The Best Cities For An Active Lifestyle

Still another top ten list has come out, naming the country's best cities for an active lifestyle.  Number one on the list is Chicago, which really seems to annoy the newscasters on the local television stations, since Denver came in 8th place.  They complained that Chicago was not a good city for an outdoor lifestyle, and that Denver has the mountains, a fabulous park system, including such gems as Washington Park, seen in the photograph on the left), legalized marijuana, yada, yada, yada.  Do people say yada yada yada anymore? In any case, we really have no idea who makes these lists up, and what criteria are used to rate the cities.  Personally, I think the local newscasters here in Denver need to deal with the fact that Chicago is a great city for an active lifestyle.

Coming from the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, I really have a soft spot in my heart for the city, and I remember countless weekends biking or walking along the lakefront.  In fact, parks make up almost all of the Chicago's lakefront, and are crowded every weekend during the summer months.  I took the photograph on the right back when I was living in Chicago, looking toward Oak Street Beach. Chicago has Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Jackson Park, and even still another Washington Park, where my Grandmother Spillard used to make my Uncle Jack and Uncle Bill take their baby sister Mary (my mother) so she could play there.  And what about all those walks people take to get the neighborhood tavern?  In fact, now that I think about, I am convinced  that Chicago is (and always will be) the number one city for an active lifestyle.