Emanuel Completes Bucket List Trip After Leaving Office

Curious as to what former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been up to since he left office last month? Wonder no more. 

Emanuel posted on Facebook early Tuesday that he has been busy "completing a long held dream" of biking all the way around Lake Michigan. [[510815751, C]]

"For more than 900 miles, through four states, Lake Michigan was at my side," Emanuel wrote in a post with dozens of photos from his journey.

"I saw awesome sunsets from Michigan and breathtaking sunrises from Wisconsin," he continued. "I rode the new Chicago bike trail and the old rail lines of Indiana. I saw classic lighthouses, weathered barns, the 'Tunnel of Trees,' the crumbling smokestacks of old industry and the glimmering solar panels of the new." 

Emanuel left office on May 20 when his successor, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, was sworn in. He served two terms as Chicago's mayor before announcing in September 2018 that he would not run for re-election. [[509774792, C]]

So far in his post-mayoral career, in addition to his bike trip, Emanuel was named a contributing editor for "The Atlantic," having written more than a dozen articles for the publication over the last few years.

The former mayor has been coy about his plans, not ruling out a future run for office. He certainly struck a diplomatic tone in his Facebook post Tuesday, praising the people he met on his cycling journey. 

"The true character of the Lake is reflected in the people around it," Emanuel wrote. "Everywhere I went, people were quick with a hello, easy with a smile, and generous with their help. It is a Great Lake surrounded by great people in a great country." [[510174452, C]]

Emanuel shared more than 40 photos from his trip, some of those aforementioned people he met along the way and others of the scenery.

He joked that when his brother Zeke Emanuel saw the photos, he teased him by calling him "Rahmsel Adams" after the famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams.

While Emanuel said he "can't hold a candle" to Adams, he hoped viewers enjoyed the pictures and thanked them for following along.

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