Indiana Dunes

WXRT DJ Lin Brehmer does a regular segment called Lin's Bin where he answers letters from readers on the air in a poetic way, with an appropriate musical soundtrack. These spots are always entertaining, but I found a recent episode to be especially thought-provoking. The DJ was asked, "Where exactly is Chicagoland – what are its boundaries?" – listen to his full response here.

Valparaiso’s South Shore Connect/Orange Line Route provides service from Valpo to the Dune Park station, while new shuttle take dunes visitors to various parts of the park.

Last week, the board of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District voted to dramatically reduce the wait time for a bikes-on-board pilot for South Shore Line trains. A consultant had previously recommended delaying the trial until 2021, when new cars might be added to the system, allowing older cars to be modified to accommodate bikes. Thanks to an outcry from board members and advocates against this ridiculous foot-dragging, the board unanimously voted to move the pilot up to April of next year.

If, like me, you optimistically view the summer as lasting until September 22, we’ve got more than five more weeks of beach season left. Still, time is running out for fun in the sun, so you should make a beeline for the shoreline as soon as possible. While people often gripe that Chicago has limited access to natural beauty, our city’s status as a rail hub actually makes it easy to reach the beach without a car.