TV Host Matthew Rodrigues Loves Chicago’s Magical Waterfronts – Thrillist

The water is what’s magical at this time of year, both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. People don’t think of the water at all when they come to Chicago. They’re like, “Oh, some Midwestern city.” And when you post a picture on Instagram, the water looks like the Caribbean. And people are like, “Wait, where are you? Are you in Miami?” You’re like, “No, man, I’m in Chicago.” I look outside my apartment, and there’s the lake. Many times it feels like I’m in a tropical paradise because the water gets this gorgeous blue color, and you just feel like you’re somewhere else. It’s clean and clear.

I go to Hollywood Beach, which is the gay-centric beach up more north of the city, and you feel like you’re in South Beach at times. There are people lying in the sand, beautiful white sand that comes in between your toes. You’re diving into the water, and there are full waves. Sometimes there are waves that are three-, four-, five-, six-feet high. You can body surf sometimes. And when you look out beyond the horizon, it looks like an ocean. It just continues to go and go. And your eyes don’t sting because there’s no salt in the water. A bike ride along the lakefront is one of the most inexpensive and awe-inspiring things you can do in the city, I think, because you’re riding along beaches, you’re riding along skyscrapers, and you’re seeing the gorgeous Lake Michigan.

On the river, there’s a lot of outdoor space that makes Chicago so unique. I love RPM Seafood, which is this gorgeous, tiered restaurant on the river. You have City Winery on the river, you have Pizzeria Portofino on the river. It feels very European in that way. You can kind of do that in New York, but not really. San Francisco, not a lot of food on the water, except touristy places down by some of the wharves. But here, they’ve really transformed the river with these gorgeous restaurants.