Lena G R
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lenagr.bsky.social
Lena G R
@lenagr.bsky.social
530 followers 610 following 590 posts
Chicagoan for sustainability, cultural diversity, & queer rights. She/her/hers 🚲🐶🌳🌻🌈🌊🍻🚉🏕️♻️
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lenagr.bsky.social
Very important to be aware of your height!
A semi truck is wedged on a terrifying angle under the 90/94 bridge over Irving Park road in Chicago, after miscalculating the height of the vehicle in comparison to the height of the bridge
December 3, 2025 at 7:13 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Dearborn & Randolph (today) could both be better, given their importance to the loop
Dearborn bike lane between lake and Wacker has a layer of slushy snow interspersed by a few bike tracks Randolph bike lane between dearborn and state has a layer of slushy snow textured by a few bike tracks
December 2, 2025 at 11:32 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Saw a bunch of cyclists out today
Two cyclists ride down Wacker at Dearborn on the Monday after thanksgiving, past piles of snow
December 1, 2025 at 10:55 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
My neighbors also did a pretty good job but @metraalerts.bsky.social did not! Shoveling the platform is great, but people need to be able to get to it too! And not just by car 🤦🏽‍♀️ #plowthesidewalks
The Sidewalk in front of the Jefferson park Metra station on the UP-NW line is an icey snowy mess compared to the nice and dry plowed parking lot
December 1, 2025 at 6:28 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Looks like my card! #treebybike
A hand-printed card in green and white depicts a cargo bike holding a pine tree. Text reads “Wishing you hope and good health”
December 1, 2025 at 4:43 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
There’s a fun teen novel series of a girl who helps ghosts fix their unsolved problems, and she goes to Edinburgh in the first book: City of Ghosts - Victoria Schwab.
Might be fun to read on the plane?
Cover image of Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts novel series shows a dark background, white skyline, and a dark silhouette of a girl walking with a cat. Subtext says a haunted girl, an adventure like no other
November 23, 2025 at 1:52 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
Cook county estimates commuting is only like a quarter of all trips that people make, so the census accounts is narrow really

www.cookcountyil.gov/sites/g/file...
Pie chart shows the various reasons people travel in cook county. The largest wedge is labeled 43% for shopping & personal business, the next largest is work at 24%, then transportation-related is 12%, 8% recreation, 5% school, 5% food, 2% healthcare, and 1% other
November 21, 2025 at 5:57 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
Chicago was such a low-lying swamp town that there was no room to put sewer lines underground.
So they raised the whole city like 6ft higher to give room for drainage. Houses that couldn’t afford to jack up just cut a door higher up & put a bridge to connect to the new higher street level
Men turning hundreds of hand-cranks jacked up the Sherman house hotel while people went about their day inside. This illustration shows people standing around on the street watching while rows of men turn cranks under a wooden frame holding up the hulking block-long brick hotel. A brick house in Chicago has a door to the lower level yard with a staircase to the left and a door on the floor above has a bridge connecting it over the low yard to the sidewalk level A famous row of colorful workers cottages on south Damen avenue in McKinley park has bridges connecting the front door to the sidewalk over the low-lying yard
November 21, 2025 at 5:08 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
Great environmental town hall on the far northwest side tonight, doing a deep dive on #cleanenergy and #datacenters with @elpcenter.bsky.social @ilenviro.bsky.social & @cubillinois.baky.social.
Thank you Rep LaPointe and Sen Martwick for being environmental champions! 🚉☀️⚡️💪🏽
ELPC’s Karsten speaks to a seated crowd about the “data center dilemma” ELPC’s Karsten speaks to the crowd about data centers, a view of the crowd slightly to the right of the other photo Illinois state representative Lindsey LaPointe and Senator Rob Martwick welcome the crowd before presentations The Illinois Environmental Council’s Dany Robles speaks to the crowd about the new clean energy and transit legislation that passed this October
November 21, 2025 at 2:22 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
Last I checked!
Screenshot of Article 2, Section 4 of the constitution which says the president can be removed from office for treason, bribery, or other high crimes snd misdemeanors. The word bribery is circled in yellow
November 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Screenshot from a doctor who episode of the character Cassandra who’s just skin stretched on a frame with a face. She turned to be the bad guy
November 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
On a frigid Veterans Day, a big group of antiwar Veterans in Chicago is marching for - No ICE, No cuts, & No military occupation
Crowd of people gathers on the sidewalk in Chicago overlooking the riverwalk on Wacker in front of Trump tower and the AMA building. They’re carrying yellow and black signs saying “veterans against war” “vets say no” “no ice, no cuts, no occupation”
November 11, 2025 at 6:11 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Long lost Robin Hood character?
A rooster dressed as a bard reclines while playing a stringed instrument in the same fashion as OP. A stylized ribbon around him reads the lyrics this character is known for singing in the 1960s animated Disney movie, Robin Hood: “oodelally oodelally golly what a day”
November 8, 2025 at 1:44 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Falcons?
Photo of a peregrine falcon landing on a Chicago skyscraper to meet its three white chicks on the balcony
November 5, 2025 at 3:44 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
Chicago transit-to-trails hot tip:
Take the Metra MD-N line to Forest Glen to access the north branch trail - biking & hiking fall beauty.
Also pretty close to the Foster bus at LeClaire!
Fall colored leaves around the north branch of the Chicago River on a sunny blue sky day O range & yellow leaves along a wooded trail Paved bike trail labeled N branch trail bike route, next to a parking lot & train Forest glen Metra stop
November 2, 2025 at 7:02 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Hell yeah to the woman who just brought a tree on the bus
#TransitOrientedGreenery #transitisessential
A woman with grey hair and a red jacket holds a voluminous palm tree in a black trash bag on the Chicago transit bus seat with her, notably leaving the seat next to her empty for other patrons like a true boss
October 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
My family in red Spooner, Wisconsin counted 420 protesters out this weekend, a good bit more than the last two rallies, in a town of 2,400
A man in a blue shirt, fake beard, and flag-like top-hat holds a sign saying “Uncle Sam says no kings” and a woman with a skeleton onesie on holds a sign saying “trump’s healthcare plan will kill you. No kings” in the background across the street someone’s wearing an inflatable chicken outfit A crowd gathers along a major thoroughfare in spooner Wisconsin holding signs, one says “we don’t kneel for kings we stand for justice” another says “stop truth decay” and “there’s nothing more American than standing up to a king” Protesters sitting and standing hold A yellow sign with a snake says “don’t tread on the USA,” and a sign painted like the American flag says “we the people that’s all of us!”
October 20, 2025 at 1:08 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Looking for something cool to do in Chicago on a cold and rainy Sunday? Come check out some cool art!

West loop contemporary fine art expo Plumber’s Hall - 1350 w Washington

www.westloopartexpos.com
Tapestries and paintings adorn a yellow wall in a large hall, depicting mythology and nature themes. A sign on the top says “Lourdes: storytelling through art” A visitor speaks with artists in a booth with nature paintings on white walls Artists and visitors enjoy art in a series of booths down a row. The first booth paintings are mostly flowers and nature scenes Painting depicts a bridge going up on the Chicago River, amid the surrounding skyline
October 19, 2025 at 7:02 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
More #NoKings protest signs in Chicago
A woman holds signs saying “Chicago is da best at de icing streets” and “if you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention” A woman carries a Chicago version of a classic revolutionary sign that says “don’t tread on us.” But instead of a snake curled on a yellow background, the flag is in blue and white and depicts chonkasaurus, the big turtle found in Humboldt park lagoon a few years ago, chomping on a big chain around the sears tower. One of the red six pointed stars from the Chicago flag is depicted on the turtle shell. Women holding signs in Chicago’s loop read “no ice no troops all Chicago” and “enemies of the revolution: Trump, Cruz, Gaetz, Thomas, Musk, Vance, RFK on a depiction of knitting pink yarn” People hold big black boards with individual letters on the sidewalk by the march, and the signs say “hands off chi”
October 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
More #NoKings signs in Chicago
Banner at Chicago protest says “trans rights are human rights” Two women walk past marina towers in downtown Chicago holding signs that say “masked thugs off our streets” with a guy wrapped in a Chicago flag in the background Sign quotes the constitution “article 2, section 4: the president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” Behind it, another sign reads “less lip service, more public service” A man pets an old dog with an american flag bandana around its neck, wearing a cardboard sign that says “Trump is dogshit”
October 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
More assorted #NoKings signs in Chicago
A person dressed as Kermit the frog in a trench coat holds a sign saying “no kings” A cardboard sign in front of Trump tower in Chicago reads “Trump destroys democracy” Flag tied to a Cta bus stop reads “Ice is not welcome here” Chicago protestors on wacker drive hold Chicago and Mexican flags plus signs reading “release the files” “chinga la migra”
October 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
A thread of assorted Chicago #NoKings signs
A group of Chicago protesters walk down Michigan Ave holding signs that read “Ching a la Migra” and showing Trump like a devil baby A Chicago protester wearing a name tag that reads “aunt tifa” holds her hand-knitted sign that reads “no kings” Two Chicago protestors hold a sign saying stand up for science, 2025. One guy has a green hat and the other is wearing a white lab coat Inflatable figures stand on the sidewalk amid bubbles while a protestor walks by carrying a sign saying “good trouble, necessary trouble”
October 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
lenagr.bsky.social
Climate Lobby Day today!

I’m in Springfield, Illinois for #ClimateDayAtTheCapitol to urge state lawmakers to accelerate #cleanenergy progress, fix and fund #publictransit, and phase out polystyrene foam.

@ilenviro.bsky.social @elpcenter.bsky.social #transitisessential #climateaction
Sunrise over the Illinois statehouse this morning Lena testifying to a house transit working group on transit A crowd rallies for clean energy, transit, and climate in the rotunda of the Illinois statehouse, while House Rep Ann Williams speaks ELPC’s Lena, David, and Gen smile outside the Illinois statehouse
October 15, 2025 at 10:59 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
Hey Springfield! Let’s talk #transit

#transitisessential #climateaction @abundanthousingil.bsky.social @accessliving.bsky.social @elpcenter.bsky.social
Lena smiles in a selfie with the Illinois capitol building in the background Lena smiles with Ben from Abundant Housing and Laura from Access Living as they disembark from the Amtrak train in Springfield Governor Pritzker’s mansion in Springfield has a plethora of pumpkins out front
October 14, 2025 at 9:01 PM
lenagr.bsky.social
It wouldn’t be hard to rebuild the walkway to connect Ogilvie with the green line Clinton stop
RETVRN
Passengers walk between the Ogilvie platform and the Cta Clinton green line station in a protected tunnel with red carpeting and fluorescent lights, windows overlook the Metra tracks in the background Sketch of the “northwest passage” connection between the Cta Clinton station and the Chicago and northwestern station (today Ogilvie) showing a covered walkway above the street level at Lake wrap around to the platform level on the east side of Clinton
October 10, 2025 at 1:06 AM