Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ethnic Cemetery tour. These tours, which generally run about 4 to 6 hours and
include lunch, are more expensive ($50 adults, $45 seniors and children).
Groups can arrange tours of Chicago's
“Black Metropolis,”
the name given to
a South Side area of Bronzeville where African Americans created a flourishing
business and artistic community after World War II. Contact
Tour Black
Chicago
(
&
773/684-9034;
www.tourblackchicago.com) for more information.
10 Staying Active
Perhaps because Chicago's winters can be so brutal, Chicagoans take their sum-
mers very seriously. In the warmer months, with the wide blue lake and the ample
green parks, it's easy to think that the city is one big grown-up playground.
Whether you prefer your activities to take place in the water or on dry ground,
you'll probably be able to find it here. The park district can be reached at
&
312/
742-PLAY;
for questions about the 29 miles of beaches and parks along Lake
Michigan, call the park district's lakefront region office at
&
312/747-2474.
Another handy resource is
Windy City Sports
(
&
312/421-1551;
www.
windycitysportsmag.com), a free monthly publication that you'll find at many
retail shops, grocery stores, and bars and cafes.
BEACHES
Public beaches line Lake Michigan all the way up north into the suburbs and
Wisconsin, and southeast through Indiana and into Michigan. The most well
known is
Oak Street Beach,
the location of which at the northern tip of the
Magnificent Mile creates some interesting sights as sun worshippers sporting
swimsuits and carting coolers make their way down Michigan Avenue. The most
popular is
North Avenue Beach,
about 6 blocks farther north, which has devel-
oped into a volleyball hot spot and recently rebuilt its landmark steamship-
shaped beach house and added a Venice Beach-style outdoor gym; this is where
the Lincoln Park singles come to play, check each other out, and fly by on bikes
and in-line skates.
Hollywood-Ardmore Beach
(officially Kathy Osterman
Beach), at the northern end of Lake Shore Drive, is a lovely crescent that's less
congested and has steadily become more popular with gays who've moved up the
lakefront from the Belmont Rocks, a longtime hangout. For more seclusion, try
Ohio Street Beach,
an intimate sliver of sand in tiny Olive Park, just north of
Navy Pier, which, incredibly enough, remains largely ignored despite its central
location. If you have a car, head up to
Montrose Beach,
a beautiful unsung
treasure about midway between North Avenue Beach and Hollywood-Ardmore
Beach (with plenty of free parking). Long popular with the city's Hispanic com-
munity, it has an expanse of beach mostly uninterrupted by piers or jetties, and
a huge adjacent park with soccer fields and one big hill great for kite flying—
even a small bait shop where anglers can go before heading for a nearby long pier
designated for fishing.
If you've brought the pooch along, you might want to take him for a dip at
the
doggie beach
south of Addison Street, at about Hawthorne and Lake Shore
Drive—although this minute spot aggravates some dog owners because it's situ-
ated in a harbor where the water is somewhat fouled by gas and oil from nearby
boats.
A tip:
Try the south end of North Avenue Beach in early morning, before
it opens to the public for the day. (Also consider that, in off season, all beaches
are fair game for dogs. The police won't hassle you, I promise.)
Beaches are officially open with a full retinue of lifeguards on duty beginning
about June 20, though swimmers can wade into the chilly water Memorial Day
