Joel
@jtmac1709930.bsky.social
Car-free on Chicago’s Northwest side. Biking, botanizing, birding, and transit.
Someday I’ll upgrade to a cargo bike, but it’s amazing how much I can haul with a rickety $25 trailer I got a few years ago on Craigslist. This was today’s hardware store run to the Crafty Beaver on Central.
#bikechi 📍Portage Park
#bikechi 📍Portage Park
December 6, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Someday I’ll upgrade to a cargo bike, but it’s amazing how much I can haul with a rickety $25 trailer I got a few years ago on Craigslist. This was today’s hardware store run to the Crafty Beaver on Central.
#bikechi 📍Portage Park
#bikechi 📍Portage Park
Seen on the 77 bus this morning 🚍🎄❤️
December 6, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Seen on the 77 bus this morning 🚍🎄❤️
Some of the worst sidewalks on my commute were in front of CTA infrastructure: Cicero/Pensacola bus turnaround and Montrose blue line stop. 😬
December 1, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Some of the worst sidewalks on my commute were in front of CTA infrastructure: Cicero/Pensacola bus turnaround and Montrose blue line stop. 😬
Good day to check in on your native plant garden and see who is delivering the ❄️winter interest❄️
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
November 30, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Good day to check in on your native plant garden and see who is delivering the ❄️winter interest❄️
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
Ninebark is winning the cute little snow hat category
Turf grass and hostas could never
First time using the new Grayland MDN Metra station. Very much appreciated the easy transfer to the 56 Milwaukee bus as I was trying to get home in the snowstorm last night.
November 30, 2025 at 5:58 PM
First time using the new Grayland MDN Metra station. Very much appreciated the easy transfer to the 56 Milwaukee bus as I was trying to get home in the snowstorm last night.
Ice-encrusted Amtrak after arriving in Chicago from Emeryville
November 29, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Ice-encrusted Amtrak after arriving in Chicago from Emeryville
November 29, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Enjoying snowy downtown Burlington, IA while waiting for the train to pull in.
#amtrak #californiazephyr
#amtrak #californiazephyr
November 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Enjoying snowy downtown Burlington, IA while waiting for the train to pull in.
#amtrak #californiazephyr
#amtrak #californiazephyr
Snow bunting friend from our UPN Metra trip to the Waukegan lakeshore. Still trying to make regional rail birding a thing.
November 24, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Snow bunting friend from our UPN Metra trip to the Waukegan lakeshore. Still trying to make regional rail birding a thing.
The snowy owls at Montrose this morning attracted quite a crowd
November 23, 2025 at 2:23 PM
The snowy owls at Montrose this morning attracted quite a crowd
Bus in Pasadena whose front rack accommodates *3* bikes, 50% more than the standard CTA rack
November 4, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Bus in Pasadena whose front rack accommodates *3* bikes, 50% more than the standard CTA rack
30-minute stop in Albuquerque, so I had time to explore. And if you give me 30 mins anywhere, I will track down an iced coffee and local brews #amtrak #southwestchief
November 3, 2025 at 10:25 PM
30-minute stop in Albuquerque, so I had time to explore. And if you give me 30 mins anywhere, I will track down an iced coffee and local brews #amtrak #southwestchief
Step 3: Roomette on the Amtrak Southwest Chief + a stack of books
November 3, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Step 3: Roomette on the Amtrak Southwest Chief + a stack of books
The buses are free, a streetcar extension opened last week, and new housing is springing up around the stations. Kansas City is the future we need.
November 3, 2025 at 3:05 AM
The buses are free, a streetcar extension opened last week, and new housing is springing up around the stations. Kansas City is the future we need.
10-minute headways on a Sunday morning! First impressions of the newly opened KC Streetcar expansion are very positive
November 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
10-minute headways on a Sunday morning! First impressions of the newly opened KC Streetcar expansion are very positive
Step 2: Amtrak 319, Lincoln Service/Missouri River Runner to Kansas City
November 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Step 2: Amtrak 319, Lincoln Service/Missouri River Runner to Kansas City
I want all my vacations to start here:
November 1, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I want all my vacations to start here:
Step 1 of my vacation rail itinerary: MDN Metra to Chicago Union Station.
November 1, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Step 1 of my vacation rail itinerary: MDN Metra to Chicago Union Station.
Seen on the 5100 block of Irving Park. Billy Caldwell was an early 19th-century Potawatomi leader and the namesake of a nearby forest preserve site. I’m curious about the backstory of this sidewalk tribute.
October 31, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Seen on the 5100 block of Irving Park. Billy Caldwell was an early 19th-century Potawatomi leader and the namesake of a nearby forest preserve site. I’m curious about the backstory of this sidewalk tribute.
My commute options this time of year: crisp autumn bike ride or Metra + crisp autumn stroll with a stop at a coffee shop
October 29, 2025 at 1:48 PM
My commute options this time of year: crisp autumn bike ride or Metra + crisp autumn stroll with a stop at a coffee shop
I would like to request that the Tribune bring back its 1920s-era HANDS OF DEATH infographic summarizing car crash fatalities
![Quoted text from Natalie Moore’s book The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation: “that same year [1925] the newspaper ran a ‘hands of death’ graphic calculating deaths from what the editorial board judged one of society’s biggest menaces: automobile fatalities.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6ozewv6mtoxnwysxbnst3cmm/bafkreidr6pubbw2bhavikt2kfayi6hliz7u7voi7srce5tvfxfrckod3bm@jpeg)
October 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I would like to request that the Tribune bring back its 1920s-era HANDS OF DEATH infographic summarizing car crash fatalities
Fall at LaBagh Woods. People have a hard time believing this is within Chicago city limits.
October 25, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Fall at LaBagh Woods. People have a hard time believing this is within Chicago city limits.
Out and about on the NW side this evening.
October 25, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Out and about on the NW side this evening.
The Forum in Bronzeville. I only had time to hit one Open House Chicago site today, and this one was well worth the trip
October 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The Forum in Bronzeville. I only had time to hit one Open House Chicago site today, and this one was well worth the trip
A beautiful day to be downtown. My favorite part: all the people handing out American flags 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
October 18, 2025 at 9:11 PM
A beautiful day to be downtown. My favorite part: all the people handing out American flags 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸