News

In this week’s ‘Healthy You’ Jane Monzures is checking out the healthy habit of a local graduate student – kayaking! She finds out how hitting the water helps keep him healthy – and gives him a great way to explore Chicago. Watch Kayaking for Health on WGN

Entrepreneurs hope starting Chicago Riverwalk venture now will lay foundation for next year. By Wangui Maina, Tribune reporter The young entrepreneurs know it might seem foolish to start their seasonal business along the Chicago River with Labor Day a week away. And they know their spot on the Chicago Riverwalk isn’t exactly a prime one. Despite these obstacles, which include a year and a half of filing paperwork to get permits to open Urban Kayaks, they decided to take the plunge. On Monday, they set up shop, having moved their 50 neon-painted kayaks behind a fenced area. “We got the permit a month ago,” said Asher Gershenzon, 23. “We know it is late in the season, but we want to establish ourselves for the next season.” Gershenzon, his brother, Aaron Gershenzon, 25, and their friend James Morro, 26, had hoped to open…

Paddling the Chicago River with Urban Kayaks By Nicole Weddington I had always associated kayaking with white­water rapids and nature, but when I looked out the window of the bus one day and saw kayakers paddling down the Chicago River, I knew it could be more leisurely than that, and I had to knock it off of my Chicago bucket list. Brothers Aaron and Asher Gershenzon and partner James Morro, all of them ski instructors in Colorado during the winter, started Urban Kayaks in their hometown two years ago in an effort to keep their adventurous lifestyles going through the calendar year. My best friend and I decided to try the historic guided tour, and we chose the tandem kayak so that I could take pictures. Lead tour guide Aaron Gershenzon was charming and funny as he explained the history…

Kayaking might conjure up white water images and gentle waves on winding lakes but there is a growing urban kayak scene and Chicago plays a significant role in it. Of course, you can kayak on Lake Michigan but that’s so typical. The truly adventurous take to the historic Chicago River, which once flowed into Lake Michigan but was reversed to course toward the Mississippi River basin in the 19th century, forever linking the Great Lakes with the Mississippi waterways. Urban Kayaks supplies a host of tours and rentals for the urban water explorer. The most popular is the Historic Chicago Tour, which glides past the famous Chicago skyline as a guide explains the architecture and current events of the city. The tour runs Monday through Saturday, 10 AM, 12:30 PM, and 3PM for about two hours. The cost is $60 for a single kayak…