View Single Post
  #62  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2019, 8:10 PM
edale edale is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 2,177
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan View Post
i've been going to chicago beaches every summer for the past 43 years.

they're not pristine like some untouched stretch of coast in southern chile, but they are not gross either.

the e coli hysteria is mostly just that. i swam in that same exact water for decades before they even bothered to start testing for that shit, and it never made me sick.

hell, when i was a kid, on summer break i damn near lived at the beach, swimming in that water every single day.

your sister was grossly misinformed.
Eh, the beaches are extremely urban and it rains all the time in Chicago, so I'm sure there is quite a bit of undesirable crap in that water. In LA, they say not to go into the ocean if its rained in the past 3 days. Since it doesn't rain in the summer in LA, it's not much of an issue. But following that same rule would take quite a few days out of the already short swim season in Chicago.

I'm not much one for swimming in a lake- prefer pools or the ocean- so I never felt that bypassing the lake beach was a big sacrifice while visiting Chicago. There is certainly plenty of other stuff to keep occupied there. I love looking at the lake and seeing the turquoise and blue colors as the backdrop to the city, but I don't think of the lake as being great for swimming. Up in northern Michigan, sure, but Chicago? Idk about that. Also wouldn't really be down for swimming in Lake Erie off of downtown Cleveland. Too much crap (sometimes literally) and uncontrolled runoff to deal with.
Reply With Quote