Tag: lake michigan

Fort Sheridan

To continue the topic of the beach-going: the best thing about my current location is that the lake (and the beach) are a ten-minute walk away, and I can go there any time I want, and if I only have thirty minutes, I still go. I love that “the lakefront is Rogers Park backyard.” Once again, you can live in a mansion, or you can be unhoused and live in a tent – the lake is for everyone. With all of this being said (and appreciated), sometimes, a “backyard” analogy is a little bit too direct.

As I mentioned, there was hardly any space anywhere around the beach on Friday, and I thought that my vague idea of going to Fort Sheridan on Saturday is not so bad, because I could also swim at the place where swimming is strictly prohibited. I was looking at the train schedule and going back and forth with this idea, and saying to myself that with all of the amont of work-non-work I have, I absolutely can’t afford to waste half a day; and in any case, I have a beach ten minutes away, and I wanted to go for a long bike ride… But I already figure out the only combination of trains both way that would work for me, and even though I went for a long bike ride, the idea was still there. Then I funny thing happened: I thought that I am still deciding, and realized that I am already packing my backpack for a trip!

If was an amazing outing! It was cooler there than in Rogers Park; the water in that part of the lake was also a little bit cooler, and insanely clear… and there were less than ten people as far as I could see!

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Loyola-Leone Beach On July 4

Documenting my attempt to go to the beach yesterday :). In reality, it was even worse because people were barbecuing on every inch of the grass. Also, lifeguards were unusually vigilant, so there was no way to get into the water higher than the waste level 🙂

Biking

I went for long bike rides both yesterday morning and today, while the sunrise is still relatively early, and it’s warm in the morning. Actually, it is so warm that many people try to do their biking/running in the early hours, so by 6 AM, it is already pretty crowded on the Lake Front Trail.

Yesterday:

Bird sanctuary at Montrose Harbor
Breakfast at home for a change

Today: that’s me going out of my way to capture the stunning beauty of the view from the Aquarium terrace

Early Morning Biking

A blessing of living by the lake.

The First Beach Day Of The Season.

Yesterday, when I realized that it was after 10 PM and I was not packed yet, I scolded myself for going to the beach after work. But as it turned out, that was the right thing to do! Yes, I worked from home today, but it was raining all night, and after a little bit of the sunshine in the late morning, it started to rain again, and then the rain turned into a heavy thunderstorm, so no beach today!

It was my first and only beach day this season so far, and I can’t believe we are already in the second half of June! The lake was cold! No wonder, since the whole spring was very cold, and there was no chance for the water to warm up even a little bit. I plunged, jumped out, and plunged again, just because :), but I don’t know how all these kids could stay in the water for so long!

There were so many people on the beach! So many kids who should have been loud, but I was surprised by what a quiet scene it was! As if everyone were quietly taking in this first warm evening.

A ice cream vendor


The Lake!

Things keep piling up, and my life is insane, but on the bright side of it, I am meeting with the Lake during my morning bike rides again!

And also, although you can’t see a sunset over the lake from our side, the evenings are equally beautiful!

Sunday – Hello Michigan, I Missed You!

The boats are gone until next season

The Longest Beach Season Ever!

And the water was not cold! It was definitely colder than ten days ago, but way warmer than at the beginning of June when you need to talk yourself into jumping in :). I walked into the water, and thanked the Lake, and looked around at the horizon line, the seagulls, a boat far away, and the reflection of the sun on the lake surface. I think that was actually the last beach day of 2024 :).

Summer Never Ends!

Twice, I washed my swimsuit and beach towel “for a season,” and twice, I stashed them away “until next summer.” And on Monday, I took them out for the third time :).

I was in the office for half the day and then rushed to my mom’s house to meet with the nurse. After the nurse’s visit, I had a long and not very productive conversation with my mom, and it was still relatively early when I left there house.

While I was walking back along the beach, I realized that it was still warm, and even with the shorter days, it was still enough time! I rushed home, pulled my neatly folded beach towel from the top shelf along with my just-washed swimsuit, pulled a pair of shorts from the bottom of the summer clothes box, and quickly walked back to the beach!

It was warm! And the water was warm! There were some people sitting on the sand, but nobody in the water. I don’t know why – the water was warm, and there were no lifeguards, and oh my, how perfect it was to be there at that very moment!

Thank you, Lake Michigan!

Tranquility

On Wednesday morning, I finally did what I wanted to do since Boris’ departure: I went to the beach between working out in the morning and going to work. I just got the sunrise, and the water was warm, and there was absolutely nobody on the beach!

It felt so good and gave me a great start to the day!

Then, I took a short break from work in the afternoon and walked to the Tiny Cafe on the Riverwalk. This summer, they finally opened their coffee corner, and they have ice cream again (and great espresso!). I took an ice cream cone and espresso and sat on a stone step, looking at the Chicago River.

And one more time, I was not running anywhere, if just for five minutes!