Category Archives: Beach
Gay Beach Chicago – 83 Degrees on April 1st! – No Joke!
HAPPY SPRING!
What a great week this has been here in Chicago! 75 yesterday and 83 today!
(Adam, pictured above).
The Winter snow fences have not even been taken down yet! But that did not stop the 50+
people, mostly gay men, heading out to Hollywood/Osterman
Gay Beach for some rays of sunshine!
It was a bit windy at times, but the fresh warm air felt great!
A few people even strolled out into the chilly waters!
Progress is slower than I expected on the new restrooms.
The foundation is in and the walls have started going up.
7 weeks until it is supposed to be done.
It will be so nice to have clean, updated bathrooms
and a concession stand!
Hollywood Gay Beach Chicago Gets Long Overdue Makeover – New Toilets, Showers and Concession
It’s been talked about for over 2 years now – now it’s a reality for 2010!
Hollywood / Osterman (gay) Beach in Chicago gets a long overdue makeover.
Late last summer, the Chicago Planning Commission approved plans for a new beach house and landscaping at Osterman Beach. The new facility will open by Memorial Day, and will include showers and changing areas for lifeguards.(?)
What does this mean? Who knows. Ground has been broken and we have placed a call to the Planning Commission and have not got an answer back yet.
We were told last year, the new building would include new toilets. A concession stand. And a lockerroom and showere area for the lifeguards.
Foster Beach and Montrose Beach got nice makeovers over the last couple years. It is unclear yet, how the Osterman project will compare. This image was online at PBC Chicago. They are calling it a comfort station. You will notice, there are no gays in the rendering!
In 2009, we saw A LOT more straight people and families coming to the “gay beach”. What else is new? The straights always come to where the gay are.
We also saw an increase of police activity last year. The Hollywood / Osterman beach sometimes enforces rules – and sometimes does not. It is unclear what the rules are exactly.
We have looked high and low, from Bryn Mawr to Hollywood, and we have seen no rules or restriction signs, of any kind. We had heard, there was NO SMOKING, NO PETS, and NO BOTTLES/GLASS/ALCOHOL, and that MOST TOYS are NOT ALLOWED on the beach itself. However, when I called the Alderman Mary Ann Smith’s office, even they were not totally sure about pets. Only no smoking and no glass bottles / alcohol. And the lifeguards will clearly tell you NO BALLS IN THE WATER!! They directed my questions to the Chicago Park Districts, and as of this publishing, no one has returned my calls yet.
So we will see what 2010 brings. I think with this new building, will come with new rules and regulations and/or more enforcement. In the past, lifeguards (and Police) would usually turn their head to smokers and drinkers. However in 2009, there were an increase in the number of tickets at the beach. – It will be nice to have new, clean toilets and a concession area!
Best of Gay Chicago
Hollywood Gay Beach Chicago Gets Long Overdue Makeover – New Toilets, Showers and Concession
It’s been talked about for over 2 years now – now it’s a reality for 2010!
Hollywood / Osterman (gay) Beach in Chicago gets a long overdue makeover.
Late last summer, the Chicago Planning Commission approved plans for a new beach house and landscaping at Osterman Beach. The new facility will open by Memorial Day, and will include showers and changing areas for lifeguards.(?)
What does this mean? Who knows. Ground has been broken and we have placed a call to the Planning Commission and have not got an answer back yet.
We were told last year, the new building would include new toilets. A concession stand. And a lockerroom and showere area for the lifeguards.
Foster Beach and Montrose Beach got nice makeovers over the last couple years. It is unclear yet, how the Osterman project will compare. This image was online at PBC Chicago. They are calling it a comfort station. You will notice, there are no gays in the rendering!
In 2009, we saw A LOT more straight people and families coming to the “gay beach”. What else is new? The straights always come to where the gay are.
We also saw an increase of police activity last year. The Hollywood / Osterman beach sometimes enforces rules – and sometimes does not. It is unclear what the rules are exactly.
We have looked high and low, from Bryn Mawr to Hollywood, and we have seen no rules or restriction signs, of any kind. We had heard, there was NO SMOKING, NO PETS, and NO BOTTLES/GLASS/ALCOHOL, and that MOST TOYS are NOT ALLOWED on the beach itself. However, when I called the Alderman Mary Ann Smith’s office, even they were not totally sure about pets. Only no smoking and no glass bottles / alcohol. And the lifeguards will clearly tell you NO BALLS IN THE WATER!! They directed my questions to the Chicago Park Districts, and as of this publishing, no one has returned my calls yet.
So we will see what 2010 brings. I think with this new building, will come with new rules and regulations and/or more enforcement. In the past, lifeguards (and Police) would usually turn their head to smokers and drinkers. However in 2009, there were an increase in the number of tickets at the beach. – It will be nice to have new, clean toilets and a concession area!
Best of Gay Chicago
Chicago Gay Beach – Hollywood / Osterman
(all photos in this article by BRENDEN-JOHN)SUMMERTIME FUN!
Summer got off to a slow start here in Chicago, but finally,
I think the warm weather is here to stay and the beaches are busy!
The gay beach is Hollywood Beach. (AKA Kathy Osterman Beach) The gays and gay friendly people hang out at the southern end of the beach. ( or what some say is the east side – to the right). If you are driving out Lake Shore Drive, exit at Bryn Mar and start looking for parking, and the beach is a short walk.
Sundays are always busy, with anywhere from 200-250 people out there. And you may even find people photographer BRENDEN-JOHN out there shooting photos of hot men! He shoots a lot of photos at events and clubs around gay Chicago and many of photos can be seen on his MySpace page.
Chicago also has the most swimable and most guarded waterfront of any single municipality in the world. While many patrons complain about the cleanliness of the water, Chicago boasts the cleanest urban waterfront in the United States, and second in the world only to Stockholm; water is tested daily by the Chicago Park District for E. coli and other dangers. – The beaches are staffed through Labor Day – but weather permitting, you will find the boys out here through early fall, if it’s warm enough!
SEE YOU AT THE BEACH!
The Best of Gay Chicago and the New Gay Travel Guide
The Gay Beach in Chicago is Hollywood / Osterman Beach
You’ll almost mistake Lake Michigan for an ocean with its vast expanse and seemingly endless shore. With beautiful blue water as far as the eye can see, you may think you’ve gone from Chicago to southern California. Chicago beaches are free to the general public, and officially open for swimming from the Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day, 9am – 9:30pm.
However, if weather permits, the beaches in Chicago can have sun bathers in early May and as late as October – but there are no lifegaurds on duty.
What to Know About Chicago Beach Pollution
Occasionally, the water along Chicago beaches can reach a bateria level that may be unsafe for swimming. The park district has instituted a flag system to advise swimmers as to water conditions — here’s a quick guide to help you stay safe. Normally the water is very clean and very safe.
Dogs are allowed at the beach’s at Belmont Harbor and also Montrose Beach.
Lots of hotties and people watching and Vollyball activity at North Avenue Beach.
The gay beach is Hollywood Beach. (AKA Kathy Osterman Beach) The gays and gay friendly people hang out at the southern end of the beach. Weather permitting, the gay boys will be out sunnning themselves late April thru October! But any given Sunday in the summer there are about 200-300 people out here.
(Photo by Michael Snell – BLUE PHOTOGRAPHY)
The beaches in Chicago are an extensive network of waterfront recreational areas in the Chicago Park District. Today, the entire 28 miles (45 km) Chicago lakefront shoreline is man-made. There are twenty nine lakefront beaches in Chicago along the shore of Lake Michigan. Two more are located within city parks. Currents and wave action in Lake Michigan tend to move sand from north to south, where it eventually ends up in the Indiana Dunes. Winter storms erode some of Chicago’s beaches, and deposit the sand on others, requiring the Park District to supplement tons of sand yearly. The Chicago Lifeguard Service force is the largest of its kind in the nation, employing over a thousand guards in the summer (between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend).
Chicago also has the most swimable and most guarded waterfront of any single municipality in the world. While many patrons complain about the cleanliness of the water, Chicago boasts the cleanest urban waterfront in the United States, and second in the world only to Stockholm; water is tested daily by the Chicago Park District for E. coli and other dangers.
The Best of Gay Chicago!
