The Ships that Go Sailing by Crickets

Nine out of ten Americans don’t realize that the city of broad shoulders not only has a beach but also an extensive beach stretching twenty miles north and south along Lake Michigan. The master plan of city planner Daniel Burnham included yacht harbors, extensive parks, and a road parallel to the beach stretching from the far north side of Chicago to the far south side. Office and apartment buildings would not be allowed within nearly a mile from the Lake Front, as it was known.

The drive along Lake Shore Drive appealed to bicyclists, walkers, runners, as well as those in automobiles. Pedestrian overpasses allowed beachgoers to avoid the traffic. If you drove directly east into Chicago along Congress Parkway you would proceed under the massive post office building, into the Loop, past Michigan Avenue, and into Grant Park. Michigan Avenue compares to other grand boulevards of the world, with The Bund in Shanghai an appropriate reference.