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Every few weeks, when the homework multiplies or the little kids I work with make me want to tear my hair out, I get this itch: the overwhelming need for a crazy adventure.
Sometimes, that means hitting up a underground bar with some break dance and DJ buds, or getting sloshed with my roomies. But sometimes, I just need to get outside and explore the city.
Chicago is a lot like its comic book alter-ego, with twists and turns and unexpected places; perfect for an adventure.
So I’ll enlist the help of my partner in crime and together we hike wherever the wind takes us.
Ever stay at Navy Pier past closing time and walk through the stained glass museum? Or go in search of the perfect hot chocolate on a cold, rainy day? (Hint: try the Hershey factory)
It can be as simple as exploring the Harold Washington Library or taking the Blue Line to Bucktown for pizza; but if you’re with me, things tend to become an adventure!
This time I had a hankering to follow the Chicago River. We tramped up and down, from the swanky East Bank Club to River City on the South branch. It may only have been three miles round-trip, but boy, was it eventful!
First, we took pictures of the “bridge-that-is-never-used” and found an abandoned rail yard, where I climbed my first train car. After a stop at the Boeing building (you know, the one literally suspended above the train tracks?) we parkour-ed around a couple of walls and fences to end up walking on a ledge about 20 feet above Wacker Drive, heading south.
My chosen destination was a strip of forest right along the bank I’d noticed when working as a deckhand on the river.
The sun had set by the time we weaved through the wooded area into something I would never have expected: a shantytown, Chicago’s very own Hooverville, right next to one of the richest apartment complexes in the city.
Noticing some fresh embers in a small pit fire, we soon figured out there was someone at home and booked it. I’m all for adventure, but that was enough for me!
But, don’t let that stop you from exploring on your own. Take some time one afternoon and just go out and see what you can find.
Who knows, maybe you’ll run into Batman.
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