NBW is thrilled to partner with North River Commission on a bike tour featuring dynamic small businesses in Albany Park and the North Branch.

It'll be held on July 27th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. To sign up, please go here.

We will meet at 11 a.m. at The Alley Chicago (2620 W. Fletcher St), a retail and manufacturing small business well-known for its vast collection of Goth, Punk, Metal, Motorcycle, and Chicago merchandise.

Our tour will take us across the North Branch of the Chicago River via the Riverview Bridge, the longest pedestrian and bike bridge in the city. Then we’ll use the Manor Greenway to travel safely to Albany Park.

Our destinations in Albany Park include Rositas Tacos (3336 W. Lawrence Ave.) and Dokil Bakery (3844 W. Lawrence Ave.). During the tour, business owners will share their stories and future plans.

Then the ride will return to the North Branch with a stop at Brothers Restaurant (3000 W. Belmont Avenue) and a visit to The Alley Chicago where owner Mark Thomas (pictured right) will greet and speak with our group.

The ride is approximately 8 miles; we will use the bike lanes on Belmont Avenue to connect to the 312 River Run and Manor Greenway. Then we’ll take the bike lanes on Lawrence Avenue to our destinations in Albany Park before using Kedzie Avenue to return to the North Branch.

The bike tour is a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at small businesses as well as learn about collective efforts to improve active transportation options.

Tickets for the bike tour are $25. All proceeds support our mission to strengthen local businesses and the creation of high-quality jobs for Chicago residents.