Wildfire smoke ruins views, makes being outside unpleasant around Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Summer has been officially here for about a week now - and many people would probably like to soak up the sun, just like the Sheryl Crow song.
But "soak up the smoke?" It rhymes, strangely enough, but it's not a good idea -- and not something anyone was enjoying doing Tuesday. Thanks to Canadian wildfire smoke, the air quality in Chicago on Tuesday was the worst of any city in the world.
The Chicago Park District has canceled three Movies in the Parks events, and Broadway in your Backyard event has been called off in Logan Square. In Evanston, an outdoor concert has been canceled and beaches are closed.
One look in the sky tells you all you need to know when it comes to why those decisions were made. The smoke had visibility down to one to three miles late Tuesday.
As CBS 2's Noel Brennan reported, even the most picturesque places in Chicago didn't make for the best pictures Tuesday.
Cameras seem to love Chicago – with beautiful cityscapes in sight no matter what the weather. But it takes a tour guide like Kevin Doerksen to see a silver lining on a day when you can't see much else – because of the wildfire smoke.
Doerksen's group was taking photos at the Bean – or Cloud Gate – at Millennium Park.
"A little more ethereal than it probably normally is because of the smoke. It adds kind of a cool effect in the background, so I'm liking it from that end," Doerksen said. "Just a little hard to breathe, that's all."
Arlene Koziol was not enjoying it so much.
"Can barely see the outline of the buildings," she said as she tried to take a photo herself. "Today, I'm concerned to see the smoke all the way down here from Canada - and it makes me sad."
As wildfires burn in Canada, northerly winds have brought the worst air quality in the world to Chicago.
Laurie Zacharie was Lincoln Park Tuesday afternoon, along the North Pond.
"When you're a tourist, everybody says to come here, because it's beautiful," Zacharie said.
There is a tower viewer alongside the South Pond for a better look across the water and toward the skyline. But no amount of knob-turning on that tower viewer will make the skies any clearer.
"It's a really nice place to take pictures, especially when you have the kids with you," Zacharie said.
Zacaharie came with campers from the Lycée Français de Chicago. She hoped the campers would discover the city on Tuesday.
"We can't really see well, but it's interesting," Zacharie said.
But Chicago is hiding in its haze.
"I hope it gets better," a boy with the group said. "I want to come back and see the entire thing - not just a few buildings."
And one city's smoky problem is the same as everyone else's.
"It's impacting everyone – definitely," Zacharie said. "Back in France, we also have the smoke from the fire from Canada. It's crossed the oceans, and we also have it."
It is not the image Chicago wants to reflect.
"I was not expecting to see this in Chicago – no, not at all," Doerksen told his group at Millennium Park.
The City of Chicago advised those without access to properly-ventilated and safe indoor conditions to use public libraries, Park District facilities, senior centers, the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington St., or the city's community service centers – which are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. One community service center, the Garfield Center at 10 S. Kedzie Ave., is open 24 hours.
