Bike lanes across the city remain unplowed days after the recent snowfall.

Why it matters: The snowy paths are treacherous for riders who risk injury or worse while cycling through them.

How it works: While the Department of Streets and Sanitation is in charge of plowing streets, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is responsible for clearing the 70 miles of protected bike lanes.

What they're saying: "CDOT crews have been deployed across the city since Monday morning and are rotating through designated routes as quickly as possible," CDOT's Bill Higgins tells Axios.

• "In some cases, specialized equipment or manual shoveling is required, which can add complexity and time to the process."

The other side: "You should not have to complain for your bike lanes to be cleared," Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) told Axios.

• "If we were looking out here today and only 20% of arterial streets had been cleared of snow, all of the city would be in an uproar."

Behind the scenes: Higgins says this week's continuous snowfall made it especially difficult to find places to stash the snow from bike lanes.

💭 Monica's thought bubble: I almost wiped out five times riding Divvys downtown this week.

• After my first perilous ride, I whined on social media with a picture of the super-snowy protected lanes on the Dearborn Street bridge.
• By Wednesday night, the bridge bike lane had been plowed — but the blocks directly to the north and south looked untouched. Come on, guys!

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The best Chicago holiday tradition is still downtown on State Street.

• Nearly 3,000 votes have been tallied and the Macy's (Marshall Field's) windows/Walnut Room experience is our winner!
• It edged out ZooLights by less than 20 votes.

🙏 Thanks to all who voted. We'll be back in January with another monthly tournament.

Holiday shopping is in full swing, so we asked you all which local shops you frequent for the most unique gifts.

🎄"My favorite gift shop in Chicago is P.O.S.H. The owners shop antique/flea markets in Europe, sell glassware, silver serving pieces, books, gourmet food, soaps, kitchen towels ... well, everything. The windows at the front of the store are magical and will remind you of the Marshall Field's windows from the glory days." — Terry P.

🖼️ "The MCA Store, the Museum of Contemporary Art gift shop." — Lizzie B.

🕯️ "Penelope's and Gemini are two fantastic stores in West Town / Wicker Park that have clothing, candles, bags, cards and other gifts." — Maria M.

👕 "My favorite gift shop/knick-knack shop is Silver Room in Hyde Park. Fun cards, accessories and Chicago-specific merch, too." — Ariana V.

More great local places

🚉 The State/Lake CTA station will close Jan. 5 for demolition as the city builds a new one. It will be closed until 2029. (Tribune)

🚨 Chicago police promoted two officers even after both were investigated for accusations of sexual misconduct, a new report found. (ProPublica)

🏈 The Bears could have starting linebackers T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell back for Sunday's showdown against the Packers. (CBS Sports)

🗓️ Mark your calendar with our Event Board.

Boogie Down Broadway Joe's on Weed St. on Dec 27: You'll be singing, dancing, and cheering along to the biggest show‑stoppers from Les Mis and Wicked to Hamilton and today's newest hits. Giant on‑screen lyrics keep everyone in perfect harmony, so even first‑timers can join the chorus. $29-$45.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].🗓️ Mark your calendar with our Event Board.

The annual tradition of revealing our music tastes is in full swing as Spotify, Apple and other streaming sites have released your 2025 data.

The latest: Spotify says the No. 1 streamed song in Chicago was "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA. They also say that it was the No. 1 song for every market in America. Sure.

Kendrick wasn't the top for your Axios writers, though:

🎧 Monica: I don't use Spotify, but iTunes says it was "Can't Hardly Wait" by The Replacements. I would've guessed "Red Wine Supernova," which I dance to while washing the dishes.

🎤 Moyo: "Last Last" by Burna Boy, who unfortunately is under fire for kicking a couple out of his concert for sleeping!

🪕 Carrie: Several songs by Melanie. I know, apparently I'm a 70+ year old hippie.

🥁 Justin: "Morado" by J Balvin. It's from 2020. Runner-up: The Muppets theme song.

👋 Hey, it's Justin.

My Uncle Guy died this week. He was 91.

Guy Barile was a Chicago actor, director and co-founder of the Jeff Awards. He notably directed the original "Grease" production at Kingston Mines in 1971, before the show went to Broadway.

Flashback: Guy has a long list of credits, but he will always be known as the famous one in my family. When I was growing up, we'd rush to the living room TV to catch him in an Illinois Bell commercial or drive to Drury Lane to see him on stage.

• I'm not sure if I would have pursued performing if it weren't for him.

Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth, "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more."

• Not true for Guy. His impact and memory will live past his performances. He'll live through working actors auditioning for plays, scoring commercial gigs or landing speaking roles in movies.
• Or heck, through sketch comedians who now write newsletters.

The bottom line: RIP, Guy.

In honor of my Uncle Guy, today's quiz is about seeing Chicago on our boob tubes.

• Whether a show is set here, shot here or maybe just throws a passing reference to our great city, it always grabs our attention.

Flashback: A few winners from our movie quote quiz. Congrats to Christine W., Matt R., Don M., and Ron W. for your perfect scores!

• As always, screenshot your perfect results for a shout-out.

📺 We are back from commercial. Time to take the quiz here!