Urban Oasis

The park has finally opened! 1 block away a high-rise residential tower was constructed over the past year. As part of its deal with the City, the developer promised to build a 1 acre park. I've been watching the construction progress closely jonesing for its opening. Mysteriously, the park has remained shut off with fences restricting access for the past month despite the park being completed.

(Gilbert was focused on the seagull flying overhead. Yes, I'm sure he was wondering what a seagull is doing so far away from the water too!)

Well, the the fences were removed and now the park is open! We headed over this afternoon for a short visit just prior to Gilbert's dinner. The park was well done. The gym equipment has all the latest features - e.g. recycled cork matting instead of concrete or bark mulch for the flooring - and all the apparatuses are extra wide and ADA friendly. Nice touch.

As we pushed Gilbert in the swing, I quickly realized this little nugget of a park was indeed a gem of an urban oasis. To one side was the towering residential high-rise. Across the street is a chocolate factory (with a walk-in store!). And the park is bounded is also bounded by another twin high-rise tower by the same developer. I'm sure the park will become very popular with the dense residential surroundings, but I wonder how many people actually know the park exists!

With Gilbert's affinity for construction - he likes to watch the crane across building another high-rise across thee street from his room - he would stare at the two cranes working on the twin towers while we played on the equipment. And to add to his amusement, a Metra commuter train passed by overhead. Truly a lot is going on! In this picture you can see the construction across the street, the Metra train passing, and in the background two high-rises going up along the Chicago River. How awesome!

With the park only a short walk, I'm sure we'll be taking advantage of its facilities. And come winter, we'll be in the park building snowmen or pushing Gilbert down the hills in his sled! Here he enjoys a ride on Dada's shoulders up the hill.