For Mandy Rusillo, the pulsating traffic delivers prospect. The shadow of a pedestrian often means danger. And the snap of a car door opening in front of her can mean suicide.

Rusillo, who works as a Chicagoland messenger, is one of the thousands of bicycle messengers in Chicago who navigate the labyrinth of vehicles and businesspeople who create the maze she conquers everyday.

”When you see me swerving and ducking, it’s got nothing to do with being fancy or showing off,” she said. ”I’m the fastest there is and a lot nicer than those ‘joes’ in Manhattan.”

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