Summer in Chicago is all too short. Celebrate with a free outdoor workout.

Looking your best doesn’t have to mean spending a lot. Chicago has plenty of free options for stellar workouts. Lace up your running shoes, borrow a yoga mat and get going.

Yoga on the lake with Fitness Formula Clubs
Fitness Formula Clubs offers lakeside yoga twice a week on the southernmost tip of Belmont Harbor. Classes meet Tuesdays from 6:30pm-8:00pm and Sundays from 11:00am-12:30pm. Classes are free, even if you are not a gym member. All you need is a yoga mat and sunscreen. For more information check out this video and meet your instructor.

Join a run club

Running is free and a great workout. Running alone is lonely. TimeOut Chicago listed the top 10 running clubs in Chicago (in no particular order).

Workout in Millennium Park

Living in a city with a park as beautiful as Millennium Park is amazing! Enjoying a free workout in that same park is tremendous. The City of Chicago offers free workouts in Millennium Park every Saturday through September 10. Come for yoga, stay for Pilates and finish up with Zumba all three are accompanied by live musicians.

Pedal Power

Own a bike? Then hit the road. Chicago Bike Trails offers a rundown of (wait for it) Chicago bike trails. Listing of more than 90 trails in Cook County and beyond, you’ll run out of energy before you run out of trails.

According to Alderman Brendan Reilly, the extra hour applies to approximately 70 bars within the 42nd ward, which basically encompasses the Loop, River North and the Gold Coast. To celebrate an extra hour of alfresco drinking fun, the Chicago Loopster team picked out six stellar outdoor options.

Enough reading. Check out the slideshow and meet us on the rooftop for a drink!

> ]]> http://www.chicagoloopster.com/2011/07/08/extended-rooftop-hours-mean-more-outdoor-fun/feed/ 0 http://www.chicagoloopster.com/2011/07/01/the-loopsters-guide-to-the-taste-of-chicago/ http://www.chicagoloopster.com/2011/07/01/the-loopsters-guide-to-the-taste-of-chicago/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:00:27 +0000 Lauren Daniels http://www.chicagoloopster.com/?p=4973  

This Loopster's must-have: the Mustard-fried Catfish from BJ's Market & Bakery. Photo by Janelle Schroeder/ MEDILL

What’s more all-American than eating and drinking outdoors with thousands of strangers in Grant Park? The 26^th Taste of Chicago comes to a close Sunday, July 3. Are you still wary of trading paper tickets for food? Can’t figure out which vendors are worth the wait? At the Loopster we’ve done the work for you. Here’s a quick guide to the food-fest from the folks most qualified to do so – professional eaters.

Taste Newbies

A dozen new vendors join the mix of stalwarts serving up classics like Chicago-style hot dogs and deep-dish pizza. The new batch of restaurants highlights the diversity of Chicago’s food scene. From Chinese to Caribbean you can travel the globe without ever leaving Grant Park.

Time Out Chicago tackles the Taste

With more than 50 vendors each serving multiple dishes it is a nearly impossible feat to eat everything on offer. The team at Time Out Chicago sampled 40 tasting portions and has the photos to prove it.

Tribune’s Top Ten

The food professionals from the Chicago Tribune dish out their can’t miss booths at the taste. Sentimental favorites are listed alongside vendors new to the Taste this year. Pressed for time? Here is a short-list of must-have eats.

The Taste in the palm of your hand

Paper maps are so 2010. Download the Taste of Chicago application (available for iPhone and Android) to have the entertainment schedule with live updates, restaurant descriptions and more.

If you decide to skip the Taste of Chicago, there are plenty of other Independence Day weekend dining deals. Fourth of July weekend dining and drinking deals