It grates on my sensibilities when fishing the Chicago lakefront to have to take care of business by swinging open the driver's door, then acting like I am looking for something on the dashboard.
I'm a reasonably respectable 54-year-old with a wife and four kids. There's absolutely no reason I should have to stoop to that.
But it's tough to find a portable toilet or open permanent bathroom on long stretches of the lakefront. For fishermen in particular, it's a dilemma.
Bikers can whiz past at death-delivering speeds to reach a place to take a wizz in minutes. Runners can do the same.
For fishermen, walkers and birders, not so much.
With fishermen, there's also gear. My basic set up — Falcon rod, Shimano reel, lures, wet bag — is worth about $300. My camera and bag doubles that. With a second rod, the value triples.
Not the sort of things you leave unattended to walk a mile or two to find a restroom.
That point was driven home last week, on the North Side and South Side.
On Aug. 1, I fished 39th/Oakwood with Ray Hinton for the reopening of perch season. As the sun rose and the Chatham man sipped coffee, he pointed out that there was no portable toilet in sight.
A few days later, I also checked that wonderful and newly accessible area between 31st and McCormick Place. None there either.
The options are to pack up and drive off or to air your privates in public.
It's ridiculous, and a fixable problem. But it's one the Chicago Park District has known about for decades and not taken care of satisfactorily.
In the past, the issue for fishermen would be hashed out in the mayor's fishing advisory committee with temporary fixes. But that committee has lapsed into rubberstamping park district policies more than being an advocate.
Winter and early spring are far worse for bathroom access when permanent restrooms are closed.
Some winters back, after an ice fishing event at Belmont Harbor, a portable toilet was left on shore. Fishermen took delight that other lakefront users — joggers, dog-walkers, bikers, birders — used it even more than fishermen.
That issue is hardly restricted to the South Side.
The evening of the perch opener, Charlie Yates made a request on Facebook from the North Side.
''May I ask your help regarding Montrose Harbor?'' he asked. ''I've tried two alderman offices and the Park District with no luck. The issue is the fact that on the east side of the harbor there is one of those Porta-Pottys and not too far from that is a permanent facility. Now why can't we fisherman have a Porta-Potty on the west side, the golf course side. I don't think this is an unreasonable request or an expensive one.''
He's absolutely right. Nor am I surprised that when he started a petition, lakefront users other than fishermen wanted to sign it.
Look, most of us who are outdoors a lot have learned to take care of business however necessary.
I put myself through the first couple years of college by landscaping summers in Washington. I can go by a petunia plant — cue the Tiny Tim parody — and you would never know. But nobody should have to do that in a park setting.
Decent bathroom options are a basic service that should be properly provided by the Park District.
Places and faces
John Kidd Jr. earned "Heroes Among Us'' status in the Aug. 15 issue of People for his 20 years of introducing 10,000 urban kids to the outdoors through "Fishin' Buddies!'' . . . Multiple stories swirl around Greg Myerson's possible world-record striped bass (81.88 pounds). He caught it on live eels Thursday night near Westbrook, Conn. The International Game Fish Association currently recognizes a 78-pound striper.
Wild things
The Perseid meteor shower, my favorite sky event, peaks Saturday night, unfortunately on full moon. Better to look before dawn the next couple mornings.
Stray cast
The Sox are like that smallmouth bass you can't quite hook in the eddy behind the big rock. The Cubs are like eDNA testing for Asian carp.
The area between 31st and McCormick Place, shown here after the rain Saturday morning, is like many other long stretches of the lakefront: visually beautiful and vitally lacking in basic creature needs. | Dale Bowman~for the sun-times
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