The magic hedge is one of Chicago’s great natural treasures.
The fenced-off land juts out into Lake Michigan, capping a promontory in a large lakefront park.
The magic hedge is a secret place—a seemingly neglected, hidden-away treasure crisscrossed by a network of hard-beaten paths. In reality a mature bird sanctuary, it’s a place where birds and humans go to be happy.
The magic hedge isn’t manicured. It feels wild and remote: a jumbled welter of beaten-down prairie plants and wind-blasted trees.
Yet wander its paths, and you will be treated to some unexpected views.
To the north, the magic hedge gives onto a renaturalized sand dune. Beyond the dune is a dog run and a breakwater where people come to fish.
Here, you can almost forget that you are anywhere near the city. The distances are so great you can forget about the city and its noise.
Yet this part of the park gives beautiful views of the beaches and high-rises that line the northern portion of Lake Shore Drive. The historic old Edgewater Hotel is pink.
The magic hedge is a gateway to perspective, a place to recall the immensity of nature and the true magnificence of the city’s native setting.
Harley says
You have a really good eye for taking great pictures !
Celia says
Thanks, big H! The magic hedge is so beautiful that even an amateur can hardly go wrong. Celia
Lori DiNardi says
Thank you for bringing my sweet home Chicago to me down here in humid Florida. 🙂
Celia says
Good to hear from you, Lori. Happy to oblige! CHC
Jody says
Yay! It’s so beautiful! Gotta love those views. I remember running through the Edgewater Beach Hotel when I was a little girl. It was so much fun. We felt like little felons. 🙂
Celia says
It’s a fabled place; the building itself conjures up a whole era. And a pink building–in Chicago???? I love it. Celia