Monday, September 29, 2014

Scenes From Some Chicago Runs

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

Hey folks, we are still down in Chicago and it has been just a great time so far!  The weather has been perfect…sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 80 during the day.  Michelle has been busy working her show (and I'm actually working today as well, the benefits of VPN), but I was able to get out and enjoy the city on the weekend.

I got in some shopping and found some good deals, but most importantly I was able to get in awesome runs both Saturday and Sunday.  I love the Lakefront Trail, so I ran it both days…11 miles on Saturday and another 13+ miles on Sunday…and bot were there some sights to see.

[#Beginning of Shooting Data Section]<br />Nikon D100 <br />Focal Length: 12mm<br />Optimize Image: <br />Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB)<br />Noise Reduction: OFF<br />2005/06/21 16:01:24<br />Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority<br />White Balance: Auto<br />Tone Comp: Auto<br />RAW (12-bit) <br />Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern<br />AF Mode: AF-S<br />Hue Adjustment: 0°<br />Image Size:  Large (3008 x 2000)<br />1/750 sec - F/9.5<br />Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached<br />Saturation: <br />Exposure Comp.: 0 EV<br />Sharpening: Auto<br />Lens: 12-24mm F/4 G<br />Sensitivity: ISO 400<br />Image Comment:                                     <br />[#End of Shooting Data Section]<br />

Both days I left the hotel and took off north to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  The Zoo is right on the Lake and literally in the middle of the city…and it's free!  We've taken the kids here before and it is a great spot.  I jumped onto the Lakefront Trail up there and made my way back towards downtown and all the tall buildings…my view looked a little something like this

Chicago_LFT_GC

There were tonnes of people out and the path was packed…runners, cyclists, walkers, unicyclists, dog-walkers, eliptigoers…you name it they were out there.  n Sunday I even saw a bunch of guys in the lake getting in some open-water swimming (in their wetsuits of course).

As I continued on my way south I hit Navy Pier and saw these all over the place…

Detour-Sign

Lots of construction going on around there, and it is a confusing enough area to run in as it is.  Turns out there is a big project underway that will be a massive improvement to the trail, and they are calling it the Navy Pier Flyover.  Sounds like you'll just be able to keep running/cycling/whatevering right on by the Pier and bypass the craziness below if that's what you want to do…sounds great and looks cool too…here's what it should look like once it's done

npf_121709

Once I was through the construction chaos it was down through Grant Park and past Buckingham Fountain, then making the turn around Shedd Aquarium and on down to Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears.

soldierfield

On Saturday there was a race going on and the finish was set up by the stadium.  It looked like it would have been a lot of fun and the race shirts were some of the best I have ever seen…it was the Ditka Dash!

hero-slide-register-small

The scene was even busier on my Sunday run as the Bears were hosting the Packers.  There was all kinds of tailgating going on, so the smells of BBQ filled the air.  The stadium is right beside the lake and there is a harbour right there as well…the tailgaters were out on their boats and lining neighbouring slips, parks and parking lots…it looked like everyone was having a great time (until the Bears got thumped later that afternoon at least).

chicago-bears-tailgating

After Soldier Field I turned around (well, I went a bit further on Sunday down to McCormick Place) and made my way back to the hotel…two days, two great runs.  I love running in this city!  I think that the next time I come down I will need to find out if there are any local races going on…there is no way I'm missing out on a Ditka Dash shirt!!

Do you enjoy running while you're out of town?

Ever signed up for a race because you were going to be there on holidays?

1 comment:

  1. I usually end up lost when I run in a new place:)
    Sounds like y'all are having a great time and your running is super fun!!!

    ReplyDelete