Thoughts on Lake Shore Drive?

[Avondalist]

Originally Posted by s0nginmyheart

+ extend LSD to Evanston

Rogers Park people would raise a stink about this. Unobstructed lake access is what makes Rogers Park Rogers Park.

Although I would be all for extending it through Edgewater if it would bring about the destruction of all those ugly apartment buildings on Sheridan.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by Avondalist

Rogers Park people would raise a stink about this. Unobstructed lake access is what makes Rogers Park Rogers Park.

Although I would be all for extending it through Edgewater if it would bring about the destruction of all those ugly apartment buildings on Sheridan.

i hardly think it would be worth it to extend LSD to Juneway Terrace…..only RP (ok, Evanston, too, if you want to consider the suburbs) would benefit from it and frankly it isn't that difficult to drive down to Hollywood & LSD

[pvande55]

It's about the best road in Chicago. Runs like a parkway, no trucks. Much more pleasing than the Kennedy or Dan Ryan. Even though the pretty blue lights were long ago replaced with orange HPS.

[bostonguy1960]

My last visit to Chicago was 2011. I rented a car, and just loved cruising along LSD on a Saturday late night. It really wowed me. I look forward to getting stuck in traffic next time just to see things in slow motion!

Boston has its pretty Storrow Drive along the Charles, but doesn't that truly pale to what you have in LSD?

[Swandaddy]

Other than maybe general maintenance/repair/upgrades/etc, I kinda like Lake Shore Drive as it is. A large part of the idea behind the original plan of the city is to make access to the lake a public good, and the drive does that quite well. I also like that there's the existence of it the way it is in Edgewater in Rogers Park, as it's a good change of pace so there are some other options for access to the lake too. So IMHO it strikes a pretty good balance as it is. And when you're downtown and headed north just as you cross the drawbridge and just when you pass Navy Pier and the water is straight ahead and the city is to your left it's just beautiful!! Maybe a couple more pedestrian overpasses like the one at North Avenue might be good??

[marothisu]

In a perfect world yes, but the road itself is a great resource in reality. It serves as a great way to get north and south along the lake areas of Chicago pretty freely (sometimes there's traffic in some areas but most of the time it's fine). It's really nothing different than FDR Drive in Manhattan or something like Kennedy Caddesi in Istanbul. Except LSD is a lot nicer than FDR Drive, but comparable to Kennedy Cd. I've never once felt cut off from the lakefront from it considering getting to the lakefront is easy and has many access points all over the place.

[baileyvpotter]

Originally Posted by Arne Bjornson

The road separating the coast of Lake Michigan from the city probably helped preserve the waterfront as public space. Otherwise developers would have just built right up against the water and the waterfront would be private property.

Originally Posted by Chuckity

I adore LSD and have never felt that it has cut off the lakefront. Never.
I mean, how many roads have a song written about them? Not that many.
And it's been shifted at least a couple of times - once around the museums and to get rid of the S curve.

Originally Posted by Swandaddy

A large part of the idea behind the original plan of the city is to make access to the lake a public good, and the drive does that quite well.

^^^Completely agree. Swan is correct that it was planned for the public to enjoy and not that long
ago, people were able to park on Columbus Drive for free as well as the parking lots at the beaches.
History of LSD with pics:
Lake Shore Drive Redux | Forgotten Chicago | History, Architecture, and Infrastructure

http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune...rive-pictures/