From beaches to movies, StreetWise vendors and staff suggest their favorite summer pastimes – many of which are free of charge or inexpensive. We also included extra games, so you can play sudoku and crosswords at the beach, or wherever your summer takes you.
DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of StreetWise.
Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher dhamilton@streetwise.org
Julie Youngquist, Executive director jyoungquist@streetwise.org
Dream NBA drafts of 2025
John: Today we are going to talk about the NBA 2025 draft June 25 and 26. Unless they have a brain fart, the Dallas Mavericks will probably take the No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg of Duke, almost like Patrick Ewing with the New York Knicks back in the day. Who do you think the Chicago Bulls should get and who will they eventually draft?
Allen: I would like them to get Dylan Harper, because his daddy, Ron Harper, played with the Bulls. Harper acquired five championship rings with Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman. He was a quiet player, but an effective, good player.
His son is a point guard, ranked No. 1 out of his high school in New Jersey in 2024 and was voted player of the year. Coming out of his freshman year at Rutgers, he won a freshman scoring record of
564 points. He was named McDonalds All Star American MVP. In 29 games, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists. He is expected to be a high pick in the draft due to his versatile skills and scoring ability. I would really like him for come to Chicago, but he is expected to go to San Antonio.
John: Realistically, I think the Bulls need a center or forward. What they lack is interior rebounding and someone who can control the boards.
The player they could have gotten, according to USA Today, is Maryland center Derik Queen, but the Portland Trail Blazers, with the 11th pick, will likely choose Queen ahead of Chicago, which has the 12th. Another one is Khaman Maluach, a 7-foot-2 Duke center who is likely to go to the Washington Wizards.
The Bulls have a lot of players who can shoot and who
can create their own shots but what they don’t have is someone who plays the middle, who can set the table, who can create second-chance shots.
Even though Dylan Harper might be a great homecoming, he is expected to be the No. 2 pick, which San Antonio has, along with the No. 14. They are expected to pick a forward in Isa Noel. If they do it right, they should make a run at the NBA title.
Allen: Yes, Maluach is a great potential center. But I am sticking with Harper. I would really like for him to come to Chicago and follow his father. He came out of the gate setting records in high school. He took that team to the state championship and they won and he really shone at Rutgers. It may not happen, but in my imagination, it would be a great thing.
John: Whoever the Bulls pick better be the right pick. Entice people to come to Chicago, not because of the food or nightlife. Free agents want to come to a team because they feel they have a chance to win the NBA title. If the Bulls make the right moves, they may acquire a free agent or two, but I have my doubts.
Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com
Vendors A. Allen and John Hagan chat about the world of sports.
SummerFun
From beaches to movies, StreetWise vendors and staff suggest their favorite summer pastimes. Whether it is an active day in the sun or a lazy day of summer, we have ideas for you!
Jacqueline Sanders
I love outdoor music especially concerts in Millennium Park. The headliners are really good, like Mavis Staples. I also like movies in the park in the neighborhood. I also like Ravinia, I have a free Metra pass.
James Tate
Joe Jones
I love the Air & Water Show because planes are like life, they are here and then they are gone with just one second to think about everything in between
Festivals: Irish, Italian, German especially, Polish too. I try to go to as many as I can. I like taking the CTA all over in the summer. I used to jump streetcars way before I was riding them. This city, you can get around. They used to have that Supertransfer. It was a good deal: an all-day Sunday fare.
Keith Hardiman
Ohio Beach is kind of special. There’s not too many people down there. You can watch the Air and Water Show from there and it’s just wonderful. A lot of people train there for marathons.
V.W.
I love to visit Swap-O-Rama Flea Market at 4100 S. Ashland. With 500 sellers inside and 600 outside on weekends, you can find just about everything.
Life's a Beach
Summer is finally here, and Chicago becomes a “beach” city, as it has for a century. The 26 miles of shoreline beaches along Lake Michigan are all open FREE to the public, managed by the Chicago Park District. Conde Nast Traveler called our sandy freshwater beaches “some of the best in the U.S.,” and their free access is “a staple of a Chicago summer.”
Beach season runs from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, with swimming permitted in designated areas, only when lifeguards are on duty: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily. Whether you are a distance swimmer (check boundaries at website below), a sunbather, a sports fanatic, or just someone who likes to watch people of diverse cultures, you can get away to the lakefront. Just walk east from downtown, the Magnificent Mile, the Museum Campus, or even North and South Side residential neighborhoods. Many beaches have disability-accessible walkways to the water, or beach wheelchairs available at the lifeguard station.
Before you go, monitor temperatures, wind and wave conditions at https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/ facilities/beaches. Since few beaches have parking, check transitchicago.com for direct bus service.
Here are our top picks, based on StreetWise vendor input and tourist websites:
• Oak Street Beach, 1000 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
If Chicago were Rio de Janeiro, this tiny crescent of sand would be Ipanema, located just an easy walk under the Drive from the hotels and boutiques of the Magnificent Mile. Whether you join the bicycle traffic around the Outer Drive curve, watch a volleyball tournament or just sip a drink right on the water at Whispers Café, you’ll feel a world away – except for the up-close view of 875 N. Michigan (the former John Hancock Building), the Palmolive Building, and the Drake hotel. Or, you can stroll nearly 1.5 miles to Fullerton (2400 N), perhaps on Air and Water Show weekend August 15-17. The restaurant at the Theater on the Lake building offers a midwestern menu and skyline views.
• North Avenue Beach, 1601 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Halfway to Fullerton Avenue, you’ll pass the concrete beach, Chess Pavilion and ladder jump-off mentioned by Vendor John Hagan Jr. and the iconic postcard view of the Michigan Avenue/East Lake Shore Drive skyline. The epicenter for Air and Water Show viewing, this beach offers concessions for bikes, dodgeball, volleyball, yoga, luxury lounge chairs, wakeboards and paddleboards, kayaks, jet skis, Haviana sandals and clothes. Dining options range from the casual Castaways in the restored ocean liner-styled beach house to the more upscale Shore Club. Limited paid parking.
• Ohio Street Beach is adjacent to the Jardine Water Filtration Plant and Milton Olive Park. As Vendor Keith Hardiman said, this beach faces north rather than east, so it’s ideal for open water swimming a half-mile (800 m) to the Oak Street curve, yet still close to the seawall and shallow water. Caffe Oliva offers upscale burgers, fish and salads at private tables and cabanas.
• Montrose Beach, 4400 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, is a large beach with food concessions, kayak and volleyball rentals, showers and restrooms, a non-motorized boat launch and parking lots. With an off-leash dog beach at its north end and a migratory bird sanctuary (The Magic Hedge) at its southern end, this animal meet-up proved lucky for Monty and Rose in 2019. The two Great Lakes Piping Plovers fledged Cook County’s first two chicks in 71 years, leading to a new conservation program for this endangered species.
• Kathy Osterman Beach, 5800 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Named for the former Edgewater alderman, this gay-friendly beach is situated at the far north end of the Drive and is also known by its former names, Ardmore Beach and Hollywood Beach. Its silver LEED-certified beach house and comfort station opened in 2010.
• Margaret T. Burroughs Beach, 3100 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive Named for the founder of the DuSable African
Sylvia Spivey
I love to get out and enjoy the warm weather - at the beaches, parks, and in the neighborhoods. I enjoy feeling the sun and breeze wherever I am.
Sean Williams
My favorite beach is in Edgewater [Kathy Osterman Beach]. It’s about a 10-minute walk from where I live. I love to swim there when I can and if I can’t, I go out on that boardwalk that goes out into the lake.”
American History Museum and the South Side Art Center, this beach offers views of the Chicago skyline from the south. It sits next to 31st Street Harbor, a new facility with 1,000 floating slips for 35- to 70-foot-long boats; green roof picnic area; ADA-accessible playground; indoor parking garage, public fishing dock and community room. Also check out Oakwood Beach, 4100 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, opened in 2010. It offers a beach house, restrooms, food concessions and paid parking lot. Both beaches are accessible by new pedestrian bridges at 35th, 41st and 43rd Streets.
• 12th Street Beach, 1200 S. Linn White Drive. Tucked away on Northerly Island behind the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium, 12th Street offers a beach house with restrooms, food and beverages; non-motorized boat launch; and paid parking lot.
• Loyola Beach, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave. (@ Lake Michigan), is the kind of quiet North Side Beach favored by Vendors Henry Johnson and Sean Williams. Its seawall is painted each year during the Artists of the Wall Festival, which deters both gangs and graffiti. There are food and drink concessions here, along with a 2/3-mile trail. Other quiet North Side beaches with few amenities other than open space are Sam Leone Beach Park, 1222 W. Touhy, in honor of the lifeguard to 500 people, with a playground and kayak launch; David Hartigan Beach Park,
Henry Johnson
I go to the safest beaches on the North Side.
1123 W. Farwell, named after a former alderman, with a concrete breakwater into the lake; Helen Doria Beach, 1040 W. Columbia Ave., whose namesake was Millennium Park’s first executive director; Tobey Prinz Beach, 1045 W. Pratt, named for the open housing activist who saved a dozen beaches from development in the late 1950s and early 60s; George A. Lane Beach, 5915 N. Sheridan Road, named for a lawyer active in church and politics; Marion Mahony Griffin Beach, 1208 W. Jarvis Ave., named for one of the world’s first licensed female architects; North Shore Beach, 1040 W. North Shore Ave.
• 63rd Street Beach, 6300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Landmarked beach house is available to rent, with restrooms, interactive water fountains, showers, meeting rooms. Try its restaurant Belly Up for Jamaican food or Leave With a Smile for snacks and beverages. You can also find 12 acres of native dunes, bike rental and nonmotorized boat launch site and a paid parking lot.
• Rainbow Beach, 3111 E. 77th St. Named for the U.S. Army's 42nd Rainbow Division that fought gallantly in World War I, this beach offers outdoor attractions like 9 acres of dune habitat as well as a gymnasium, fitness center and multipurpose rooms, handball courts, and one of the oldest community gardens in Chicago.
John Hagan
I like the concrete beaches between Oak Street and North Avenue. They have ladders for jumping in and it feels like a wave pool during certain parts of the day. And, no sand!
Exploring the Forest Preserves with Suzanne Hanney, StreetWise Editior-In-Chief
Carrying two shopping bags – one with hamburger meat and buns, one with a disposable charcoal grill – my family spent many summer Sundays cooking out at the forest preserve at the end of the bus line when I was little.
You can escape for an hour, a day or a night to the Forest Preserves of Cook County, which reached a momentous milestone last November, when it officially surpassed 70,000 acres of land to become the largest – and at 110 years, the oldest -- preserve system of its kind in the U.S. “It is unique for a metropolitan area like ours to have such a diversity of important habitats for native plants and wildlife at this scale and readily available to millions of local residents,” said Forest Preserves of Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle. “This is a celebration of the importance of public land available for everyone to enjoy.”
The forest preserves offer space for hiking, picnicking, bird watching, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, boating or swimming. Find aquatic centers in Lyons, Calumet City or the far NW Side of Chicago. Rent a kayak, canoe, rowboat or electric motorboat in Elk Grove Village, Skokie Lagoons/Northfield or Orland Park. Golf at 11 courses (forestpreservegolf.com) and even try ziplining (goape.com)! Run your dog off-leash (membership info at fpdcc.com/ dogs) at:
• Beck Lake, East River Road and Central Road, Des Plaines
• Bremen Grove, Oak Park Ave. south of 159th St., Tinley Park
• Miller Meadow-South, 1st Ave., south of Roosevelt Road, Maywood.
There are also campgrounds across Cook County. Nonprofits, veterans and vet organizations receive half off SunThurs. Accessibility options are available at all sites; some also offer new all-terrain wheelchairs. Try them for an inexpensive vacation:
• Camp Reinberg in Palatine, whose tents and heated, year-round cabins, dining hall and outdoor gathering areas make it perfect for group events or private getaways. It’s close to the Deer Grove Trails and Crabtree Nature Center.
• Camp Bullfrog Lake in Willow Springs, which offers year-round camping, kayak rentals and fishing, mountain biking and birdwatching – or visiting the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center and climbing the 125 limestone Swallow Cliff Stairs.
• Camp Dan Beard in Northbrook, whose tent sites and heated year-round cabins—plus dining hall and outdoor gathering areas—make it perfect for a group event or private getaway.
• Camp Shabbona Woods in South Holland, with threeseason cabins and mulch tent pads, group campfires and programs on weekends, from April to October. It’s close to the Green Lake Family Aquatic Center
Kimberly Brown
I like to go to the beach, especially Rainbow Beach at 75th and South Shore. They are great for kids - there are lifeguards so they can swim and there is a playground.
Julie Youngquist, StreetWise
Executive Director
Chicago really comes alive in the summer months. The street festivals and farmers markets are the best excuse to get out and explore Chicago neighborhoods and parks. with zero-depth entry pool, multi-person tube slide, lazy river and dump bucket, as well as the 585-acre Sand Ridge Nature Center.
• Camp Sullivan in Oak Forest, for year-round camping, with a climbing wall in its red barn; bunkhouses for large groups and tent campsites tucked in the woods for those seeking privacy.
Hosting a wedding, reunion, birthday party, church or corporate event can take on an affordable élan at five pavilions:
• Dan Ryan Woods 8700 S. Western Ave., Chicago, can accommodate 120 guests, with a kitchen for light food preparation
• Mathew Bieszczat Volunteer Resource Center, 6100 N. Central Ave., Chicago. Overlooking Edgebrook golf course, it has a high ceiling, stage, and French doors opening onto a patio
• Rolling Knolls Pavilion, 11N260 Rohrssen Road, Elgin, has rooms for 80 and 20 guests with an outdoor patio that overlooks a scenic lake
• Swallow Cliff Pavilion, IL Rt. 83 & U.S. Rt. 45, Palos Park LEED Silver-certified, with wood-burning fireplace and kitchen prep area, it accommodates 40 persons.
• Thatcher Woods Pavilion, 8030 Chicago Ave., River Forest, anchored by a stone masonry fireplace, it has a kitchen prep area and two meeting rooms for 40 to 120 guests.
James Griggs
I love the beautiful customers. I wait all year for summer at Madison and Clark Street.
Learn more at fpdcc.com/pavilions.
The forest preserves reached its 70,042-acre landmark at the Nov. 19, 2024 meeting of its Board of Commissioners, who voted to add a 68-acre plot of land in unincorporated Cook County. Purchased from the nonprofit Conservation Fund, the former farmland at Glenwood Dyer Road and Ridge Road will protect the floodplain and its ecosystem from development and holds potential for restoration of wetlands associated with Deer Creek.
The forest preserves’ first property was purchased in 1916 in what is now Deer Grove-East, in Palatine. With additions of adjacent land, the Deer Grove preserves now hold nearly 2,000 acres of rolling upland forest, wooded ravines, wetlands and prairie.
The Cook County Forest Preserves' Next Century Conservation Plan will expand its holdings to 90,000 acres, especially in southeast Cook County, based on ecological restoration potential; water and trail connectivity; restoration of habitats including prairies, wetlands and woodlands; enhanced public engagement of two million people off-site and four million on-site yearly; and achieving sustainable climate resiliency.
Camp BullfrogLake
Millennium Park Summer Film Series
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) presents the FREE Millennium Park Summer Film Series on Tuesdays, July 1-August 19. Gates open at 5 p.m. and screenings begin at 6:30 p.m. Enter on Michigan Avenue at Randolph, Washington, Madison, or Monroe. Moviegoers can take a seat in Pritzker Pavilion as movies are presented on a state-of-the-art, 40-foot LED screen. They can also lounge on the Great Lawn.
Tuesday, July 1
"The Sandlot" In the summer of 1962, shy new kid in town Scotty wants to join the rowdy pickup baseball team in the neighborhood sandlot. He can’t catch and his stepfather is too busy to teach him, but he becomes the ninth member of the team. (1 hour 41 min., PG, 1993)
Tuesday, July 8
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" It’s the 20th anniversary of this fourth movie in the series. Harry puts his name into the Goblet, which is the “impartial judge” that chooses a student from each school for the Triwizard Tournament. Once their name is chosen in a rush of red flames, there is no backing out of a binding magical agreement. (2 hours 37 min., PG13, 2005)
Tuesday, July 15
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" Indy (Harrison Ford) chases the Nazis from the U.S. to Venice to the deserts of the Middle East after they capture his father (Sean Connery), an expert in medieval history, in their quest for the Holy Grail. (2 hours 7 min., PG-13, 1989)
Tuesday, July 22
"Love & Basketball" 25th anniversary of a movie that has been called an African American “When Harry Met Sally.” Monica and Quincy are childhood next door neighbors in LA and develop an interest in each other—and basketball – over four quarters of their lives. (2 hours 4 min., PG-13, 2000)
Tuesday, July 29
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" The owner of an aging hotel recounts his early years as a lobby boy in the hotel’s heyday. With Ralph Fiennes and an all-star cast of cameos. (1 hour 39 min., R, 2014)
Tuesday, August 5
"My Best Friend’s Wedding" Julianne’s childhood friend Michael announces he’s marrying a gorgeous younger woman, days before their 28th birthdays – when she took for granted they would marry if they were both still single. Julia Roberts sets out to sabotage Dermot Mulroney’s wedding to Cameron Diaz, including an epic battle in the ladies’ restroom of White Sox Park. (1 hour 45 min., PG-13, 1997)
Tuesday, August 12
"Wicked" Prequel to “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” follows Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo), and Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande). (2 hours 40 min., PG, 2024)
Tuesday, August 19
"Pride and Prejudice" Five sisters from the Bennett family of landed gentry in early 1800s England deal with issues of marriage, morality and class. Lizzie, the second oldest and most intelligent, resents what she perceives to be the snobbishness of Mr. Darcy, who is nevertheless attracted to her. With Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. Movie’s 20th Anniversary and 250th Anniversary of author Jane Austen's birth. (2 hours 9 min., PG, 2005)
–Compiled by Suzanne Hanney
Millennium Park Summer FilmSeries
Cap
Movies in the Parks
Movies in the Parks returns this summer, bringing Hollywood movies and local films to local parks for the 21st season. Join us in the parks for classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood, retro childhood favorites, and the best family-friendly box office hits.
All movies begin at dusk. If you're unsure when dusk is, visit any weather site to see the time of dusk each day. Call (312) 742-1134 for daily listings and weather-related cancellations.
June 26 @ Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen: “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,” 8:30 pm
June 27 @ Gill Park, 825 W. Sheridan Road: "Captain America: Brave New World,” 8:30 pm
June 28 @ Maggie Daley Park, 337 E. Randolph St.: “Moana 2,” 8:15 pm
July 1 @ Eugene Field Park, 5100 N. Ridgeway Ave.: “Despicable Me 4,” 8:15 pm
July 7 @ Lake Shore Park, 808 N. Lake Shore Drive: “Haute Couture,” (NR: 2021 in French with English subtitles) 8:15 pm
July 8 @ Kenwood Park, 1336 E. 49th St.: “Moana 2,” (PG, 2024) 8:15-9:55 pm
July 8 @ Lake Shore Park, 808 N. Lake Shore Drive: “The Fall Guy,” (PG-13, 2024) 8:15-10:09 pm
July 9 @ Mozart Park, 2036 N. Avers Ave.: “Moana 2,” (PG, 2024) 8:15-9:55 pm
July 10 @ Clarendon Community Center, 4501 N. Clarendon: “Marley: One Love,” (PG-13) 8:1510:02 pm
July 12 @ Churchill Field, 1825 N. Damen Ave.: “The Sandlot,” (PG-1993), 8:15-9:55 pm
July 12 @ Loyola Park, 1230 W. Greenleaf: “Inside Out 2,” (PG-2024), 8:15-9:55 pm
July 14 @ Bartelme Park, 115 S. Sangamon: “Mean Girls,” (PG-13, 2004), 8:15-9:52 pm
July 14 @ Hollywood Park, 3312 W. Thorndale: “Ratatouille,” (G-2007), 8:15-10:06 pm
July 15 @ Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St.: “Selena,” (PG-1997) 8:15-10:22 pm
July 15 @ Ward Park, 630 N. Kingsbury St.: “How to Be a Good Wife,” (NR-2020). French with English subtitles 8:15-10:03 pm
July 16 @ Eckhart Park, 1330 W. Chicago Ave.: “Top Gun: Maverick” (PG-13, 2022) 8:15-10:25 pm
July 16 @ Loyola Park, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave.: “Viejos Malditos,” (Old People), (NR-2025) Spanish, w/English subtitles, 8:15-9:46 pm
July 18 @ Hermosa Park, 2240 N. Kilbourn: “Moana 2,” (PG-2024) 8:15-9:55 pm
July 19 @ Jonquil Park, 1001 W. Wrightwood: “Patch Adams,” (PG-13, 1998) 8:15-10:10 pm
July 19 @ Paschen Park, 1932 W. Lunt Ave.: “Mufasa: The Lion King,” (PG-2024), 8:15-10:13 pm
July 22 @ Lake Shore Park, 808 N. Lake Shore Drive: “Captain America: Brave New World,” (PG-2025), 8:15-10:13 pm
July 24 @ Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen Ave.: “The Parent Trap,” (PG-1998) 8:15-10:03 pm
July 25 @ Brands Park, 3285 N. Elston Ave.: “A Minecraft Movie,” (PG-2025) 8:15-9:56 pm
July 25 @ Schreiber Park, 1552 W. Schreiber Ave.: “Mufasa: The Lion King,” (PG-2024) 8:15-10:13 pm
July 26 @ Buttercup Park, 4901 N. Sheridan Road: “The Wild Robot,” (PG-2024) 8:15-9:56 pm
July 26 @ Oz Park, 2021 N. Burling St.; “Mufasa: The Lion King,” (PG-2024) 8:15-10:13 pm.
July 26 @ Skinner Park, 1331 W. Adams St.: “The Lion King,” (PG-2019) 8:15-10:13 pm
July 28 @ Gill Park, 825 W. Sheridan Road: “Inside Out 2,” (PG-2024), 8:15-9:55 pm
July 29 @ Bartelme Park, 115 S. Sangamon St.: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” (G1971) 8:15-9:53 pm
July 29 @ Juneway Beach, 7751 N. Eastlake Terrace: “The Princess Bride,” (PG-1987), 8:159:52 pm
Aug 1 @ Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West: “The Princess Bride,” (PG1987), 8-9:37 pm
Aug 2 @ Belmont Harbor (S. Parking Lot and DuSable Lake Shore Drive):“Mary Poppins,” (G1964), 8-10:19 pm
Aug 2 @ Wrightwood Park, 2534 N. Greenview Ave.: “Twisters,” (PG-13, 2024) 8-10:02 pm
Aug 2 @ DuSable Museum: “Mahogany,” (PG1975) 8:15-10:04 pm
Aug 4 @ Lake Shore Park, 808 N. Lake Shore Drive: “Wicked,” 8-10:40 pm
Aug 5 @ Chicago Women’s Park, 1801 S. Indiana Ave.: “Barbie,” (PG-13, 2023), 8-9:56 pm
Aug 5 @ Walsh Park, 1722 N. Ashland Ave.: “ Wicked Sing-Along Version,” PG 8-10:40 pm
Aug 6 @ Chippewa Park, 6748 N. Sacramento Ave.: “The Wild Robot,” (PG-2024) 8-9:41 pm
Aug 6 @ Jackson Park, 6401 S. Stony Island Ave.: “101 Dalmatians,” (G-1996) 8-9:43 pm
Aug 6 @ Ken-Well Park, 2945 N. Kenosha: “Mufasa: The Lion King,” (PG) 8-9:58 pm
Aug 7 @ Wildwood Park, 6950 N. Hiawatha Ave.: “Despicable Me 4” (PG), 8-9:34 p.m.
Aug 23 @ Oz Park, 2021 N. Burling St.: “The Wizard of Oz,” (G-1939) 8-9:41 pm
Aug 30 @ Grant Park, TBA.
-Compiled by Suzanne Hanney
Float along with Dave Hamilton, StreetWise Creative Director
I sure love water and the waterfront, but I really hate sand, which is why I choose to hang out by the river frequently during the summer. We may not be able to swim in it yet, but there are many ways to enjoy the fast-paced waterfront.
Of course, one of the best ways to experience the river is by boat. The Chicago Architecture Center’s Architecture Boat Tours ($56+ at www.architecture.org) are rightfully world famous, and full of juicy tidbits of our city’s history.
Want to take in the scenery without a tour guide? The Chicago Water Taxi is an easy and inexpensive way to spend time on the Chicago River. It moves between stations at Michigan Avenue (between the Wrigley Building and Trump Tower), Ogilvie Transportation Center / Union Station (west side of the river at the Madison Street Bridge), and Ping Tom Park in Chinatown (1700 S. Wentworth Ave.). Tickets are $10 for one-way, which I admit is pretty pricey… But if you go for a $20 all-day pass, you can get off and on as much as you would like and really get your money’s worth
while travelling up and down the river - you don’t even have to get off of the boat if you don’t want to!
Feel like having a floating party with 10 of your closest friends? Why not rent a private boat? The boat rental organizations around the river are seemingly endless, and I am sure you can’t go wrong. For my two cents, I have had great times at Chicago Boat Rentals, 1177 N. Elston Ave. The prices and staff are some of the best on the water! Most of its boats are pontoons that hold up to 10 people.
Feel like being one with nature? Why not visit the river’s first floating eco-park, the Wild Mile Chicago. Being expanded annually, the Wild Mile currently has 700 linear feet of floating gardens with a wild life-first approach that can be used for recreation, education, research, community gatherings, and more. The goal will be to get to a full mile of eco-park as funding comes in. It is located along the North Branch of the Chicago River and is ADA-compliant. It is accessible to all at 905 W. Eastman St., behind the REI.
Car toon by Andy Steckel
Answers
employment. Anyone who wants to work has the opportunity to move themselves out of crisis. StreetWise provides “a hand up, not a handout.”
Find your nearest vendor at www.streetwise.org on their rights and responsibilities as a StreetWise Magazine Vendor. Authorized vendors have badges with their name, picture and current year.
sell it for $3 plus tips. The vendor keeps all of their earnings. are supporting our microentrepreneurs earning an income with dignity.
New vendor orientation is every Tuesday and Thursday at
