CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The riverwalk in downtown Chicago was crowded with locals taking lunch breaks, tourists snapping pictures, and students passing time in between classes.
They were soaking in what might be the last day of 70 degree weather in 2022.
Yasmine Valencia and Grace Wallace, both sophomores at Loyola University in Chicago, were relaxing on a set of steps and sipping matcha lattes.
Wallace said the nice weather allows her to engage in one of her favorite activities.
"I love the riverwalk,"she said. "I'm not down here enough. It's fun to people-watch, but I like dog-watching more, especially from these steps."
Valencia agreed and said she's also getting ready for the cold weather she knows is coming.
"To prepare for it mentally, I've been trying to get out as much as possible while it is still nice, so that I don't feel bad about hibernating later when it is cold," Valencia said.
"To prepare for [winter] mentally, I've been trying to get out as much as possible while it is still nice, so that I don't feel bad about hibernating later when it is cold," Yasmine Valencia said.Carolina Garibay
Sam Hicks, visiting from Reno, Nev., was simply taking in the unexpected warm weather along the river.
"We've been in kinda the same weather pattern back in Nevada," Hicks said. "So, we're just kind of following the warm weather, and then we'll go home."
Dena Hobbs, from Lakeview, was enjoying her lunch break on the Riverwalk.
She said Thursday was one of those days when she can tell how much people love Chicago.
"You can literally feel something different in the air," Hobbs said. "It's not just the weather. It's like everyone is actually happy to be here in Chicago, which I think sometimes gets lost in those winter, gloomy days."
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