USA Today . . . today
I’m thrilled to report that the Peaceful Places series is featured in today’s edition of USA Today! In Chicago, the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop and Harold Washington Library Center Winter Garden are called out. Yay.
How to stay peaceful during Chicago’s hottest summer on record
1. Wait till twilight. 2. Put on bathing suit.* 3. Locate lake. 4. Enter lake, slowly, up to neck. 5. Enjoy feeling of ridged sand on bottom of feet. 6. Enjoy feeling of cool, clear water on entire body. 7. Enjoy sight of lake meeting the sky. 8. Enjoy absence of stickiness and sweat. *Depending […]
Getting peaceful in Winnetka
I had a blast speaking to the Women’s Exchange in Winnetka on Thursday. I was a bit bleary-eyed from a late flight the night before, but they didn’t seem to mind. And a couple of the attendees even told me about some peaceful places I’d never heard of. Once I’ve checked them out, maybe they’ll […]
Crowds are the suck
Shortly after moving to Chicago years ago, I went to see the city’s Fourth of July fireworks in Grant Park with my housemates. By the time we got there at 5 PM, there was barely enough room on the grass for our blanket. And after the fireworks ended, we found ourselves walking being carried along […]
Why trees are freaky good for you
Now that Chicago has decided to have a real spring instead of a fake summer, I’ve been reminded of some research I did last year for an article on the benefits of trees. Turns out trees aren’t just good for the environment; they’re also good for your health in all kinds of unexpected ways. For […]
Peaceful update
About three-quarters of the way through writing Peaceful Places, I hit a wall. I couldn’t find another peaceful place to save my life. And about the fiftieth time that someone suggested the Bahá’í Temple*, I started experiencing a sensation that I’m just going to call not peace. Then, after I had ferreted out all 119 […]