Winter in Chicago Must See – Promontory Point

Have you ever looked at nature and thought:

Holy shit. That’s art.

I sure have. I love nature! The colors of it, the textures, the smells. I am more than a tree hugger, I’m a tree maker-outer.

Living in Chicago, I know how tempting it is to want to hate winter. It’s easy to turn into a curmudgeon for 3-4 months. It’s cold, slippery, sometimes frozen (as seen here),  and time-consuming. Everything in winter takes longer. From getting ready to leave the house on a frigid day to driving during heavy snow.

But, and this is a real big but, if you are able to shift your mindset, even juuuuuust a bit,  you may begin to see this time of year in a different light.

I’ve never hated winter, but I didn’t always love it as much as I love it now. It all started about a few years back when I decided to go for a walk immediately after the first snowfall.

Holy crap! I thought to myself, winter is pretty damn sexy!

The way the snow falls onto the trees, the sound my boots make, even the icy cold on my face. I had a yoga student come in from the outdoors once on a single digit day – as she was un-layering she excalimed:

I love this weather…it makes me feel alive!

Such a simple yet beautiful, thought-provoking statement.

Now, the first time I came about one of these frozen photos on my social media, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had no idea such cold temperatures could create such mindblowing shapes and textures.

Ok, I guess I knew it happened in the Artic…but never in my wildest dreams did I think it was happening right here in Chicago!

So I did what any wannabe explorer would do, I went on an adventure. I found this collection of frozen, nature art at Promontory Point on Chicago’s south shore. It was as if someone dropped me off on another (very freezing) planet. I was filled with awe and in love.

I encourage anyone to take a drive to experience them. Bundle up more than you think you should and beware….it’s slippery. I found that out the hard way.

Sidenote:  These photos further prove that Chicagoans are indeed badasses.

Here’s what I discovered!

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This is in fact…a tree.

Does this not look like a piece Chihuly could have created himself?!

This would be the exact location where I went from vertical to horizontal within 0.0003 seconds.

Beware: EVERYTHING is iced over. Even the ground.

I cannot get over these icy trunks – they are mesmerizing.

Do I live in Antarctica? Where am I? And is that a frozen stork to the left?

Narnia called. It wants its tree back.

Oh, hey Lake Point Tower. We see you.

This one is just pure insanity. Like, how? Why? What???

How can something so dangerous looking be so beautiful?

Chicago is one hell of a cold and sexy city.

Why on earth does this give me all the wintery, fuzzy feels?

This little fella is like the Charlie Brown tree of Narnia trees.

Let’s be honest, nature is mind-blowing.

I want to be an ice princess and this can be my fort, said this 36-year-old.

The poor girls who I made a deal with to snap each other’s photo wiped-out seconds after taking this. I felt bad about that.

I need to go and ice both my right hip and shoulder now.

This was a dangerous expedition, but someone has to do it.

Happy Winter, friends!!!! Stay safe and enjoy all the beauty that nature makes!