Consider the stretch from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Now, consider if you would want to be anywhere else but Chicago during that time. We wouldn’t.
Our 99 things we HAVE to do this summer:
CARRY A LOADED SQUIRT GUN.
Catch fireflies and keep them overnight in a glass jar with a bit of grass and a wax-paper lid.
See a suburban 4th of July parade. Stand when the flag goes by. Yes, every time.
Treat yourself to an ice cream sundae at Gayety’s, 3306 Ridge Rd., Lansing; the Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor, 7347 W. Madison St., Forest Park; or Homer’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor, 1237 Green Bay Rd., Wilmette.
VISIT A DIFFERENT CITY NEIGHBORHOOD EVERY WEEKEND.
Play drums Sundays at the Point (Promontory Point) in Hyde Park.
Go to the batting cages at the Bunny Hutch in Lincolnwood as often as possible (www.nerfect.com/bunnyhutch/bh00.html).
Enjoy a day at 95th Street Beach.
Play the ponies at Arlington Park racetrack (www.arlingtonpark.com).
Get box seats ($12) at a Kane County Cougars game (www.kccougars.com).
Run flat out.
See a movie at a drive-in.
Do Saturday morning yoga (8 a.m.) at Millennium Park (June 7-Sept. 27; 312-742-1168).
Go to at least one Summer-Dance class and bust some crazy moves with abandon.
RUN SCREAMING THROUGH A COLD SPRINKLER AT A CHICAGO PARK.
Discover 5 great snacks in a neighborhood, by foot with friends, instead of going to Taste of Chicago.
See at show at Theater on the Lake (June 11- Aug. 3; 312-742-7994).
Reinvigorate your wilted self on a sweltering afternoon with an intense Vietnamese iced coffee.
GIVE A DOG A BATH OUTSIDE.
Arrive at Green City Market super early when it’s still cool and you can find parking. Sip Intelligentsia coffee while you ponder the lovely meal you will make with your stash.
Go to Great America to check out the new Dark Knight coaster.
Do tai chi.
Eat a brochette of meat washed down with a Coco Rico from one of the trailers in Humboldt Park.
Sketch birds.
Go to Wizard World (June 26- 29) at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont and see world premiere of “Batman: Gotham Knight.” (www.wizardworld.com/chicago.html)
Take a martial arts class at Chase Park as part of the Chicago Park District’s cheap, comprehensive and convenient programs (www.chicagoparkdistrict.com).
Eat a pot bin soo (shaved ice, malt, sweet red bean and fruit sundae) at a Korean cafe.
Visit the cemetery.
Jump into Lake Michigan.
Challenge a chess master at North Avenue Beach.
COMPOST.
Get up at 5:30 a.m. and row to the middle of a small, freshwater lake and fish for bluegills, perch and crappie.
Go to the Drinking and Writing Festival June 14 at the Hopleaf (www.hopleaf.com).
WALK SLOWER.
See Cirque Shanghai at Navy Pier’s Skyline Stage (June 4-Sept. 1; 312-902-1500).
See fireworks, in person.
Write a script for a home movie.
Wake at dawn, pick up the litter in your neighborhood park.
Get a freshly shaved piragua (shaved ice) from one of the piragua vendors in Humboldt Park. During a walk, point out poison ivy to your kids.
Picnic by Lake Marmo at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle (www.mortonarb.org).
Take off your shoes, walk through the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park on your way to or from work.
Help your kid put up a lemonade stand. Vow never to pass a lemonade stand.
Go to at least one movie in the Chicago Outdoor Film Fest in Grant Park (begins July 15; www.chicagooutdoorfilmfestival.us).
Spend a couple of hours on the beach beneath the Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston. Squint. Pretend you’re on Nantucket.
Enter the Muddy Buddy race Aug. 3 (www.muddybuddy.com).
Attend the first night of the Pitchfork Music Festival (July 18 — the date as published has been corrected in this text; www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com).
See Public Enemy play “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” in its entirety, in order, start to finish.
Take the training wheels off.
Grab a burek (a flaky treat full of minced meat) at Deta’s Cafe in Rogers Park (773-973-1505). Sit on the curb out front.
Camp out all night for the first screening of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (Aug. 15).
Learn a few words or phrases of Japanese, like “That ball was definitely out!” Spike a watermelon (with booze, not your foot).
Shoot a round of golf on one of Chicago’s terrific public courses. If you don’t golf, bring a friend who does and carry the clubs while he/she plays.
Volunteer for a day on the Red Witch Tall Ship (www.redwitch.com). Consider a life at sea.
See “The Dark Knight” (July 18). Point to Chicago locations you recognize.
Ice cold tomato slices. Salt. Period.
Make a white sangria with the first of the season’s local peaches.
Kayak on the Chicago River.
Go outside during a summer rain and get soaked.
Catch minnows in a small lake with youngsters using a net made from an old lace curtain.
Nap at lunch.
Eat a softshell crab. Good places to find ’em include Hugo’s Frog Bar, Mario’s, Prosecco, Catch 35 and Shaw’s Crab House.
Go to a good wine store, ask for their nicest rose. Chill the bottle; drink it on a hot summer afternoon.
Avoid cover bands at other block parties and instead see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists rock out the crowd (8:30 p.m. May 31) for just a $5 donation at the Do-Division Street Fest and Sidwalk Sale May 31-June 1.
OPEN YOUR EYES UNDERWATER.
Check out the Jeff Koons exhibit, running virtually the entire summer at the Museum of Contemporary Art (www.mcachicago.org).
Forget the sweltering heat and just groove your behind off to stellar live acts such as Girl Talk, CSS, Santogold, The National and, of course, Radiohead at Lollapalooza (Aug. 1-3).
Decorate a square ($10-$50) at the Chalk Festival in Oz Park on June 7, then watch the pros create their superior chalk murals.
Have a Signature Sunset ice cream cone (made with merlot) at Bobtail Ice Cream (www.bobtailicecream.com).
Grab a mitt, head out to Wrigley Field and be a Waveland Avenue ballhawk for a day. (This works best if you pick a day when the Cubs are playing.)
See Garrison Keillor when he tapes a live show of “A Prairie Home Companion” at Ravinia.
Take an early morning stroll along North Pier, before the shops open. It’s a completely different place then.
Take a drive up Sheridan Road. Start in Evanston. Don’t stop ’til you hit Highland Park.
Take a jewelry-making class at Lill Street Art Center on North Ravenswood (www.lillstreet.com).
Attend the first-ever Taste of Oak Brook on July 3 at the polo fields, and stay for the evening’s 4th of July fireworks display there.
Definitely, Kiddieland, in Melrose Park (www.kiddieland.com).
Explore the delectable eats at the Taste of Randolph Street, June 20-22. Bonus: the fest’s live music has been great in the past.
Get some freshly squeezed sugar cane juice with lime from one of the vendors on Devon Avenue.
Find a nice grassy hill. Walk up the hill. Lie down on the grass. Roll down the hill.
Get to Lake Michigan in time to sit and watch the sun rise. Bring a blanket and pillow if you like.
Eat an arroz con leche paleta (essentially rice pudding ice cream bar) from a passing vendor.
Bike to work, at least once.
Plant sunflowers in your garden.
Pack a picnic basket and grab some lakefront grass for Venetian Fest, July 26. Enjoy the festive boat parade and the spectacular evening fireworks.
Swing.
MAKE PLANS TO SEE THE CHICAGO AIR & WATER SHOW, AUG. 16-17.
Slow dance to Sinatra’s “Summer Wind” in the grass.
After a long hot day, get take-out of assorted Middle Eastern/Greek dips with plenty of crusty bread and eat them with a cold cote du rhone with a loved one. Soak your feet in a pan of cold water while eating and pretend you are on the Mediterranean.
Get a freshly made lemonade from one of Chicago’s South Side “steak and lemonade” joints.
Catch Elvis Night and Fireworks at The Cell on Aug. 22 (Sox vs. Tampa Bay, whitesox.com).
Draw chalk pictures on the sidewalk.
SKINNY DIP.
WIN A CARNIVAL PRIZE.
When the heat gets unbearable, slip into Johnny’s Ice House and watch a hockey game (johnnysicehouse.com).
SCREAM AT A GARDEN SNAKE.
Sing karaoke. Start with “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
Check out Northerly Island for a concert (Al Green?) or a nature hike.
Start a long depressing book–“Bleak House,” “Sister Carrie”–that will take all summer to read.
Read three pages a day.
Dig into some roast lamb at the Croatian Fest (Aug. 15 at Princeton Avenue and 28th Place). They’re planning on roasting a whopping 75 whole ones for this street bash that also features a parade, music, dancing and games.
