Evel Knieval's Skycycle

Evel Knievel was a stuntman's stuntman. This year marks the 35th anniversary of his Wembley Stadium jump in London, when he revved his Harley and flew over 13 buses. Or tried to. He crashed, broke his back, and told the 90,000 fans there he was done with stunts. The vow didn't last long.

Milwaukee's Harley-Davidson Museum pays homage to Evel with an exhibit from July 10 to Sept 6. See the half-motorcycle, half-rocket “Skycycle” Evel used to leap the Snake River Canyon, along with his red, white and blue leathers and other daredevil memorabilia.

So how many bones did Evel break jumping buses, canyons and shark-filled tanks over the years? Most report say 56, though some estimates go as high as 100.

Blackhawks Art

The thing that distinguishes Chicago from its coastal counterparts is this: we're a city that loves and seamlessly merges high culture and earthy pleasures. Is there another metropolis that dresses its Picasso sculpture in local sports team gear? Note the Blackhawks helmet on that metallic beauty.

And what about the Art Institute, revered house of impressionism and trove of a quarter-million works? It plopped 'Hawks gear on the iconic lions flanking the front door.


That was all prior to the 'Hawks winning the Stanley Cup on June 9. Once the team secured the trophy, 2 million Chicagoans showed up for the ticker-tape parade. Check out this video to see a celebration Windy City-style.

Duncan Keith's Teeth

You've probably heard all about it by now, but this tooth-tastic story bears repeating. Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith lost 7 teeth after being smacked by a flying puck in the playoff game against San Jose. He may not have smiled, but he did spit and then return to the game to finish off the Sharks.

"I saw a couple fall out and I had one in the back of my throat. I could feel it and coughed it out. A bunch of them disintegrated it felt like," the Trib quote him as saying.

What a bad-ass! Local dentists estimate it'll take two years before Keith gets his pearly whites back in shape if he goes the implant route. Or he could get removable teeth. Until then, he won't be eating corn.

Bike Love

Bicycling Magazine recently ranked Chicago as the 10th most bike friendly city in America (Minneapolis, Portland, Boulder and Seattle are top of the heap). The city does have a lot of two-wheeled love, whether its cyclists wielding DIY mallets for bike polo or bundling on another jacket for snow biking. The Chicago Cycling Club sponsors three to four free rides per week, and Chicago Critical Mass takes over downtown the last Friday of every month. Bike the Drive is coming up May 30, when Lake Shore Drive chucks cars in favor of pedal power. Perhaps the best bike idea yet is from the folks at Fork and the Road: tours where you ride from small ethnic restaurant to restaurant, leaving a trail of pierogies, tacos and falafel in your wake.

Rockin' the World Travel Blogosphere

World travel publisher Lonely Planet syndicates this blog and many others from around the globe as part of its Blogsherpa program. Want to know the latest happenings in Kazakhstan? Hidden villages in Bulgaria? Dance parties in Tahiti? How a family volunteers and backpacks its way around the world? We've amalgamated all the blogs here, in one big, bold continent-spanning package. Drop by and expand your horizons.

Dino-o-mite

Guess who's celebrating her 10th birthday? Actually, it's number 67 million and 10, but let's not trifle with technicalities. It's Sue, the Field Museum's beloved T-rex and the largest ever found. She went on display in May 2000.

The 7-ton beauty will blow out her candles May 22 at a big fundraising bash. Then the museum will premiere its new 3-D movie about T-rexes, as well as RoboSue, a new interactive exhibit. To see the whole dino-show, buy an All-Access Pass (adult/child $28/19). Regular admission - which provides viewing of Sue's mighty skeleton, but no movies or special exhibits - costs adult/child $15/10. It's free the 2nd Monday of each month.

Rock on, Sue. You prove being fat and old can still be glamorous.

Boogaloo Unlocked

Remember that 1984 breakdancing film classic Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo? Neither do the kids at Amundsen High School. But that hasn't stopped them from forming their own breakdancing club, the Rebels, who will perform their first gig at Experimental Sound Studio at 3pm Saturday. They're part of a multimedia exhibit by Amundsen students titled Unlocked: Sights and Sounds of a High Schooler's Day that fuses art, sound recordings and more. The exhibit runs through May 16 at ESS in Edgewater.

My teacher-man, Eric Markowitz, is leading the effort, though no, he won't be breakdancing (couldn't get the head-spin down).

Electric Boogaloo tip: look closely for a young Ice-T doing his thang in the background.