The soft dirt path below stretches for miles; around me are a dizzying number of sun-dappled shades of green, with bright blue sky and dark-as-night trees poking through. Around a bend, yellow wildflowers pop out of the underbrush, where curious deer and rustling ground squirrels (squinnies to this Iowan) startle. Overhead, a shadow passes. I grab my camera to catch it-not a hawk or an owl, but a plane coming in to land at the airport less than 5 miles away. The juxtaposition of scenes feels surreal until I remember: I'm in Chicago.
Mid-pandemic and filled with wanderlust, my husband, Tom, and I bought a condo in the city for long getaways and more time with our two adult kids who live there. Keeping our home base in Des Moines, we toggle between two very different living styles in neighboring states. We're equally happy hiking and exploring rural Iowa as we are hustling through busy streets to catch the L train for a night of live music. So when I heard about the Chicago Outerbelt, a 210mile trail that encircles the entirety of the city, I was intrigued. I set a summer goal: Complete as many miles as I could and learn more about our new part-time home.
The trail is the brainchild of outdoors enthusiast Jay Readey, who cofounded the Outerbelt Alliance with Benjamin Cox, Emily Leu and Molly Fitzgibbon. The nonprofit's mission is to promote eco-recreation in metro environments and engage diverse communities in outdoor experiences. Chicago has an astounding network of rec trails and green space, many found along rivers and lakes. (There are 70,000 acres of preserves in Cook County alone!) The Alliance mapped one big, grand loop by charting connector routes between existing trails. "The waterways did the work for us," Readey says. "We just needed to connect them."
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MAJOR KEY
HUNDREDS OF SMALL ISLANDS TRAIL LIKE STEPPING STONES OFF OF FLORIDA INTO THE GULF OF MEXICOAND THE PATH LEADS TO KEY WEST.
cream of the crop
IN A TINY TOWN OUTSIDE MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CENTURY-OLD CREAMERY HAS BEEN REVIVED AS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL AND CULINARY DESTINATION. FOR VISITORS TO PAOLI, SEVEN ACRE DAIRY COMPANY ANCHORS A SWEET WEEKEND GETAWAY. FOR SMALL DAIRY PRODUCERS, IT'S RESHAPING THE FUTURE.
HOME BAKED
ON A TREE-LINED RESIDENTIAL STREET IN DES MOINES, A BAKERY DREAM HAS COME WRAPPED IN LOVE, UNEXPECTEDLY TRUE COMMUNITY AND ALL-BUTTER PASTRY.
POST MODERN
AN INDIANA DIY'ER STUMBLES INTO SOCIAL MEDIA STARDOM BY SHARING HER HOME'S EVER-CHANGING STYLE.
POUR ME A DOUBLE
COFFEE BY DAY, COCKTAILS BY NIGHTTHESE HYBRID CAFES OPEN EARLY FOR CAFFEINE FIXES AND STAY UP LATE FOR LIBATIONS.
HOT IN HERE
THE UPPER MIDWEST (AND ESPECIALLY MINNEAPOLIS) IS FIRED UP OVER SAUNA CULTURE. HERE ARE 10 WAYS AND PLACES TO GET YOUR STEAM ON.
SHOP THE BLOCK
FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, ST. LOUIS' ANNUAL PRINT BAZAAR HAS TURNED CHEROKEE STREET INTO A BUSTLING, MAGICAL MILE OF ART AND HOLIDAY CHEERTHE PERFECT KICKOFF TO A WEEKEND EXPLORING THE LOU.
EASY SQUEEZY
THIS LITTLE LEMON LOAF HAS A SOFT TEXTURE AND A PUCKERY, BUTTERY GLAZE THE PERFECT AFTERNOON BAKE FOR A SNOW DAY.
WINTER RESET
THESE WARMING, SPICE-FORWARD MEALS PROVIDE A HEALTHFUL RESPITE AMONG (OR AFTER) ALL THE HOLIDAY INDULGENCES.
DARK ARTS
WITH HER DRAMATIC COLOR CHOICE AND SECONDHAND TREASURES, INTERIOR DECORATOR RUTHIE JACKSON BRINGS THE MOOD WHEN HOSTING FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND.