Around Rogers Park - Almost Believable…
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Let’s end this wrap-up with a little humor. As reported in Block Club Chicago, no, there is no nude beach in Rogers Park …
But, given what we know about the neighborhood, it’s diverse population and open-minded ways, it almost seemed plausible that there could be, maybe somewhere a little off the beaten track and out of view. Maybe that’s why, when “Nude Beach Past This Sign” suddenly appeared at Loyola Beach, it almost seemed believable. After all, Rogers Parkers have earned their reputation as being just little more free-wheeling, uninhibited and less constrained that the residents of other, more conventional neighborhoods.
According to Block Club, the sign went up around Labor Day. It had a Chicago Park District seal on it and looked for all the world like something posted by the City of Chicago.
But no, it was a fake – no doubt a prank played by someone with a sense of humor and the wherewithal to make and install such an official-looking fake.
So, again, for the record, there are no nude beaches in Rogers Park, or anywhere else in the city (although there are places along our Lakefront where the swim-wear looks like it’s made out of not much more than pieces of dental floss, leaving little, if anything, to the imagination).
If it’s real nude beaches Chicagoans are looking for in an urban environment, they will have better luck on the West Coast (options in greater LA, San Francisco, San Diego and Vancouver, just to name a few). Or try Toronto. It has a real nude beach on Toronto Island, just a ferry ride away from the downtown area on Lake Ontario, and the official city signage to get you there (this one is not a fake).
But for now, at least, there are no clothing-optional beaches in Chicago (or just about anywhere in the Midwest). For better or for worse, we’re still not as daring in that department as some of our coastal or Canadian peer cities. Rogers Park may be ready but, for now at least, the rest of the region is not.
