From Thechainlink.org, a social network for cyclists in Chicago. Thought this would be a great place to share car free thoughts....

Link is here, but I have also posted the question below. -

http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/people-who-do-not-own-cars?page...

Quite a few threads have me wondering what your lifestyle is like that it doesn’t necessitate owning a car. I think it is great that you are able to live car free, but I am wondering how this is. Many people have expressed the feeling of freedom that comes with not owning car, but for me it feels like a lack of.

I recently had the opportunity to stop off at Flossmoor on the Metra Electric line to celebrate a co-worker's last day at my office. We hopped on the train after work at Millennium Station under Millennium Park and headed 45 minutes south to Flossmoor, where we enjoyed locally brewed beers on the outdoor patio at the Flossmoor Station brewery and restaurant, which is attached to the Metra station.

Highland Park has one of the most walkable suburban downtowns accessible by Metra train. Back in March, I had a day off and hopped on the Union Pacific North to check it out. If offers a pleasant downtown, great neighborhoods to stroll, some nice lakefront parks, a beach and outdoor concerts at Ravinia.

If you're looking for a nice bike ride from Chicago, you can also ride up the North Branch Trail to Highland Park, or the Green Bay Trail provides a bicycle connection through the other north shore suburbs north from Wilmette.

I recently met a fellow carfree Chicagoan who wanted to go to Three Floyds Brewery's Dark Lord Day on April 24 but wasn't sure how to get there. It may be an ordeal to get to Three Floyds, but fortunately we also have plenty of other easy excursions for exploring great beer.

Dark Lord Day is a beer festival at Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana, over 7 miles from the South Shore Line Hammond station or a little over 10 miles from the Flossmoor station on the Metra Electic line, and Pace bus connections won't get you much closer. So on a normal day if you wanted a brewery tour, your best bet would probably be to take the Metra Electric and arrange a cab with Classic Taxi, and plan on hitting up Flossmoor Station brewery in the same day. But luckily a number of Chicago bars are offering charter buses down to Dark Lord Day: