J. Cooper mourns for the days when bicycle messengers were a common fixture in Chicago. Up until the 2010s, the city's streets were packed with a ragtag coalition of sweat-drenched cyclists speeding from office to office. These workers were so integral to the professional landscape that former Mayor Richard M. Daley proclaimed Oct. 9, 2007, to be "Bicycle Messenger Appreciation Day."
Today, Cooper, who has delivered for Uber Eats using his bicycle for nearly three years, struggles to feel a similar sense of appreciation.
