Riis Park

It's Valentine's Day 2010. I woke up with Hallie minutes before this morning ended, drank a cup of coffee and watched an online video. We started a game of "Go" and then we went. She went to yoga class and I to Riis Park. Heading west on Grand the street starts to bend north once west of Western, go far enough and it intersects Fullerton just a few blocks west of the park. It is sunny out so the rink was fairly crowded, as a friendly CPD worker explained: 'when its sunny everbody want to skate but the ice is no good then.' He was right, parts of the rink surface were mushy and meant to be avoided and the surface in general was more slippery than an ice rink is on a more frigid day. Being a straight shot from Ukrainian Village I noticed a number of Ukrainians at the rink, the elders perhaps being reminded of their mother country (how cold does it get in the Ukraine?). There were also a number of children making the days off from school count and a few teenagers on gushy Valentine's dates. Next to the rink is a modest seating area, where one may find a man making a simple earning off selling cotton candy, and a trailer-like warming house. The atmosphere of the place was pleasent, far enough removed from downtown millionaires to resemble the pulse of west Chicago.

Warren Park

I arrived at Warren Park, conveniently located off of Western at 6600 N, today around four oclock. The park, rink and all, were packed with parents and their children in the middle of wholesome after-school outings. I laced up my skates in a permanent building right next to the outdoor rink. Out on the crowded ice there was little option to do more than skate at moderate speed counter-clockwise around the rink while occasionally dodging a tumbling toddler or two. I had fun regardless with a good selection of music being broadcast from way of speakers mounted to the building. Just beyond the rink is what appeared to be the largest hill in Chicago, no wonder it was so crowded following the recent snowfall, where kids were mechanically marching up and sledding down the slope. I came here one night last week and got just one picture before my camera battery died.