I went cross country skiing at Northerly Island this past weekend. What is this Island you ask? It's right by the Adler Planetarium and used to be Meigs Field. Mayor Daley turned an airport (bulldozed secretly in the middle of the night) into a recreational park on the lake in the 90s. Still confused? Then you probably aren't from Chicago. You can see a google earth blogger write more about it
here.
The blog writer is very excited that, "
At least we can keep Mayor Daley from the satisfaction of seeing his new park in these popular applications."
The skiing and snowshoeing is FREE at Northerly Island. You can even rent them for free from the Chicago Park District there. Parking is also FREE. More info
here.
The second free thing I must tell you, particularly if you are a teacher, is about S.C.A.R.C.E. It is a non-profit recycling center for educational materials. I drove out to it all the way in Glen Ellyn, IL but it was totally worth it! Who's this Ellyn? She's my new best friend and she lives in the Glen. Just for being a teacher and reporting what I take, I was able to walk down the aisles grabbing books upon books off the shelves. JACKPOT. They have other donated items come through besides books but books is what I needed and books is what I got. Did I mention it was free? Go to their website!
http://www.scarceecoed.org/
