Walking in Chicago is a meditative experience. Serene when you’re near the lake. Adventurous when you take a new turn.
Occasionally, it’s transcendent.
That’s why writer Michael McColly walked from his North Side apartment to the Indiana Dunes. His 63-mile, two-day journey is chronicled in a new book: “Walking Chicago’s Coast.”
McColly sat down with Hey Chicago to share some of what he learned. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
What was the most surprising thing you encountered on your walk?
“What surprises me when you walk through cities is that history itself becomes palpable. You can feel it in the streets, in the buildings, in parks, even in the water. In Chicago, you can’t walk along the shore near 31st and not feel the tragic history of that day in 1919 when a mob throwing stones caused the drowning death of a Black youth by the name of Eugene Williams for floating over an invisible color line in the water.”
What did you learn about Chicago’s landscape?
“You can’t help but to feel the mesmerizing wonder of this massive wilderness of water upon which this city was built. A body of water so large that it is visible on the moon. Chicago’s lakefront at one end of the shore and Indiana’s Dunes at the other are two remarkable parks: one an urban park built on landfill, the other the result of thousands of years of natural processes. But between them, there is little to no access to the lake. On foot, one must confront the historic inequalities and the ongoing environmental degradation that affects the health of hundreds of thousands of people in this metropolis.”
What are some shorter walks you suggest for Chicagoans?
“A favorite walk for me on the South Side is from Rainbow Beach to Steelworkers Park. From the quiet beach, a favorite of shore birds, then on by the restored prairie and lakefront to the surreal re-wilding going on at Steelworkers Park, with the ruins of US Steel South Works, and an extraordinary lake path. Amazing views of Chicago’s skyline and birds galore during migration.
“I [also] make frequent treks from my apartment to the miraculous Montrose Nature Sanctuary. The walk takes in some of the best beaches and parks on the far North Side — Leone, Loyola, Hollywood (Osterman), and Foster Beach. [I walk] on sand as much as I can until I reach the restored wetlands of Montrose.”
“Walking Chicago’s Coast” is out now from Cornell University Press.
