Mark on LSD

The old Z Curve.

I drove down to visit Mom again this week. This time without Mark next to me whining, crying, and shouting out in fear at every turn. It's a tossup when it comes to Mark accompanying me to Mom's. On one hand he helps with the conversation if he is there. On the other hand, I enjoy the drive if he isn't with me. Seriously, I find driving on Lake Shore Drive very calming, very soothing. Especially if I have some of my favorite CD's with me. Sure, there was a horrible accident on LSD two days ago. Killed the woman who jumped her car across the median. But I still find it a very easy drive. Yes that inner lane, the one that hugs the wall with just inches to spare, can be intimidating. It doesn't bother me. And in many places the lanes are barely wide enough to accommodate a Mini Cooper. No problem, that's what the lines are for. The speed limit is a bit slow at forty miles per hour, but that's okay. I just set the cruise control to sixty miles per hour and let the car cruise. In fifty years of driving on that highway I have never seen a cop pull somebody over. The very best part about Lake Shore Drive is the view. On one side, Lake Michigan. It can be placid and blue, looking like an innocent pond, or it can be a wild, foaming monster. Best of all, in the summer months it's beaches and bike path are full of bodies. Shirtless, shapely bodies. On the west side of Lake Shore Drive is the city. Huge, soaring sky scrapers, and tree studded parks make it a spectacular sight.

The city has recently announced plans to revamp my favorite highway. They plan to make it even more beautiful and they want to make it safer. As a guy who still remembers the Z curve that used to snap you around a large apartment building and take you onto the approach of the river bridge, I will kind of miss the challenge. You see, they want to smooth out the other big curve in that highway. The S curve at Oak Street. I especially like tearing around that curve as fast as I can with Mark in the car. There is just something special about hearing him scream in terror.

Proposal for the new Oak Street S Curve