This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.
Call me biased, but Chicago is one of my favorite cities (yes, I live there). It’s finally warm enough to walk at least a few blocks without freezing or wishing you stayed inside. I think spring is an underrated time to visit the city because our fall is always about two weeks, our winters are frigid and full of snow (usually), and if you don’t have water or sunscreen, you will not survive the depths of summer. As someone who’s lived there her whole life, it’s pretty safe to say that I know spots to visit and what to do during the different seasons.
First of all, I highly recommend biking around the city. I like going downtown and finding new spots to read or relax, but some people might not feel comfortable biking around so many cars, even in the bike lanes. Lucky for you, there’s a nice bike path that goes around the museum campus and next to the lake, which you can take down to Oak Street beach without having to worry about traffic. There’s also a recently built bike bridge that is close to the beach that’s cool to ride on, so I would definitely check it out if you want to be in the downtown and Gold Coast area.
As someone who lives more on the southside of Chicago, I have an appreciation for family-owned businesses and the small shops around me. You can definitely visit Chinatown Square, but if you want really good food, go to the restaurants around the neighborhood. I personally love Qiao Lin Hotpot, and they have pandas all over the store so you can take pictures. Another one of my favorite food places is Kimura Sushi in Little Italy or De Pasada, which is just across the street.
For my shoppers (that’s also me), check out Wicker Park. Water Tower Place and the stores on Michigan Avenue are also good places, but they only have commercial stores. Wicker Park has so many small shops, ranging from plant stores to boutiques, but be prepared to drop a lot of money since they can be so expensive. I also like going to the Village Discount up north since there’s always something to find when thrifting. I got a genuine Prada purse after spending over an hour making sure it wasn’t fake, so it’s definitely worth it.
Maybe you don’t want to spend money in Chicago, or would rather relax and enjoy being outside. Go to Grant Park, which is huge so you’ll always find a spot to sit and enjoy the weather. If you want someplace less crowded, you can go to Washington Park near Hyde Park, which feels like you aren’t even in the city. If you don’t want to go to the southside, there’s the West Ridge Nature Preserve which is nice to visit. Regardless of where you go, there are so many areas with grass and benches that you can easily find a park to visit.
Obviously there are so many options, both indoor and outdoor, for warm weather activities in Chicago, but as someone who prefers both tourist traps and more underground areas, I think that you’ll be able to find something to do wherever you go.