Connors Park

Connors Park may be the smallest of Chicago's 800 parks, but it is also one of the prettiest. Sitting on a triangle of land bordered by North Rush Street, East Chestnut Street and North Wabash Street in the city's affluent Near North Side, this little green space is surrounded by downtown Chicago with its impressive skyscrapers, boutiques and other upscale stores and restaurants. 

One of the distinctive features of the park is the Argo Tea Cafe and Greenhouse Pavilion, which welcomes pooches at its outdoor, shaded seating. Open from 7 am to 10 pm, it shares the focus of Connors with a beautiful fountain and monstrous old tree. Argo Tea is a pawrfect gathering place for a beverage and a sandwich or croissant with your fur-baby. Because it's actually part of Connors Park, its brick patio and glass-walled pavilion has become a place where the public can hang out with their pups, read a book or newspaper and watch the bustling city from within an area that is replete with plants, shrubs and flowers.

There's also seating around the circular fountain plaza that boasts a lovely cement trellis, ringed by benches and street lamps festooned with climbing plants and colorful hanging baskets. While there's no playground here, human  kiddos love to play in the fountain and humans sit around it, often on the fountain wall itself. The fountain can also provide some refreshing spray for pups, and its gentle rainfall sound is soothing to human and beast alike. The short gravel path leading to the interior of the park is lined with hostas and other plants, and hydrangeas ring the plaza. A waste bag dispenser is provided, so there's no excuse for not picking up after your pup. The other visitors to this pristine oasis will appreciate it! 

The tranquil atmosphere and beautiful surroundings are often sought out by humans and their dogs for some bonding and relaxation.