I grew up in Hawaii, in a home just down the street from a popular black sand beach. As a child I don’t remember spending much time playing in our backyard, rather we (I have three brothers) spent our days building castles, forts and other sculptures with a mixture of powder soft sand and water from the Pacific Ocean. As a teen I left it all behind to attend college in the Midwest and to this day I can recall my horror when a roommate asked if I would like to spend the day with her at “Concrete Beach.”
“Concrete Beach” is a nickname for one of Chicago’s most popular summer spots. Its real name is Oak Street Beach and it’s located just north of the city’s Magnificent Mile. While there is a sandy area for sunbathers and beach volleyball courts, the beach is dominated by large concrete areas, which have become havens for inline skaters and cyclists. There are also long stretches of concrete that serve as breakwaters on the north and south ends and Lake Shore Drive to the west.
What else makes this beach so unique is the fact that while you are dipping your toes into cool Lake Michigan or picnicking with your children on the toasty white (ok, brownish-yellow) sand, stacked up behind you is the John Hancock Building, Palmolive Building, the Drake Hotel and other Chicago landmarks. To the right and left of you are bikini-clad beauties, families, tourists, and lunching businessmen. And right in front of you sits the shimmering waters of Lake Michigan. What’s more, there is one thing “Concrete Beach” has that the beach I grew up near doesn’t: a great restaurant. At the south end of the beach, the waterfront, “Oak Street Beachstro” serves a delicious variety of steaks, pastas, seafood, salads and sandwiches.
I have spent many days (and evenings) at Chicago’s “Concrete Beach” and while it is a stark contrast to the beach surroundings I grew up with (no coconut trees, orchids, or hibiscus), it is still a welcome oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle.
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· Destination Hawaii—A Great Family Beach