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I'm an oceans guy 100% of the time. I love salt water, and I love the ocean. I often hear, "but Chicago has the lake which is just as nice" and I've got to disagree. There's a big difference between the ocean and the Great Lakes, and if you prefer one, the other isn't a substitute. That's not to knock the Great Lakes which I think are an incredibly unique environment. While they aren't the ocean, they're certainly not like the little lakes you find all over the country.
If we're talking city vs. city, even though I prefer the ocean Chicago has better water frontage than New York. Yes, Coney Island and Rockaway Beach are great. Roosevelt Beach on Staten Island is nice. However, Chicago has the lakefront and beaches right in the heart of the city. Most New Yorkers live a ways from the beach. It's not as integrated into the city as it is in Chicago. Chicago's lakefront is more accessible to more residents than NYC's oceanfront. No question about it.
If we're including the surrounding areas, I don't think Chicago has anything that rivals Long Island (or the Jersey Shore for that matter, although that's not my scene). New York gets the easy edge there.
I'm an oceans guy 100% of the time. I love salt water, and I love the ocean. I often hear, "but Chicago has the lake which is just as nice" and I've got to disagree. There's a big difference between the ocean and the Great Lakes, and if you prefer one, the other isn't a substitute. That's not to knock the Great Lakes which I think are an incredibly unique environment. While they aren't the ocean, they're certainly not like the little lakes you find all over the country.
If we're talking city vs. city, even though I prefer the ocean Chicago has better water frontage than New York. Yes, Coney Island and Rockaway Beach are great. Roosevelt Beach on Staten Island is nice. However, Chicago has the lakefront and beaches right in the heart of the city. Most New Yorkers live a ways from the beach. It's not as integrated into the city as it is in Chicago. Chicago's lakefront is more accessible to more residents than NYC's oceanfront. No question about it.
If we're including the surrounding areas, I don't think Chicago has anything that rivals Long Island (or the Jersey Shore for that matter, although that's not my scene). New York gets the easy edge there.
I agree with this and nicely written. Good post.
The Chicago lakefront, with its parks and skyscrapers, pretty much blows the Manhattan coastline out of the water, literally. Manhattan is still interesting as an island and for historical reasons but there is too much industrial and port facilities around New York harbor. New York of course was and still is a huge working harbor.
However, when you look at the coastline of the whole five boroughs, not to mention the New York metro area, all the bays, rivers, the ocean and even the Sound, then you realize the New York coastline is hard to beat.
There's no way in hell I'm taking my shoes off in a beach in Gary, Indiana of all places. There are giant steel mills a few miles away.
Drive north 40 miles, on the Michigan side, and there are some nice beaches. Drive up past Ludington and there are some very nice beaches, with beautiful water.
There's no way in hell I'm taking my shoes off in a beach in Gary, Indiana of all places. There are giant steel mills a few miles away.
Drive north 40 miles, on the Michigan side, and there are some nice beaches. Drive up past Ludington and there are some very nice beaches, with beautiful water.
Gary/Indiana has the best waves, and the warmest water of the entire Great Lakes...and it is the same body of water. I love Miller Beach and the Indiana Dunes.
Gary/Indiana has the best waves, and the warmest water of the entire Great Lakes...and it is the same body of water. I love Miller Beach and the Indiana Dunes.
Gary Indiana sounds like the worst possible beach vacation in human history. That town is absolutely horrible.
And yeah, the water is like bath water in southern Lake Michigan. That isn't exactly a draw for beachgoers.
Gary Indiana sounds like the worst possible beach vacation in human history. That town is absolutely horrible.
And yeah, the water is like bath water in southern Lake Michigan. That isn't exactly a draw for beachgoers.
The area around Gary/Hammond/E. Chicago I would definitely not swim in due to the industry there, though regulations have significantly curbed lake pollution today compared to decades past. And the beaches in and water off the Dunes National Lakeshore and the Dunes State Park are normally fine to swim in. If it is unsafe to swim in, which doesn't seem to happen too frequently, it's usually due to natural phenomena (seagulls) than due to the mills.
Though aesthetically, the heavy industry is horrendous. To be honest I would like nothing more than to see all of the heavy industry dismantled along the south shore and the entire Indiana coast converted into parkland. It's such an eyesore, and it's even worse that it's in an area with such a high amount of biodiversity.
I'm an oceans guy 100% of the time. I love salt water, and I love the ocean. I often hear, "but Chicago has the lake which is just as nice" and I've got to disagree. There's a big difference between the ocean and the Great Lakes, and if you prefer one, the other isn't a substitute. That's not to knock the Great Lakes which I think are an incredibly unique environment. While they aren't the ocean, they're certainly not like the little lakes you find all over the country.
If we're talking city vs. city, even though I prefer the ocean Chicago has better water frontage than New York. Yes, Coney Island and Rockaway Beach are great. Roosevelt Beach on Staten Island is nice. However, Chicago has the lakefront and beaches right in the heart of the city. Most New Yorkers live a ways from the beach. It's not as integrated into the city as it is in Chicago. Chicago's lakefront is more accessible to more residents than NYC's oceanfront. No question about it.
If we're including the surrounding areas, I don't think Chicago has anything that rivals Long Island (or the Jersey Shore for that matter, although that's not my scene). New York gets the easy edge there.
The Jersey Shore has a 'scene' for everyone. Not to pick on you, but I am really sick of people saying this type of thing. Not every beach town is like Seaside Heights, Wildwood Crest, or AC. Ocean City is actually a dry town and very family friendly. Some towns (like those on LBI) are mostly residential and don't even have boardwalks or piers at all, except sometimes for very small walking, running, or biking boardwalks with absolutely no attractions. Some areas (Island Beach State Park, Sandy Hook NRA) are untouched parks with natural plant life and wildlife. I think that stupid show has tainted people's view of the whole Jersey coast, and of course has made the term "Jersey Shore" a blanket term that means everywhere is like Seaside, even though that term was used to describe the beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May long before MTV made their cute little show composed of mostly New Yorkers… They should have called it "Seaside Heights" so everyone would not associate the whole NJ coastline with just Seaside Heights. But, whatever. Nothing we can do about it now except spread the truth.
I do agree with your opinions, though. I think for the most part, the only people who say that the Great Lakes are just like oceans are the ones who are from Great Lakes states and used to the lakes.
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Manhattan is still interesting as an island and for historical reasons but there is too much industrial and port facilities around New York harbor. New York of course was and still is a huge working harbor.
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