Get Your Beach On

By Andrew Peerless in News on May 27, 2005 1:26PM

Chicagoist's little desktop WeatherBug is currently showing a temperature of 59 degrees, along with a little cloud and tiny, menacing lightning bolt. Those conditions fall well outside the parameters of what we consider ideal swimming weather, but we're still excited that the Chicago Park District's stellar collection of lakefront beaches officially opens today.

If summer does actually decide to come this year, the beaches are one of those things that makes getting through our craptastic winters totally worthwhile. Sure, they get a bit crowded and sticky and sometimes have to close down due to high concentrations of E. coli, but they're beaches. In the city. And that rules.

All Chicago Park District beaches are open from 9 am to 9:30 pm every day, except for that pesky South Shore Cultural Center beach, which closes at 8:30 instead. Now go get wet!

Itching to bring Fido along for a swim? Chicagoist's dog loves to visit the Montrose dog beach, which is expansive and pretty clean and fun for humans and pups alike. We know people that frequent Chicago's other dog beach, the one at Belmont Harbor, but have heard lots of stories of dogs getting sick from the stagnant, nastified water, and have kept our canine companions away. Either way, just stand back when it's time for them pups to shake themselves dry.