Firsties!

Yesterday afternoon I wore my (figurative) journalist goggles to Uptown for the first time. Sure, I've stopped in the neighborhood before to shop, eat, or visit my friends, but it was my first time experiencing Uptown as a dynamic setting undulating with potential sources and story ideas.

Honestly, I was not quite sure what to expect. About two and a half weeks ago, my bike was (tragically) stolen out of my garage, and I have noticed Uptown Bikes ( 4653 N Broadway) about a million times traveling north on the Red Line. My desire to replace my beloved bike seemed like the perfect context for my first trip to Uptown--after a quick Google search for the address, I headed on over to Uptown Bikes to see what it was all about.

About four or five employees were on hand, but John greeted me right away and asked me if I needed help finding anything. I explained to him my situation and didn't even bother masquerading my complete and total ignorance on the subject of bicycles. He was friendly, understanding, helpful, and sympathetic. He took the time to show me four or five different bikes that would serve my needs as a commuter, explaining the (complicated!) features of the tires, wheels, and gears for the various models. The bikes he showed me were brand new, and quite honestly out of my price range--why shell out 300 dollars for something that could easily be stolen again?--so he took me outside the shop to show me their used bike selection.

John didn't try to talk me into buying anything, and he even admitted that all of their used bikes were probably either too big or too small for me. He told me that if I wanted to pick up a used bike from another bike shop or a thrift store and bring it back there to get it fixed up, that could be an option too, but that it probably wouldn't save me too much money. I told him I would probably keep shopping around, and he even referred me to a couple of places in the city that I might want to check out.

Even though I was mildly disappointed I didn't buy anything (I kind of had this great vision of buying a sweet new bike, two-wheeling Uptown for a couple of hours, and then blogging about THAT experience!) I was left with a really great impression. John was so friendly and helpful, and I could tell that his advice was motivated by a genuine interest and passion for alternative transportation. He was not just trying to get me to buy a bike because that's his job; he was incredibly knowledgeable about bikes in general, and gave me a ton of great advice that didn't benefit him personally at all. In conversation with John, I found out that he graduated from DePaul this winter with a degree in History, but that he plans on keeping his job at Uptown Bikes because that's what he really wants to do.

What a cool guy, and what a cool shop! He made sure to give me a business card on my way out, and invited me to call or stop by with any more questions I might have.

Bummer that my bike got stolen, but on the bright side, it gave me a destination for my first Uptown visit, and I think I'll go back to Uptown Bikes for a future story.


It's official--this Uptown blogger's feet are wet, and so far, the water feels fine.



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