FC1 Western Ave. Stop 21: Cross country skiing

Keep driving, and eventually you'll go through a large forest preserve in the middle of the city--the Dan Ryan Woods. You know you've made it in Illinois politics when you have an expressway and a forest preserve named after you. Stop by the next time you think Chicago is a concrete jungle with no green space.

A few blocks from the forest preserve is this bike shop, which has been around since the 20s. In addition to buying a bicycle there, you can rent cross country skis. With our crazy weather--the fourth mildest in the past 100 years--there really hasn't been much of a chance for fun in the snow.