Chicago is the best summer city

Lake Michigan is a real beach


You can say what you want about your summer homes and your exotic islands and your European vacations that will play prominent roles in your ~summer ’16~ but I will firmly stand by my statement that there is truly nothing like a Chicago summer.

Summer is the best! Everybody agrees! Summer is great wherever you are! Summer is fun and lawless and WARM!

But summer in Chicago is on a whole new level. Midwest friendliness comes to its peak during the summer months. The entire city brightens up; people head to open-air bars after work, the restaurants along the river are teeming with people, and all of the sudden everyone seems to be a baseball fan. Everyone’s got a summer concert to go to or a day set aside to just “be a tourist” in their own beloved city.

Lake Michigan

There is may only be one day out of the entire year where you might be able to see some crystal-clear lakewater (which is shark-free but does have minnows and seaweed that smells when it washes up on the shore). However, the lake is always a SIGHT TO SEE during the summer months. It’s blue and glistening and might even get kind of warm for a few weeks in August. People are running and swimming and boating and paddle boarding. We have dog beaches and people beaches and party beaches and it’s a grand ole time.

Note: The lake counts as a beach. Yes, I’m aware that it’s different from an ocean. No, you can’t see across it. No, not even on very clear days. There is a lot of sand and plenty of rocks that you can pretend are pretty seashells, and it very much resembles an ocean beach minus the salty breeze. Don’t argue with me on this .

We all scream for ice cream

If you asked me how many times I go out for ice cream per week I’d probably tell you three, and that would be a lie because the real number is way higher and I’m just too embarrassed to admit it.

Ice cream is essentially the symbol of summer. And where else to indulge but Jeni Splendid, less than a mile from Wrigley Field, with the creamiest, most decadent flavors you’ll ever find. My family will literally drive twenty minutes out of our way to get here.

Started in Columbus, Ohio (lots of good ice cream in Ohio), Jeni Splendid has made its way across the country. Two different Chicago locations with equally instagrammable interiors make it a dessert spot that’s impossible to pass up.

If you’re not really that into ice cream (do these people exist?), there are alternatives for your kind. As a chocolate enthusiast, I can’t relate, but my freakishly health-conscious father is always ready to make a special trip to Mario’s Italian Lemonade on Taylor Street. It’s the homiest little stand and I must admit, it’s exactly what you want on a sweltering afternoon in July.

Music festivals

Lollapalooza is probably the most hyped-up event of the entire summer for high school to college-aged kids. Hotels are booked, outfits are bought, and schedules are arranged months in advance. It rarely disappoints and has music meant to cater to all different types of listeners. The Metra trains are full, flower crowns are OUT, and dozens of incredible performers are ready to play for hundreds of thousands of people. Just watch out for the right side of the Perry’s stage – you’ll find my entire high school most likely macking on each other.

The low-key baby sister of Lolla, aka Pitchfork, is located in Union Park, just around the bend from the United Center. This three-stage (red, blue, green!) indie music festival is a conglomerate of good eats, good people (outstanding people-watching if you’re into that), and good performers. The vendors make me want to spend the last of my money on cool band posters, jewelry, and knickknacks I really don’t actually need. Up-and-comers who headline here usually find themselves at Lolla the following summer.

All the different places you can eat (Lou Malnati’s)

So, okay, Lou Malnati’s (the best authentic deep dish pizza around) is great at all times of the year. My mom shipped me a frozen one for Valentine’s Day and I just about cried.

But in the summer, you are limitless with the places you can take your cheesy delicious piece of heaven. You can picnic on the beach. You can stroll down Lake Shore Drive, slice in hand (though it is a task to get one of those down gracefully sans fork and knife). You can get it at the Taste of Chicago, another Chicago summer staple.

Taste of Chicago

How could anything be bad about the Taste? The best of the best restaurants come together in one spot, just for you to eat a little bit of everything and stuff yourself to the absolute brim. My family is known to fight over our remaining three tickets – to get cheesecake or ice cream? That’s always the question.

Anything you want to eat, it’s there. Billy Goat Tavern, Eli’s Cheesecake, Chicago Dogs, Tuscany – all types of places for all types of people. There are also various bands and performers at night – obviously it’s no Lolla, but some prefer this far less ratchet music scene. I can’t really blame them, to be honest.

Kayaking

One summer my family and I went kayaking, and I think everyone else had a pretty miserable time but I LOVED it. As it turns out, you can go kayaking in a wide variety of places (many are in the suburbs), but many places rent kayaks in the Chicago River. Incredible!

Although you’d need to call Poison Control should you happen to flip your kayak and fall into the river, kayaking through it on an idyllic summer day is probably one of the best ways to experience the city. You are literally going right through it. I also heard there’s no traffic on the river.

And, sure, the water taxi is great (and you should try that out as well), but actually using your own manpower to maneuver this small vehicle is far better.