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During the winter, there are all sorts of activities we’re being told are off limits— holiday parties, Christkindlmarket, cuffing season— but what about all the things we can do? If you’re the type to break out the snow pants and don your trusty boots at the first sign of snow accumulation, you can still have a great time taking advantage of fresh layers of powder at one of the many sledding hills in Chicago. Put on your mask (why not be warm and safe?) and check out these six top-notch hills in your area.

Dan Ryan Woods

S Western Ave & W 87th St, Chicago IL 60620

This large forest preserve on the south side is generally a great place to be in any season if you’re trying to spend some time outdoors; the sledding hill here is near the Dan Ryan Woods Visitor Center.

Palmisano Park

2700 S Halsted St, Chicago IL 60608

After living past lives as a quarry and a landfill, Palmisano Park is now an urban oasis to the people of Bridgeport, and its gentle slope of a sledding hill is nicknamed “Mount Bridgeport” by locals.

Warren Park

6601 N Western Ave, Chicago IL 60645

Though usual features like a warming house aren’t an option right now, sledders in West Ridge can brave the cold and snow to check out the the sledding hill at Warren Park in Chicago. The hill features stairs on either side for greater ease getting back up the slope.

Caldwell Woods

W Devon Ave & N Nagle Ave, Chicago IL 60646

On the northwest side you’ll find Caldwell Woods, and shortly upon entering at Milwaukee and Devon, an excellent designated sledding hill awaits you!

Cricket Hill

4500 N Lakeshore Drive | W. Montrose, Chicago IL 60607

While it’s not beach season at the moment, you will want to head over to Lake Shore Drive and Montrose for some outdoor fun. Amid running tracks and football/soccer fields, Cricket Hill sits ready and available for sledding this winter.

James Park

Dodge Ave & Mulford St, Evanston IL 60202

While there is a sizable center hill at this park, it has more recently been off-limits to sledders for safety reasons. Fortunately, there are smaller sledding hills that still provide a safe (but fun!) opportunity to families.

Featured Image Credit: Jimmy Conover on Unsplash

The post 6 Popular Sledding Hills to Visit in Chicago appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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You might be accustomed to attending wild parties on New Year’s Eve in Chicago. We get it— dancing in a throng of people and toasting the new year with a group of friends can be pretty fun; but as any seasoned homebody will tell you, there’s more than one way to celebrate a special occasion. From food and beverages to entertainment and community, there are a variety of ways to plan a safe party at home to celebrate New Years Eve in 2020.

Order Dinner from Luella’s Southern Kitchen

Why cook for yourself on New Year’s Eve when you’ve probably been cooking (and washing dishes) all year? If you’re planning a virtual New Years Eve event in Chicago with your friends, you can take advantage of the New Year’s Special at Luella’s Southern Kitchen. The special includes braised short ribs, king crab, grits, and bananas foster-style banana pudding for just $35.

Order Cocktails to Go from Lost Lake

Since shortly after the start of COVID restrictions, Logan Square’s tropical cocktail bar has been pouring its fruity concoctions into bottles for Chicagoans to enjoy in the safety of their own homes. If you visit Lost Lake’s Instagram, each week the menu and hours for pickup are posted on their story highlights—titled “Menu”—so that you can find the best time (and flavors) for stocking up on libations.

Run the New Year’s Eve 5K

Runners can’t gather in person to participate this year. However, a straightforward way to add enjoyment to your New Years Eve festivities in 2020 is to participate in the virtual 5K. This event allows registrants to run anytime between December 26th and January 3rd in Chicago. A portion of the required $40 registration fee benefits Direct Relief, which has been working hard to support healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Enjoy the New Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve Concert

Featuring pieces ranging from waltzes to pop tunes to movie music, this New Year’s Eve concert, led by Maestro Kirk Muspratt, premieres 2 PM. on December 31st, and is available for streaming on demand through January 3rd.

Featured Image Credit: Philharmonic on Facebook

The post 4 Ways to Celebrate New Years Eve in Chicago in 2020 appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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Chicago Bulls: Expectations have shifted on Patrick Williams by Patrick Sheldon

The Chicago Bulls will open the season tonight against the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center.

Reunited and it feels so GOOD.

After nine months of quarantines, trade inquiries and questions about just how the heck the NBA would commence, we have made it to opening night for the Chicago Bulls.

Without a doubt, this season has set itself up to be one of the most exciting for Windy City basketball. New head coach Billy Donovan is the captain now, and his previous work with the Oklahoma City Thunder invites optimism for Bulls fans everywhere.

That glimmer of hope starts the Coby White and Zach LaVine. During the preseason, both players showed their potential upset; Zach appeared to make strides as a defender, Coby as a playmaker.

There are fans who believe that LaVine, who averaged over 25 points per game last year, still has not reached his ceiling on either side of the court. At just 25 years old, Prime LaVine could just be getting started.

More from Da Windy City

• Chicago Bulls: Expectations have shifted on Patrick Williams
• Chicago Blackhawks: This is the perfect lineup for the 2020-21 season
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• Chicago Bears: Personnel evaluations a huge concern

White’s game needs to step up in a more significant way. After his first year, and just one start in 65 games, the former Tarheel was an assumed scorer and not a point guard.

However, White’s passing was on display in the preseason, working in the pick-and-roll with his bigs and finding players to kick out to when his lane to the basket suddenly closed. While his teammates need to work on converting those open looks, Coby White is trending up.

Speaking of bigs and needing to convert on open looks, Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen are the biggest question marks in the starting lineup. It’s easy to see why Markkanen did not get a contract extension when looking at his performance last season and this preseason.

Lauri has trouble in the middle two preseason games, knocking down 5 of an attempted 25 shots in games two and three, only to cap it off with a 22-point finale against the Thunder.

In a huge “prove it” year for the Finnish forward, Lauri will have to reestablish himself inside with his athleticism by cutting and size. He did bring back the drag step that Bull’s colorman Stacey King loves to see, but his shooting from deep will need to improve and quickly.

Markkanen might see more minutes as a center in the Billy Ball system, which hopefully will yield better play on the defensive side as well.

Related Story: Chicago Bulls: 4 cautiously optimistic predictions for 2020-2021

Carter is a mystery headed into the 20-21 NBA season. He wanted to show his willingness and effectiveness to shoot the deep ball as he did during his lone season with Duke. His results? Let’s just say they were disappointing (1 for 12).

I personally still believe in Carter’s ability to be an offensive weapon, but I would rather see it in the post and coming off fake handoffs and shooting those wide-open 18-footers.

The last piece of the starting lineup is the 3 spot, which according to reports will be filled by rookie Patrick Williams, according to official game notes.

Patrick Williams is listed as a probable starter in official Bulls game notes. Williams started last two preseason games and, per sources, took first-team reps at today’s practice.

Billy Donovan said he has idea of his lineup and will make it official Wednesday.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 22, 2020

Williams showed veteran poise and a surprisingly effective jumper in his first preseason action. The fourth overall pick was showed his defense was as good as advertised and evidently impressed Donovan enough to throw him into the starting lineup without Summer League or a rookie mini-camp.

The most significant news coming out of the Advocate Center is that Thaddeus Young is still out, recovering from a severe leg infection. Beyond that, the bench rotation, now led by Otto Porter Jr. and his $28 million is anyone’s guess.

Tomas Satoransky is questionable after coming out of COVID protocols, as is Devon Dotson.

For the Atlanta Hawks tonight, Trae Young will be the biggest defensive assignment for the Bulls. His electric scoring and flashy passing earned him a contract with Adidas and signature shoe during the offseason.

The rest of the starters will include rim-running big man John Collins and a toss-up between DeAndre Hunter, Cam Redish, Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic to fill out the other three spots.

Bogdanovic was acquired after the Sacramento Kings declined to match his offer in restricted free agency, while Reddish and Hunter will be entering their sophomore campaigns after a pair of underwhelming rookie season.

The Hawks will be without Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn and rookie Onyeka Okongwu for tonight’s battle. Clint Capela is listed as doubtful.

Next: Chicago Bulls: Expectations have shifted on Patrick Williams

The game will start a 7 P.M. tonight with Adam Amin and Stacey King calling the game from NBC Sports Chicago. Chuck Swirsky and Bill Wennington will have the radio broadcast duties from 670 the Score, with pregame starting at 6:45 P.M.

Let’s start this year with a win!

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How will the Chicago Blackhawks construct their lines for 2020-21? The Chicago Blackhawks, along with the rest of the National Hockey League, are going to be back in action on January 13th. It came out over the weekend that the divisions that were rumored to be coming for a month are correct and will be […]

Chicago Blackhawks: This is the perfect lineup for the 2020-21 season – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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The Chicago Bulls may not be able to manage expectations for their rookie. I want Chicago Bulls fans to go back to the evening of the NBA Draft and remember where you were and what your immediate reaction (be honest with yourself) was when you learned the Bulls selected Florida State’s, Patrick Williams with the […]

Chicago Bulls: Expectations have shifted on Patrick Williams – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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