Chicago's winter has officially frozen everything except time.
The weather has been so unbearably brutal. The city hasn't seen this much snow since 1979, and it hasn't been this cold since 1984. Yet time marches on, and just as sure as awful forecasts are far from over, each passing frigid second brings us closer to the beginning of spring.
In an effort to keep your sanity (and, honestly, our own), RedEye rounded up a countdown to every event and milestone that marks signs of life in the city after winter. And trust us, they're not as far away as you might think.
Millenium Park Ice Rink Closes
March 9
That gigantic chunk of ice in front of The Bean is hauled out of Millennium Park in early March, making way for outdoor dining.
St. Patrick's Day River Dying
March 15
The city dyes the river green and citizens color Wrigleyville, well, some other shade for St. Patrick's Day, which officially is on a Monday this year.
Shamrock Shuffle 8K
March 30
The official kickoff to the spring race season, the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K jogs into Grant Park March 30. Do you even remember what it's like running on a surface that's not a treadmill?
Wrigley Home Opener
April 4 (1:20 p.m.)
Face it, you've been indoors long enough that any outdoor sporting event sounds like tropical paradise, predictions of another failed season be damned. And, bonus, it's Opening Day for a field that's celebrating 100 years. That's something, right?
Buckingham Fountain flows
April (weather permitting)
The switch gets flipped for Grant Park's centerpiece to spout sometime in April, depending on the steadiness of the weather. Perfect timing: Lollapalooza's line up was announced in early April last year.
Comiskey Home Opener
April 4 (3:10 p.m.)
Take the Monday off. No one will blame you. The Southside actually has room to tailgate, and it's your first real chance to do that this year.
Outdoor Dining
May 1
There isn't one official day when all of Chicago's bars and restaurants open their patios, rooftops and other lovely outdoor spaces-it's up to the ownership of individual venues-but weather permitting, the first day of May is the unofficial kickoff of al fresco dining and drinking season. Remember two years ago we had that fluke heat wave in March? Here's hoping.
Green City Market
May 3
Chicago's only year-round Farmers Market emerges from its indoor winter hideout the first Saturday in May, at the intersection of Clark Street and Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park. The Wednesday-and-Saturday market runs through November, and let's be honest, the winter made you forget fresh produce can be purchased somewhere without a roof.
Drinking Margaritas
May 5, 2014
MAAAAAAAAAAAARGS! Cinco de DRINKO! This holiday marks the first real warm-weather booze bonanza, and it never fails to turn people into tequila-chugging idiots.
Beaches Open
May 23
The water will take some time to warm up, but beach season is on toward the end of May, the surest sign anything but a thunderstorm will keep you from the lakefront until it gets chilly again.
Do Division/Street Fest Season
May 30-June 1, 2014:
There's nothing quite like the beautiful sting of your first fest-season sunburn. Do Division is one of the earliest music-packed street fests of the summer, and one prime opportunity to work on those tank-top tan lines.
Movies in the Park
June
Movies? Without a couch? Yes. The Chicago Park District's citywide outdoor cinema kicks off in June, and just maybe, will give you an excuse to cancel Netflix. (But probably not.)
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