Virtual Skate from Hollywood to Field Museum.
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Virtual Skate - 5800 North - Ardmore
The start of the path! There's an official 18.5 mile marker sign a little ways down near Ardmore. Kathy Osterman park. Heavy traffic crossing Sheridan. I understand that this particular beach is gay friendly.
Virtual Skate - 5650 North
At the end of Hollywood beach is a pier. One can blade to the end, but sometimes there are couples fooling around there. The shore path ends here.
Virtual Skate - 5600 North - Bryn Mawr
North end of Foster Beach. This stretch is one of these reasons I keep living at this end of town. I like to jump between the levels here. Shore path is quite broad but pitted in spots. Good art painted and carved on many of the rocks. Three other paved paths above. Water is only a few feet deep (no diving) and sometimes one can see the fish and clusters of huge cubicle boulders.
Virtual Skate - 5500 North
A great place to watch the sunrise. Too dark for night blading and homeless sleep on some benches, but the paved path above is well lit.
Virtual Skate - 5300 North
Crowd here is very mixed and neighborly, full of kids, teens, elders, volleyball and international flavor. Path is quite broad and a good stunt run.
Virtual Skate - 5250 North - Farragut
At the end of this path is a beach house with concessions and bathrooms and showers. The shore here changes to large stone steps. Paths merge, watch for bikes.
Virtual Skate - 5200 North - Foster
Foster Beach. At the South end of Foster beach one finally must cross a street. For non-bladers, this street leads to parking and recreation areas.
Virtual Skate - 5100 North - Carmen
More beautiful smooth peaceful path and park. I like to do this long smooth stretch blading backwards.
Virtual Skate - 5000 North - Argyle
More beautiful smooth peaceful path and park. Use the benches for stunts, grind or jump up.
Virtual Skate - 4900 North - Ainslie
More beautiful smooth peaceful path and park. Sometimes soccer games.
Virtual Skate - 4800 North - Lawrence
Cars are bad here, coming and going from the recreation areas, sometimes drunk. Watch out.
Virtual Skate - 4700 North - Leland
More beautiful park. Sometimes sports going on. Waterfront here is huge rocks.
Virtual Skate - 4600 North - Wilson
Getting more crowded. This corner has a good ramp, dense trees and benches. To the left is a turnoff leading to recreation areas and the jet ski launch area.
Virtual Skate - 4400 North - Montrose
Careful at the intersection, wide and BUSY but perfect visibility. Go West to the pier, a perfect place to watch the Air Show in August.
Virtual Skate - 4300 North - Hutchinson
More beautiful park. To the East Waveland golf course begins.
Virtual Skate - 4200 North - Buena
The underpass from Sheridan (where there is a fountain) ends here in Peace Garden, a lovely grotto with water.
Virtual Skate - 4150 North - Junior
A couple of twists lead to this weird stretch between golf and traffic. Bladers are faster than cars here in rush hour.
Virtual Skate - 4000 North - Irving Park
Whoosh, like a gravity assist planetary flyby. Coming out, choose the upper or lower path. Recreation drive starts here, taking cars to parking and harbor.
Virtual Skate - 3900 North - Dakin
Wrapping around the end of the golf course, the lower path leads to a really fine cafe.
Virtual Skate - 3800 North - Grace
Tennis, tennis, tennis, golfers and baseball. Very North Shore crowd. There's a bird sanctuary to the East. Imperfect pavement.
Virtual Skate - 3700 North - Waveland
Shady benches here, then cross a little street and some bad path. Course winds next few miles.
Virtual Skate - 3600 North - Addison
A path highlight, the totem pole. Read the story, feel the energy, watch the spiked fence. Upper and lower paths reunite, Wrigley Field and Cubs games are a mile West.
Virtual Skate - 3550 North - Brompton
Nice new paths and fountain. Watch for cars. Choose harbor side (rougher) or upper path.
Virtual Skate - 3500 North - Cornelia
Nice varied challenge course, but watch the peds, several playgrounds, and people fishing.
Virtual Skate - 3400 North - Roscoe
Another highlight of the path, Doggie Beach. It's amazing to watch all the races playing together here; a clear lesson to us humans. Watch the sand.
Virtual Skate - 3300 North - Aldine
Coming up on the Yacht Club building, where some city watercraft moor. Careful about rough pavement and dense traffic.
Virtual Skate - 3200 North - Belmont
Boat parking, coming up on the yacht club building. Weird stretch here, rough pavement adjacent to busy Belmont underpass. Watch the intersection. It's a rough mile, but one can skate up here to cool shopping. Visit the Chicago Yacht Club (300 W Belmont, 773/477-6951).
Virtual Skate - 3100 North - Barry
This snack stand is the best! Pretzels, smoothies and a fountain. The parking lot is reasonably good for freestyling.
Virtual Skate - 3000 North - Wellington
Path reopens into good smooth long stretch. Gentle incline gets hard after a while, keep the power on. Shore is stone.
Virtual Skate - 2800 North - Diversey
New path, statues, fountains, more. Side path drops down to lovely harbor inlet, and underpass leading to Lincoln Park.
Virtual Skate - 2700 North - Wrightwood
Coming out of a steep S curve the skyline finally burst into view. Path is narrow but beautiful with several tiers of stone. Tree lined so watch out in autumn. UNLIT at night.
Virtual Skate - 2500 North
Chicago Academy of Sciences (773/549-0606, 2060 N Clark) and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (773/549-0606, 2430 N Cannon) to the West.
Virtual Skate - 2400 North - Fullerton
Biggest bottleneck includes the most popular fountain. Park building with swing dancing, food, and theatre through summer. Lower path wraps calmly around the point. Lots of trees, Lincoln Parkers, dogs and sun bathing, benches and snack stand.
Virtual Skate - 2300 North - Belden
Lincoln Park. Take advantage of the hill to reach top speed. You'll need it for this next long flat windy family filled stretch past the few public bathrooms. Volleyball central. See the gardens and rookery and Conservatory West of the drive.
Virtual Skate - 2200 North - Webster
North Avenue beach just goes on and on. Near the end a new health club facility off the path includes outdoor equipment and blade hockey in summer.
Virtual Skate - 1750 North
An elegant pedestrian bridge arches over Lake Shore Drive and North Avenue beach transitions now to an area capable of handling crowds.
Virtual Skate - 1700 North - LaSalle
The air and water show centers here and there are gymnastics and other sports demos sometimes. The city recently rebuilt this historic ship shaped beach house. There's bathrooms, phones, snacks, even showers and blade rentals. Good freestyling space when not crowded.
Virtual Skate - 1600 North - North
Multiple interesting paths through this tree covered area. Complex parking roads. On the other side of Lake Shore Drive are some of the city's most elegant parks and paths (though not easy blading). Visit the Chicago Historical Society (312/642-4600, 1601 N Clark).
Virtual Skate - 1500 North - Burton
The path is almost peaking! Wrapping out from North Avenue, past a good fountain and the wonderful Chess Pavilion, an easy popular stretch begins.
Virtual Skate - 1490 North
The upper path though flawless may be crowded, including elderly in rented pedal carts. Lower area is too rough. Visit the International Museum of Surgical Science (312/642-6502, 1524 N Lake Shore Drive).
Virtual Skate - 1400 North - Schiller
We have arrived! All areas are soooo smooth, and the levels are jumpable. Careful, people have died here. The best bladers, jugglers, stunt bikers and bathing beauties congregate here on weekends when the weather is anywhere near decent.
Virtual Skate - 1200 North - Division
Great bladers doing stunts with cones and ramps. Careful if surface is wet or you could go overboard.
Virtual Skate - 1100 North
Bladeable territory transitions to Oak Street Beach proper here with a dividing ramp. Solid sunbathing here and for some reason a lot of bums. Underpass leads out to the awesome Michigan Avenue, take it with braking firmly applied.
Virtual Skate - 1000 North - Oak
Now passing some of the most fabulous parts of downtown. Just a few blocks in leads to one of the greatest, hugest, glitziest chunks of top urban shopping and viewing on the friggin' planet, no kidding. Justifiably named "Magnificent Mile" this is a top tourist point.
Virtual Skate - 900 North
I take this like a cool down lap. The path curves broadly around to almost a mile of perfect but amusingly slanted path.
Virtual Skate - 800 North - Chicago
Though you'll get frowns, Michigan Avenue is notably bladeable here. To the west see the Water Tower, John Hancock building (312/751-3681, 875 N Michigan), and Museum of Contemporary Art (312/280-2660, 220 E Chicago). See more MCA and downtown photos.
Virtual Skate - 600 North
Coming in for a landing, multiple paths wind up at Navy Pier (312/595-PIER, 600 East Grand).
Virtual Skate - 500 North - Grand
Navy Pier (312/595-PIER, 600 East Grand). A premier attraction, like a conventiently located theme park and more. Shops, restaurants and attractions of every kind. Giant Ferris Wheel, Carousel, Children's Museum, IMax and Shakespeare theaters, bands, conventions, parking, blade rental, fountains, huge sculptures, fireworks.
Virtual Skate - 300 North - Wacker
The path takes the bridge, careful, and lets out in some nice curves and harbor scenery.
Virtual Skate - 100 North - Washington
Awesome views as Grant Park begins, ringed by the skyline. Visit the Chicago Cultural Center (312/346-3278, 78 E Washington).
Virtual Skate - 100 South - Monroe
Harbor path below, super smooth path above. Here's where street addresses hit zero and reverse, the North/South axis. Visit the Chicago Yacht Club at Monroe Harbor.
Virtual Skate - 200 South
Visit the famous Art Institute of Chicago (312/443-3500, 210 S Michigan) to the West.
Virtual Skate - 300 South - Jackson
Grant Park where the big fests are held. See the Petrillo Bandshell. The Chicago Public Library Harold Washington Center (312/747-4300, 400 S State) is to the West. See more Grant Park photos.
Virtual Skate - 600 South - Congress
Buckingham Fountain really is something to behold. A jewel on the lakefront with water and light shows daily in summer. Beautiful paths continue. See more Buckingham Fountain photos.
Virtual Skate - 700 South
Great stretch of paths. Three levels separated by rows of trees, occassional wide gentle stairs between them.
Virtual Skate - 1100 South
Over the past decade the city completed the massive project of moving Lake Shore Drive, finally unifying the great museum campus. So perfect it looks like an architectural model. Muliple path options top side and by the water.
Virtual Skate - 1200 South - Roosevelt
Visit the John G. Shedd Aquarium (312/939-2438, 1200 South Lake Shore Drive). Named after John Graves Shedd, a former Marshall Field chairman, who in 1924 gave $2,000,000 to build what is now one of the largest aquariums in the world. In 1991 the new Oceanarium opened, nearly doubling the exhibit space and bringing whales to Chicago.
Virtual Skate - 1220 South
Visit the Adler Planetarium (312/922-STAR, 1300 S Lake Shore Drive). Donated by Max Adler in 1930, visited by almost a million people a year. Recently massively overhauled, vastly expanding the exhibit space.
Virtual Skate - 1300 South
Visit the Field Museum of Natural History (312/922-9410, Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore). Specializing in anthropology, botany, geology and zoology. Terrific contemporary exhibits, always having interesting special events.
Virtual Skate - 1400 South
Soldiers Field: Named for the Americans who served in the Korean and World Wars. Home of the Chicago Bears and Chicago Fire. To the East is McCormick Place (2301 S Lake Shore).