Daniel S.
Yelp
Contrary to popular belief the Magnificent Mile doesn't end at Bellevue Street. Seven magnificent miles of beaches, open space, woodland, recreation paths, and beautiful scenery extend from Magnificent Mile to the northernmost reach of Lake Shore Drive. This is Lincoln Park, one of the most visited urban parks in the United States.
What started out as Cemetery Park in the 1800s changed from a city of the dead to a city of life when Chicago leaders decided to change the cemetery to a park. It was around this time that President Abraham Lincoln was assasinated. From this time forward Lincoln Park is a green oasis in the shadows of a grand skyline.
Lincoln Park is a gateway to Lake Michigan. Along the seven magnificent miles of shoreline are beaches and harbors (Belmont and Diversity). The Lakeshore Path is the ribbon of concrete parallel to the Lake Michigan shoreline that connects Lincoln Park to Navy Pier, Grant Park, and numerous shoreline destinations.
Lincoln Park is a home for Chicago wildlife. The world renown Lincoln Park Zoo is a part of the park. It is home to many animals including giraffes, bears, tigers, hundreds of others. In the southern part of the zoo is the Lincoln Park Zoo Boardwalk a success story in bringing an ecosystem back to its original condition. It is the home of wood ducks, turtles, frogs, rabbits, and other wildlife. Within the magnificent miles of Lincoln Park are ponds, wildlife refuges, and woodland that attract several animals including beavers.
Lincoln Park is a home of culture. It houses the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Natural History Museum, Lincoln Park Conservatory, and monuments that include Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant.
Lincoln Park is a place to be healthy. There are baseball diamonds, a skate park, soccer fields, and numerous sports facilities. walking The paths wind through these magnificent miles of greenery and shoreline.
Lincoln Park is a place to enjoy life. I have enjoyed Lincoln Park on my feet and through the windshield of a taxi cab to Wrigley Field. Stuck in bumper to bumper traffic I envied the active people jogging on the Lakefront Trail with the expense of Lake Michigan reaching to the horizon. Just like my experience stuck in traffic in Grant Park, I wanted to jump out of the stopped cab and spend time outdoors with nature. Fortunately I'd get to spend hours at Lincoln Park a few days later when we visited Lincoln Park Zoo (I wrote a separate review on it).
Lincoln Park Zoo was so charming that I wanted to extend the Lincoln Park Experience. My family and I reached a deciding vote to walk through Lincoln Park to the south preiphery along North Boulevard which would bring us to State Parkway and ultimately to Embassy Suites. The charming spell never ended. Immediately outside the zoo, stood the Conservatories landscape of blooming plants and picture perfect grass. Strolling southbound, the grand skyline of the Lincoln Park District complimented the canopy of mature trees above a rolling terrain of golf course green grass sprinkled with blooming plants. The curves of the walking path exposed my vision to the south pond, the Ben Franklin Monument, the downtown skyline with a John Hancock Building that grew closer with each series of steps, and aesthetic tunnels. Chicago is a city of several magnificent miles. After Lincoln Park transitioned to State Parkway, we continued walking Chicago's magnificent miles until we arrived at Embassy Suites.