Normal weather patterns be damned. Chicago will be downright balmy this weekend, and we couldn’t be happier. Sure, this is terrible news for the polar bears (or anyone living within 50 miles of a coastline), but perspective is important. Your weekend just got a hell of a lot more interesting! The National Weather Service is predicting well above normal temperatures in the coming days, with Saturday’s forecasted high inching ever closer to 60 degrees (the record high is 62). Officially, Saturday temps are expected to top out around 55 degrees, and Friday and Sunday will both see temperatures flirting with the half-century mark.
Sure, there are plenty of things to do in Chicago this winter when it's freezing outside. But this weekend’s warm spell is giving the city a temporary reprieve and affording Chicagoans the opportunity to come out of their winter withdrawal (if only for a few days). Below are some of the best ways to take advantage of the unseasonable weather this weekend.
March for women’s rights. There is no shortage of planned performances, marches and protests to mark inauguration week in the city, but Saturday’s Women’s March on Chicago is the obvious main event. Organizers were already forced to move the rally from its original location in Grant Park due to above-average temperatures, and it’s likely that Saturday’s unseasonable weather played some role in attracting a higher-than-expected attendance. Whether you’re a novice dissident or a seasoned rabble rouser, you can break a sweat for a good cause at the Chicago's women's march.
Ice skate comfortably. Ice skating (also known as trying to ice skate) is a pain in the ass. Throw in frigid temperatures, and it’s downright unbearable. Luckily, you’ll be able to spend the day falling, struggling to your feet and falling again at these great Chicago ice skating rinks without the added risk of frostbite.
Finally learn the Pedway. Just figuring out how to access the Pedway is enough to give someone unfamiliar with this underground labyrinth bouts of anxiety. Spend some time this weekend meandering about the Loop in your favorite windbreaker, as you try to gain access to these mysterious corridors. Once you’re in, take an hour to explore subterranean Chicago and earn the title of “master adventurer.” This new knowledge comes with the added benefit of having a new way to traverse the Loop when the next polar vortex descends upon the city.
Leave a concert without catching a cold. Getting sweaty at a concert is a great way to have warm, indoor fun this winter. But, leaving said concert covered in the perspiration of total strangers is another story altogether. We can’t stop strangers from sweating on you, but we can promise that your walk home from the Metro will be a refreshing one. So whether you’re seeing Matt Skiba reunite with Alkaline Trio or “hey ho-ing” with The Lumineers, you can use your post-show commute to air out that damp band shirt.
Remind yourself that spring is coming with a trip to the lakefront. Take a relaxing stroll along the Lakefront Trail, explore Northerly Island or let old Duke run free at the Montrose Beach dog park. Whichever you choose, take minute or two to soak it all up; it’s likely to be 7 below in no time.
Walk with the animals... for free. The zoo is a great way to spend a spring day, but an afternoon in mid-January, not so much. That’s why you should take advantage this weekend’s mild weather to make some new animal friends at either Chicago-area zoo free of charge. Brookfield Zoo offers free admission on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the months of January and February, and Lincoln Park Zoo remains one of only a few free zoos left in the country.
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