Park of the future is finally here

Tucked between the corners of of Adams St. and Sangamon St. is the UIC area's newest gem, the Adams and Sangamon park. Squeezed into just one square block, the new park is small and quaint, but definitely packs a lot into its limited area.

The park is portioned off into four areas, separated by crisscrossed, cobblestoned walkways. In one corner there is an enormous, state-of-the-art jungle gym equipped with a full suspension bridge, a long-twisted tunnel slide, and a rope-net climbing obstacle. The equipment is so vast that it could far better be described as a sort of boot-camp training facility for children or an American Gladiators obstacle course.

Directly adjacent to jungle gym is the park's most striking feature: a towering, five-pronged steam-cooler. From a distance, one might easily make the mistake of thinking that something has gone terribly wrong, that there is a fire and people are screaming and crying for help. Upon closer investigation, however, you would discover that the the smoke is actually a thick mist of cool air and that the screaming is actually the laughs and tears of joy of refreshed park-dwellers finding relief from the putrid-humidity of Chicago summer days.

At the two opposite corners of the park are simple, lushly green-grassed hills perfect for relaxing, reading or finishing homework against the beautiful backdrop of downtown Chicago

So if you're looking for a place to get away from the onslaught of school and relax a bit, this new park may be a good place to start.