On August 8th, twenty riders gathered for the Bike to Feel Good ride at Dolce Arte in the Rockwell on the River complex in Avondale (pictured).
Hosted by North Branch Works and the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, the 5-mile ride featured stops at local businesses in Avondale and Ravenswood.
The ride celebrated local businesses and honored the late Riley O’Neil, a Chicago Department of Transportation planner who worked hard to make streets safer for people biking and walking.
We began at Dolce Arte (3057 N Rockwell Street), a woman-owned business offering artisanal coffee and teas, Italian-inspired pastries and desserts, as well as breakfast and lunch favorites.
The café is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
From Dolce Arte, we used the protected bike lanes on Belmont Avenue to reach Brothers Restaurant on the corner of Belmont and Sacramento (3000 W Belmont Avenue).
Brothers Restaurant (3000 W Belmont Avenue)
Brothers Restaurant is a family-owned small business that has served Avondale for five years and is known for its wide range of breakfast and lunch dishes.
Its menu includes chilaquiles, biscuits and gravy, black bean burgers, steak tacos, veggie wraps, and more.
We then continued along Belmont Avenue to Clark Park, where we discussed the Riverview Bridge, the longest bike and pedestrian bridge in Chicago.
The bridge and 312 RiverRun Trail are key parts of the city’s plan for a continuous 27-mile Chicago River Trail.
We followed the 312 RiverRun Trail north to Irving Park Road, then entered Ravenswood via Rockwell Street and the Berteau Greenway.
Our first Ravenswood stop was Chicago Glass Collective (1770 W Berteau Avenue), where owner Leslie Speicher led a dynamic glassblowing demonstration.
Chicago Glass Collective offers classes for people of all ages and abilities, along with artwork available through its online store.
Chicago Glass Collective (1770 W Berteau Avenue)
Next, we rode north on Ravenswood Avenue to Chicago Clay Co-Op, a community-based ceramics studio offering classes, workshops, and private events.
Founded in 2025 by studio mates Jennifer Fitzgerald and Michael Bridges, the studio fosters cultural exchanges and shared learning among aspiring and experienced ceramicists.
After visiting Clay Co-Op, we took the Leland Greenway east to Clark Street, then rode south on Clark to Sunnyside.
The ride ended at the inaugural Ravenswood Feel Good Festival, a fair featuring wellness and mental health resources available in the community.
North Branch Works thanks our partner, the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, for a great ride, as well as the local businesses that welcomed our group.
Stay tuned for more in-person opportunities to explore the incredible businesses and destinations in the North Branch.
Chicago Clay Co-Op (4636 N Ravenswood Avenue)
Image credits: Max Levavi, Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce
