Chicago, IL–It’s a very snowy, cold winter, but that doesn’t mean you need to stay inside. Bundle up and head over to Chicago’s Northerly Island (yep, the former Miegs Field way over there by the Adler Planetarium) and rent snowshoes or cross-country skis for a little tromp along the lake. Rentals are available for $5 for two hours on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the fieldhouse, the former airport terminal. With the snow falling and traffic noise minimal, it’s very peaceful. Afterward, learn more about the park’s trail construction, which is due to be completed this year.
Don’t miss Polar Adventure Days–the next one is Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014–to participate in ice fishing, checking out live animals, and watch dog-sledding demonstrations. Snowshoe rental is free during the event, too.
All those folks who were mad at Mayor Richard M. Daley for bulldozing the old Meigs Field runway in the middle of the night in 2003 need to see how beautiful it is in the winter. Before it hosted Meigs Field, it was part of Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago as a lakefront park, and hosted the World’s Century of Progress World’s Fair 1933-34. It’s good it’s come back to its roots.
