Kayaking Summertime Chi

It is imperative that I give my home state and home(ish) city some love on this blog. Chicago is a city that holds a very negative stereotype to those that have not visited. Having met many people over the last few years who have not been there, they hear that is where I am from and give a 'look.' Every city has bad parts, and yes, Chicago is no exception to that. Although, at the same time, I am putting the beauty and architecture of Chicago against any other city in the world. Show me a better skyline... you can't ;)

This past summer my friend Drew and I opted for an evening water adventure in the Chi. That was kayaking the Chicago river. There is many companies that offer this excursion, we chose to book with Chicago Wateriders (Wateriders.com) They offer many tours, the one we chose was the Navy Pier Fireworks Paddle. The cost was $65 per person, and that included fees and all equipment needed. We arrived at the dock and were given our life jackets. My biggest complaint was how large of a group we had... It took at least half an hour just to get everyone into a kayak and pushed out onto the water. For someone who was not familiar with kayaking, I caught on pretty quick. Don't let a lack of experience deter you or the fear of falling in (nobody did). However, plan to get your legs wet, as water naturally drips off the paddles into the kayak. Drew and I made sure to get to the front of the pack once we began paddling to not get stuck behind the slow paddlers.

The trip is a little over 3 miles round trip. This may sound a bit daunting, but the lit up night sky will keep your mind off the nice back workout you are getting in. Seeing the skyline from the river perspective was gorgeous. We passed under a bridge and one of the first buildings we were met with was the Trump Tower. A staple in the skyline. We continued paddling on the right side of the river, avoiding the many dinner cruise ships racing to Navy Pier. As we approached the Trump Tower we made a turn and on our left was the Art on theMart exhibit. This project features projecting artwork onto the The Mart. This is undoubtedly the coolest and most engaging way I have seen art on display. I wasn't the only one who thought this. Looking off to my right on the riverwalk there were hundreds of people admiring the many art pieces being projected onto the building.

As you can see from the photo on the left, each of our kayaks had a large glow stick attached to it, making us visible to the other boats on the river. I should also mention that we had a handful of guides for us. One in the front with a microphone, one in the back, and a few on the side to make sure we were not drifting too far to the middle of the river. After gazing at the artwork on the TheMart for a few minutes, we continued our trek towards Navy Pier. We eventually poked out of the river and could finally see the iconic Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier. We all got into a straight line and grabbed the wall on the edge of the river. We sat in our kayaks and watched the Navy Pier fireworks. The show happens twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays (we were there on a Saturday night). The fireworks run for about 15 minutes and aren't too crazy, but worth seeing.

Following the show we waited for all the boats to turn around and begin heading back up the river, we tagged along behind them. If there's one piece of advice I have... You better turn into a fast paddler on the way back. If you are not one of the first kayaks back you will have a very long night waiting to get pulled back onto the dock. The competitor in me took that to heart and I made sure I was the first one back. If you ain't first, you're last! Once we made it back to the dock there were a few guides already there waiting for us. You paddle right up to the dock and they pull you onto it by the front of the kayak. After that, you are free to go and are on your way.

Overall, this excursion is definitely worth while and something that you need to do. It is a bit on the pricier end for kayaking, but the cheapest way to see Chicago from the river (boat rental, dinner cruise, etc). This excursion is great for both the solo traveler and those in groups. Summer will be here before you know it! Add Chicago and this evening kayak to your bucket list.