This trail's not quite official yet, but thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail and other biking and nature enthusiasts, it hopefully will be soon. The path follows an old set of train tracks, which run along Bloomingdale from Ridgeway east to Ashland. While it has not been technically abandoned, the few trains that traveled along the corridor several years ago (including, coincidentally, a freight train used for the former Schwinn bicycle headquarters) were re-routed or have ceased to exist. Besides running through the West Town residential neighborhoods, the trail passes a few mural-covered embankment walls and viaducts, which the group hopes to preserve. The Web site Bloomingdaletrail.org features information on the history of the trail, up-to-date news, viewable public art along the way and how to help out.

Centerstage Reviewer: Jessica Herman