The setup: It's summer. Money is tight. Time to get creative on the dating scene. We asked our columnists: Would you go on a bike date?
YES
This is summertime in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Taking a long bike ride along the lake is just common sense.
Exploring the nooks and crannies of the different neighborhoods that make the city great is a good way to get to know someone and learn something new in the process.
Plus, with all of the money you've saved on gas, parking and the inevitable car wash you went through to impress your date, you're talking about a lot more funds available for having fun.
I can hear a few of the ladies now. "I would never ... !" Well, maybe you should. If a woman is down to go on a few bike dates, it means she's flexible, willing to step outside her comfort zone and doesn't take herself too seriously. Those sound like winning qualities to me!
Yes, you're still gonna need something with a motor when you're doing the fancy restaurant, theater or cocktail party. By no means am I advocating pedaling through the streets in a nice dress or creased slacks.
But for the less expensive, day-to-day outings, breaking out the bikes is not a bad option. And if your date doesn't have a bike of her own, just put her on the handlebars.
Anthony Roberts is a RedEye special contributor. @antthewriter
NO
It's my duty as a sweatmonster to speak for all of the other sweatmonsters out there: Say no to bikes on a first date.
I'm admittedly terrified of bikes and the idea of biking in Chicago-though I support you fully, bike community!-so of course I would be against this, right? Right. But it's also not all that logical to dismiss the idea that, hey, you worked hard to look good for your rendezvous and now you're about to melt it off, all in the name of a scenic ride on a jam-packed bike path along a dirty lake.
If you're a conscious biker, you're also going to be wearing a helmet. So unless you plan on keeping that thing on after you've dismounted (the bike ... minds out of the gutter!), your hair is DOA.
Yes, these arguments are centered around vanity-sweating, stinking, looking fresh-so here's a real-world bomb for you: You won't even be able to talk to each other much until you stop, and if you do steal a chance to gab, you could become so distracted that you get doored/potholed/clipped/any of those other terrible things that bikers endure.
If you really want to enjoy summertime outdoors that badly, do what the rest of us do: Drink beers on a stoop and then go for a long damn walk.
Jessica Galliart is RedEye's social media lady. jgalliart@tribune.com; @jessicagalliart
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