides include John W. Boyer, Dean of the College; Terry Nichols Clark, Professor in Sociology; and J. Mark Hansen, Dean of the Social Sciences Division.

Bikers will get a first-hand look at historic Bronzeville, sneak a peek at the residence of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, admire the rugged limestone Union Stock Yard Gate, and learn about the Settlement House movement at the Jane Addams Hull House.

“We want our students to be in touch with the city, to learn from it and enjoy it. This cultural and architectural bike tour is a good way to kick off the 2008-09 academic year for the Chicago Studies Program,” Boyer said.

Participants, who must have their own bike and helmet, will meet at the Quad between Bartlett Dining Commons and the Regenstein Library at 10 a.m.

Register for the Bike Tour: Email dhays@uchicago.edu or call 773.753.GIVE (4483).