Address West 85th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60652, United States of America
Pull Up Bars Parallel Bar Monkey Bars Wall Bars Push Up Bars Abs Benches Dip Handles Workout Desks
Calisthenics Outdoor Fitness Bodyweight Exercises (BWE) / Bodyweight Fitness Sling Trainer Workouts Ninja Warrior Poledancing Functional Training Parkour Bootcamp Workout Obstacle Races CrossFit-Training Personal Fitness Training Martial Arts Climbing Street Lifting Gymnastics Aerial Sports Handbalancing Acroyoga

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Summary of editorial

This park has great elements, and horrible elements.

I'll begin with the horrible:

1. It's not ADA accessible, and definitely not wheelchair accessible. The ADA will state that the mulch surface is ADA compliant, but as you can see in the pictures, the equipment is surrounded by a curb, with no ramp, so a wheelchair cannot roll into or out of the park. Also most of the equipment itself is not ADA accessible, so it doesn't matter if the mulch surface is ADA compliant because the fitness apparatus cannot be accessed by a person in a wheelchair. This is common in all Chicago parks, unfortunately, though I have spent extensive amount of time educating the Chicago Park District on wheelchair accessibility, the Chicago Park District Leadership including the full Board, CEO, COO, and head of capital projects has continued to ignore people with disabilities when they build calisthenics parks.

2. There is no water fountain

3. No shade

4. No bathroom.


***ONTO THE GREAT ELEMENTS:

* 1 pull-up bar 96" high which is VERY high for tall people well over 6'3" tall, this pull-up bar has just about the perfect thickness of 1.25", and has a very nice dry, textured grip surface, which is awesome. I love it. it's perfect.

* The two ends of the monkey bars are the same height and can also be used as pull-up bars. These bars are a little bit thicker than standard though (closer to 1.5") which is not ideal , and have a more slippery surface, which is not ideal (especially as your hands get sweaty, but it's usable. While both bars are high, it's good for tall people, it's not great for average height people. You will have to have a pretty good vertical jump to get up there. Also, if you're 5'5" or below you might not be able to reach the bar at all, so will have to climb the pole which tires you out. So this is a GREAT element for SOME tall people, but really bad for shorter people. Again, I have given the Chicago Park District EXTENSIVE parameters on making pull-up bars and equipment for people of different heights and different sizes and different abilities, and they have IGNORED my advice for years. This is another example that the don't care about the safety and health education of the community.

* there are bars at lower heights which are great for incline/decline push-ups and Australian pull-ups. These are great progression moves for people at intermediate levels of calisthenics.

Other no-so-great, but OK elements:

* The dip bars are 24" wide which is actually a common standard, but it will feel wider than most people are used to. Most other dip bars in Chicago are about 21" wide. These dip bars are also low which is bad for training. I am short (5'8") and I can do dips with my legs straight if II hit just below 90 degree bend in my elbows, but if I go to a depth that I am capable of, I have to bend my legs at the knees so my feet don't hit the ground. For a person taller than me, they will have to bend their legs for sure.

*there's a situp bench that's BLACK plastic and painfully hot int he summer sun, especially since there's no shade. It should be a lighter color, and more cushy. Its hard plastic.

* Mulch - MULCH is a horrible exercise surface, should never be used in a calisthenics park. You can't lay on it well do do anything on the ground, stretching, core, yoga agility balance poses, etc.

All in all if youre near you can get a decent workout in, and it's one of the better parks in Chicago, but still has a lot that could be improved.


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