ML - Michigan Avenue

2014 - Issue 4 - Summer

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

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ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL O'LEARY W hen Windy Cit y resident s spea k of t heir summer homes, t hey're not t a lk ing about a cozy little bungalow they've got tucked away up in the far reaches of Andersonville. They're not talking about Chicago at all. They mean Italy, or France. They mean Not Here. But really, that's so last eon. Why retreat to a foreign villa just as the sun comes out? Provence is lovely, but there's no East Bank Club, and everybody is speaking the wrong language. And rustic food isn't as charming as you remember it, espe- cially if you're a smart traveler who tops all entrées with a healthy dollop of hand sanitizer. Yes, maybe it's sour grapes, but isn't that what Tuscany is famous for? Even when travel experts patriotically suggest summering on your own continent, Chicago gets nary a mention. They will direct you to trendy spots like Gatlinburg, Tennessee, or Cumberland Island, Georgia. As if Chicago isn't a summer paradise. You want sand? Welcome to North Avenue Beach—just beware of f lying volleyballs. You want limpid waters? Our E. coli levels only occasionally mandate a beach shutdown. You want exotic foods? Try Moto—or, depending on your tastes and f latware preferences, Medieval Times. And here's a bonus: Thrill seekers will find that braving the heat in Chicago is officially considered an extreme sport. Chicago in the summer means rooftop decks, the Printers Row Lit Fest, and heat lightning. It means movies in the park, yoga in the park, dancing in the park, and trying to find enough girls to play on your softball team in the park. Boat hopping. Bike rides. And from the Blues Festival to Lollapalooza, the best music on the planet. So much music. If there were such a thing as too much music, it would be too much music. If you must leave town, try a jaunt to Lake Geneva, which is exactly like Chicago except w it hout t he buildings, t he people, or t he under per for m ing spor t s tea ms. Or d r ive to Michigan's Harbor Count r y, where the wealthy "rough it" in much the same way Marie Antoinette would frolic in her backyard play village. But stick close to home, because sum- mer in Chicago is your reward for persevering through that long, hard winter. You deserve this. Blink and you'll miss it. MA No Place Like Home NO FAIR ESCAPING TO A SUMMER VILLA WHEN THE GOING GETS HOTREAL CHICAGOANS STAY IN TOWN TO SWEAT IT OUT. BY PAIGE WISER 160 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM Onward!

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