This has been a summer of walking. Indeed, outside of work, walking is how I spend the majority of my time. I walk to buy groceries, to various coffee shops, to the park, I walk aimlessly while talking on the phone. The proximity of my apartment to a huge stretch of walking/jogging/biking path perpetuates my walking habit - at least while the warm weather holds out. The 26-mile Lakefront Trail is public and maintained by the Chicago Park District and is conducive to joggers, bikers, roller-bladers, dog walkers, and anyone simply out for a stroll.
From my neighborhood the trail takes me past Diversey Harbor, a big public soccer field, and North Avenue Beach, where I have to dodge bikes and watch for stray volleyballs.
The beach is on the east side of Lake Shore Drive, so you have to cross a bridge over the 8+ lanes of traffic to get there. That bridge is my least favorite part of my run along this trail.
