The South Loop Yeti Spotted

Last night we took Mazurka on her maiden 2007 voyage. Our friends Jay and Lynn came with us. We planned to go up the river, to Webster and Ashland, and have dinner at the Green Dolphin. It was freezing cold, and raining, but who cares - the calendar says it's spring!



First, we went south a bit, to Ping Tom Park in Chinatown, where we turned around to head north. A police boat was coming towards us. It seemed to be emitting a strange siren, sort of like a dog call. We worried that it was summoning us. On deck, one of the cops crouched low, and waved – I thought for sure he was going to pull us over for something – but then he pointed to shore and called, “There’s coyotes!”

There are rumors of illusive coyotes in the South Loop. Just last week, one reportedly walked into a Quizno’s on Michigan Avenue. I’ve heard them calling in the night, but I’ve never seen one. Not till tonight, when all of a sudden, three good-sized pups burst out of the bush, tackling one another.

They’re fast, and camouflaged, and hard to see at dusk on a cloudy night…but I managed to capture one good image of the mother.


We saw other strange Chicago wildlife on our trip north, such as the not-so-illusive, far-too-prevalent Barge-o-Garbage.


And as for food, the Green Dolphin, while a bit on the pricey side, is definitely worth it. Try the ahi tuna, stay for the live jazz.