Public Pools
Chicago Park District has put a ton of time and money into developing the city’s parks, and most of them boast awesome outdoor public pools that Chicagoans can frequent during the summer!
Lots of lounge chairs, sunny space to lay out, and shower and restroom facilities free of charge make this spot in Roscoe Village a popular spot on weekends (so we recommend arriving ~15 minutes prior to opening if you want to snag a chair!). The young adult crowd dominates the facility, and kids with their parents tend to stay in the shallows. Vending machines are available, but no other food/drink vendors beyond ice cream carts—you should bring your own drinks (especially some water!), but no coolers allowed. Free entry and use of all facilities!
Schedule: Mon/Wed/Fri 1:15pm-7:15pm, Tues/Thurs 1:15pm-8:15pm, Sat/Sun 11-7:15
*Please check website for exact Open Swim hours throughout the day*
Boasting an Olympic-sized pool with diving boards, a large deck for sun-bathing, misting sprays and an interactive play area for kids, Portage Park Pool also draws a large crowd on hot summer days. Passes are needed for Adult Lap Swim times, but otherwise it is open to the public for free. Quick warning – the lockers don’t actually lock, so be careful with valuables you leave in there! You might be better off taking a bag out with you to the pool deck.
Schedule: Mon-Fri 7am-10am + 4:30pm-7:15pm, Sat/Sun 9:30am-6pm
*Please check website for exact Open Swim hours throughout the day*
Chase Park Pool: Ravenswood (
With a smaller sized pool (maybe the size of a basketball court), Chase Park is definitely less crowded than the others, and usually has lounge chairs open – so what more do you need? Bike-friendly areas are available, and this park is actually a wonderful place to work out as well. An outdoor track, basketball and tennis courts, and baseball diamonds are all available free of charge (as is the pool), and use of the workout room is offered for a nominal fee. Work up a good sweat and hop in the pool to cool off!
Schedule: Mon-Fri 3pm-7:15pm, Sat/Sun 12pm-7:15pm
*Please check website for exact Open Swim hours throughout the day*
Beaches
Lake Michigan, a.k.a the Heavens’ gift to
The young adult crowd that frequents
Close to the Magnificent Mile and John Hancock Building, Oak Street Beach is steps away from the bustle of the city and thus a great place for people-watching (though there are definitely some eensy-weensy Speedos you may not want to look too closely at…). It’s also got a great running and biking path along
The home of Windy City Watersports, Montrose Beach is the best place to rent your WaveRunners, sailboats, and other equipment for some action sport fun on our
*If you’re traveling with your pooch, check out
A few more water-related ideas
-Splash around in Faces Fountain at
-Rent a kayak to cruise down the Chicago River with Kayak
-If you’re up for a bit of a drive, trek out to some of the best water parks in Illinois – Raging Waves in Yorkville is a great time, as is Hurricane Harbor at the Six Flags in Gurnee (and who doesn’t love a Six Flags?!).
-And finally, you can always head out to the suburbs and run through somebody else’s sprinklers. This is pretty self-explanatory. If it isn't, please see diagram below for directions.
And for those festival die-hards, here’s a brief list for this weekend:
Taste of
Saturday 12pm-10pm, Sunday 11am-10pm, $10 suggested donation
Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm, $10 entry ($5/students)
Fiesta del Sol:
Thursday 5-10pm, Friday/Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-10pm, Free
Celebrate Hyde Park – July Summer Festival:
Saturday/Sunday 11am-9pm, Free
Also, don’t forget that Critical Mass is this Friday (the last Friday of every month) – take back the streets of the city with your fellow bicyclists for a fun, free community building event! Just show up with your bike in
Enjoy the weekend, the weather, the water, and wow – so many good words start with a w (waffles, walruses, wine, Wham!…). Anyways, until next time!
Written by: Keren Mikva
Written by: Krista Baum
Chicago, a city known for its beautiful architecture, Chicago style pizza and hot dogs, the Magnificent Mile, international neighborhoods, world-renown museums, jazz and blues…and a destination site for many travelers.
One of the advantages about living in Chicago is that it is so diverse.
At Hostelling International Chicago international travel, diversity, and becoming a global citizen are some of the key components that make us who we are.
HI-Chicago offers a multitude of educational programs and traveler outings, but one that seems to stand out among the rest is Cultural Kitchen.
Cultural Kitchen is an educational program that HI-Chicago offers throughout the entire year, and is run primarily by Megan Johnson, and her current Education intern. This summer 2011, Megan and her Education intern, Eleanor, ran four Cultural Kitchen’s.
Cultural Kitchen’s purpose is to enrich the lives of Chicago’s youth and give them a better understanding of cultural awareness and what it means to be a global citizen.
This summer, Megan and Eleanor have worked with four different summer youth programs in the Chicagoland area. They were: Christopher House, McGaw YMCA, Centro Romero, and Gads Hill Center. Each group participated in classroom sessions, chose a country to study, and came to HI-Chicago to cook a meal from that country and then do a presentation afterwards.
Christopher House chose to study Brazil, McGaw YMCA chose Romania, Centro Romero chose Italy, and Gads Hill Center chose France. Each of these youth groups were able to come to HI-Chicago to cook a meal from their country, participate in Human Bingo, fill out their Cultural Passport, and give a presentation about all that they learned about their chosen countries.
All of the meals and presentations were great! Some of the groups got really creative, and demonstrated cultural dances, sang songs, and had examples of common phrases in that country’s native language.
Then everyone got to spend a night in the hostel. They were able to play games, meet travelers, and explore the city at night! The next morning, everyone attends a reflection about what they learned from Cultural Kitchen and what they will take away from their stay in the hostel.
I definitely recommend staff members, interns, volunteers, and travelers at HI-Chicago to attend a Cultural Kitchen at least once! It’s an amazing experience where you can learn a lot about a foreign culture through the perspective of Chicago's youth.
Written by: Krista Baum
Mike has been to places all over the United States and the world! He was born in Fargo, North Dakota, lives in Dallas, Texas and is now doing service work in Chicago, IL. This guy has been all over the place!
This summer 2011, Mike has been to San Francisco, San Antonio, Fargo, and Belize! His occupation is one that many travelers, backpackers, or couch surfers would love…he travels for a living!
Mike works as a professional travel guide with Wonder Voyage, a non-profit company with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, that does national and international pilgrimages, mission trips, and service learning activities with different student groups, college groups, church groups, and more.
Currently, Mike is the travel guide and leader of a church group of eighteen high school and college aged students from New York. That’s a lot of people! But Mike is not alone, there are many adult chaperones helping out on the trip. An extra set of eyes are always a big help J
This group has been doing service work and exploration in Chicago! For service work, they have inventoried a warehouse for an organization called Vital Bridges, and yesterday they did maintenance on a transitional home for women and children. Their next service activity will be doing work with elderly veterans and having lunch with them.
Along with their service work, these volunteers have really enjoyed exploring the city of Chicago. They went to Navy Pier, Millennium Park, and are looking forward to seeing the Art Institute of Chicago!
So what brought this group to Chicago in the first place?
The kids from the group had to vote on a city to do service work in, and Chicago won the vote! Chicago was preferred because a lot of the kids thought that Chicago was interesting, and a lot of them wanted to go to college here. Good choice guys!
This may actually be one of the best street festivals of the summer (or so says the Tribune), but it does sound quite cool. 3 stages with nonstop music from bands and DJs with some of the weirdest names I’ve heard in a while (An Aesthetic Anaesthetic? What does that even mean?) will be playing all weekend, along with much more. A petting zoo, arts and crafts stations, bounce houses, and a DUNK TANK—which we believe has been severely lacking in the festival scene thus far—make this one of the more exciting fests of the summer! Also, the Summer Sizzle Sidewalk Sale will be going on simultaneously from 11am-6pm both days along all major streets in
Head to the Garden District of Chicago and help support efforts to keep this neighborhood beautiful at the Sheffield Garden Walk and Festival this weekend! Check out self-guided tours of over 80 gardens, free guided architectural tours, food and drink vendors and, of course, live music. Headliners include Archie Powell and the Exports, Soul Asylum, and
Chariot Festival: July 24, 12:30-6pm
Celebrate Indian culture at the Chariot Festival this Sunday, hosted by the
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Random but Very, Very Cool Events
(some alternatives that are pretty bizarre but awesome at the same time)
That’s right, it’s time to hop on the hippest train around to celebrate Soul Train’s 40th Anniversary, hosted by Chicago SummerDance at Grant Park! Yes, I recognize that there is a Summerdance event every Thursday through Sunday throughout the summer, but how many of them feature The Bop and Soul Train Line dance lessons with live music by The Platinum Band playing Soul Train Dance Party tunes? One. And it’s this Saturday, with lessons from 6-7pm and live music and dancing until 9:30pm. Strap on your disco shoes and nostalgia and head out to celebrate this institution’s
Big
Join
Dollar Beer Night at Beauty Bar: July 24, 10pm
I’ve always been a fan of this slightly gimmicky-but-in-a-good-way bar in
Bags Benefit Tournament at Joe’s Bar: July 23, 2-5pm
Join in the 5th Annual Bags Tournament to benefit Special Olympics Chicago at Joe’s Bar on
Whole Foods FREE Beer and Wine Tasting: July 23, 1-4pm
Pretty sure this one is self-explanatory, but let me just spell it out: Free. Beer.
Red
Come watch the nation’s best B-Boys (break dancers, for all you non-ABDC fans) as they compete in the qualifiers to advance to the finals in
Happy heat wave! Anybody want to head to Oregon?
Written by: Keren Mikva
Earlier today, I talked with Sam…little did she know that today is the day that she would be featured for today’s Traveler Spotlight!
Sam is a 26 year old from London England. She has traveled extensively all over the world! She toured Africa during her gap year, visited family in Australia, has been to Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, all over Europe, the southern parts of India, and traveled to Brazil and California for work.
For Sam, work has really allowed her to travel! She currently works at the Natural History Museum in London, England as a research assistant. There she studies botany, researching new species of plants. At the Natural History Museum she has been proactive in community outreach and education programs to engage children in having a greater interest in science.
So what brought Sam to Chicago? Sam recently came from St. Louis, Missouri where she saw the Missouri Botanic Garden and is now in Chicago where she will start her two week long research assignment at the Field Museum. She will be comparing botany specimens there to the ones back home at the Natural History Museum. The scientists have to make sure that their data about a species is correlating to other scientists’ data in another country regarding the same species. When I asked if I would be able to see the botany specimens at the Field Museum, Sam said that those specimens were collections that were hidden from the viewers because they need certain conditions to survive. There are so many hidden gems at the Field Museum.
I then asked Sam about what she thought of HI-Chicago, and she thought that it had a friendly atmosphere and wants to see her room so she can unpack all of her things and rest a bit before exploring Chicago!
So what will she do in Chicago?
Tomorrow, Sam’s boyfriend from London is arriving in Chicago, and they will be able to do some exploring together after Sam has finished her work at the Field Museum. She hopes that they can attend a baseball game, see the Shedd Aquarium, visit the Art Institute, and just wander around the city.
Sam’s future travel plans are to go to Northern India, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
And…little known fact, I asked Sam if she watched Prince William and Kate’s wedding, and Sam said that she did watch it and that one of her co-workers from London was at the same university at the same time that Prince William was there, and that they played cricket together!
What a small world J
Pitchfork Music Festival: July 15 – 17 (Fri 3-10pm, Sat/Sun 12-10pm
This indie alternative to the bigger music festivals like Lollapalooza has an amazing line-up this year, including Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, James Blake and more! Union Park promises to be packed this weekend, so if you’re not planning on going to the festival, find a different route home! That said, you should definitely go to the festival. It’s seriously awesome. Tickets are still available on-site for Friday and Saturday! $45/day.
Tour de Fat: July 16, 9am-4pm
Ok, so while I had a lot of fun imagining food eating contests, deep fried Oreos, and a liposuction tent, this is actually cooler, and a lot less gross. This annual bike and environmental fest is hosted by
What is the car/bike swap, you may ask? In their words…It's when one fortunate soul hands over their car, title and keys to the Tour de Fat altar in exchange for a bike. Not just any bike, a New
Taste of River North: July 15 – 17 (Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun 11am-6pm)
Food and drink tickets for $1 each get you meals from some of the best restaurants in the area, including Citizen Bar, Green Door Tavern, Moe’s Cantina, and more! Galleries and shops will all be set up in the park, along with live music from Sixteen Candles and others. Pet and kid friendly! $5 donation.
Great music, fantastic artists, and tons of food and drink vendors will be over at
Old
While the qualification of world’s largest block party hasn’t been proven, Old St. Pat’s is still HUGE. Over 18,000 are expected to attend this annual fest, and vendors will be offering all your regular fest foods, as well as noodles! But noodles aren’t the best part of this festival; the price of admission allows you into all of the shows and even includes 5 drink tickets for beer, wine, pop (see? I’ve been in
Head to
Get out and enjoy this beautiful weekend, and we here at the hostel will be doing the same!
Stay groovy!
Written by: Keren Mikva
Written by: Krista Baum
While walking through the HI-Chicago second floor lounge, I saw two guys playing pool, and they were almost done with their game. They looked like cool guys and would have some very interesting stories to share…and they did! *This is why travelers should meet and mingle on the second floor lounge because there are so many great people to talk to :)
Nate is 23 years old, and from Fort Wayne, Indiana and J.D. is 19 years old and from Goshen, Indiana and they have traveled to many great places around the world!
Nate has been all over Central and South America, and has lived in Argentina for 13 months and recently got back from his 10 month stay in China. While living in China, he also traveled to nearby countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
JD has traveled around the United States, been to Canada for two weeks and just recently got back from his 10 month stay in Bolivia.
So how did Nate and JD meet?
Nate and JD met through the Radical Journey program, which is a program through a Mennonite Mission Network that is based out of Indiana. When they said Radical Journey, I had no idea what that program was, so I asked them to elaborate. They said that Radical Journey is a program for men and women between 19-30 years old, and they do a year of service in a foreign country. The service that these people are providing varies on need, but some examples are: construction work, teaching English or tutoring children.
During their travels both Nate and JD had some surprises…
Nate learned that his house sister in China went to the United States for a year and met his Argentinian fiancé’s best friend. Nate was pleasantly surprised to find out about this later, and really thought that this was a real life example of how small the world really is J
For JD, he had a less pleasant surprise when he encountered some passport problems in Bolivia. Due to this experience, JD recommends that all travelers get their passport work done as soon as possible!!
From surprises to shocks... What was the biggest culture shock for these guys while abroad?
Nate thought that the family life was a big culture shock for him. When in China, everyone in the family was really close, and friends were treated like siblings. He also learned that it was normal for a 33 yr. old and a 32 yr. old to live at home, versus in the United States when everyone starts leaving home at around 18 years old to go to college or work.
JD thought that language was the biggest culture shock while in Bolivia. Within the first couple days he wanted to continually greet people in English, however after 10 months there, he was conversing in Spanish every day, and now back in the United States he feels that he wants to greet people in Spanish. The switching between languages so fast can definitely result in some excellent Spanglish!
So what brought Nate and JD to Chicago?
For both these guys, Chicago was the reorientation city. After their recent experiences abroad, Nate living in China for 10 months and JD living in Bolivia for 10 months, their program chose Chicago as the place for all their participants to initially return to when coming back to the United States.
JD actually just arrived in Chicago this afternoon and said that he was in Bolivia this morning! How cool is that!?!
Their program thought that Chicago was a good fit because it is culturally diverse and it would be a nice transition from being in another country for so long. Both Nate and JD are enjoying their stay in Chicago and are readjusting to life back in the United States.
So where do they plan on going in the future?
Nate plans on going to Argentina, so that he can then bring his fiancé to the United States so they can get married. Then they will move back to Argentina for a while.
JD plans on going to Goshen College in Indiana so he can study Spanish and French, and he also says that he wants to study abroad in Spain for a year!
Here it is again—your never-failing weekend guide to
West Fest: July 9 – 10, 12-10pm
Check out the best of the west (West Side, that is) at the West Fest in
Dave Matthews Band Caravan: July 8 – 10, 1-11pm
While tickets are a bit pricey ($85/day, $195/3days) for Dave Matthew’s Band’s rolling caravan tour, the
The 2nd Annual Roscoe Village Burger Fest is exactly what it sounds like—a burger festival. And how awesome is that? Live music and mouth-watering burgers from nine of
Gold Coast Art Fair: July 9 – 10, 9am-7pm
Art lovers should head over to Butler Field in Grant Park for the 54th annual Gold Coast Art Fair. Over 450 artists from all over the world will have their work on display and available for purchase (insider hint: select artists will discount their work between 9 – 10am on both days for all you early birds…or deal-savvy travelers!). Food and drink vendors and live music will accompany the art, and work is priced anywhere between $25 and $25,000, so there’s something for everyone! Free.
Irish American Heritage Festival: July 8 – 10 (Fri 6pm -12am, Sat 12pm – 12am, Sun 12pm – 11pm)
Honor your Irish heritage (or somebody else’s) at the 26th annual Irish American Heritage Festival. Live Irish and American music on 5 indoor and outdoor stages, along with dance performances (get jiggy with it!), a singing contest, and even a matchmaking event. Also, be sure to wear your elastic pants because there’s no better way to enjoy this cultural fest than through the mashed-potato eating contest! $14 ($8/presale)
The Flesh Hungry Dog Show: Homo Hop: July 8, 9pm
This monthly LGBTQ and queer-friendly rock ‘n’ roll variety show, hosted by local musician Gary Airedale, features a vintage theme for July. Bric-a-Brac, Suzy Brack and the New Jack Lords, and Pieptone! will be performing, with DJ Sky spinning between sets. Giveaways from the Pleasure Chest and a go-go dancing set by The Revelettes make this event one of the most diverse LGBTQ events in the city! All are welcome to this ultra-inclusive, mini-rock extravaganza! $10/door, $8/presale. 21+
So be sure to get out there this weekend and take advantage of what a Chicago summer has to offer! Remember--not only will it be too cold to dance outside come December, but you can't move nearly as well in a snow suit and moon boots.
Written by: Keren Mikva
Written by: Krista Baum
As I was wandering around the main lobby at HI-Chicago, I saw a young man on his computer, and he looked like an interesting person so I decided to introduce myself and ask if he would like to be interviewed for traveler spotlight. He humbly agreed, and we started talking and had a very enjoyable conversation J
Omer Aydin is from Turkey, and currently a PhD student studying Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. I later told him that I went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and that both the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were in the Big 10. Currently at Michigan, Omer is researching cancer treatments and developing ways to use medicine that will directly target cancer cells and not the whole body of the individual who has cancer. What a brilliant student!
After discussing Omer’s studies, I was very curious to learn about where he has traveled. Omer left Turkey in 2010, and went to Alabama, USA, where he enrolled at the University of Alabama to take an English class, so he could improve his English skills. After Alabama, he traveled north to Michigan where he could start at the University of Michigan. I asked Omer if he had a preference between Michigan or Alabama. He said that he noticed political and religious differences between Alabama and Michigan, and as far as the social scene, he feels that downtown Michigan offers a lot more J
So what brought Omer to Chicago?
Omer came to Chicago for the 4th of July Weekend with an International group of students from the University of Michigan and was able to stay at HI-Chicago for a couple of days. It was Omer’s first time in Chicago, and besides seeing O’Hare airport, there was so much more to see and do! As a group they immersed themselves in Chicago, and were able to see the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Art Institute, the Skydeck and Millennium Park.
As far as cuisine goes, Omer says that he misses Turkish food, so during this trip here to Chicago, he was able to go to a Turkish restaurant called A La Turka and he said that it was really good place. I have never tried Turkish food before, so I think I will try that place sometime. What better way to learn more about a foreign culture than through their ethnic cuisine? J
Omer’s future plans are to go back to the University of Michigan to continue his education as a PhD student!
