Sunshine, crowded beaches, bikinis, tropical drinks with superfluous umbrellas and exotic fruits are some of the images that come to mind as we approach the end of the quarter. As March 21 draws closer, thoughts of snowstorms and final exams are replaced by thoughts of spring break. So where should you spend it this year? Cancun? Panama City Beach? The Bahamas? Or how about right here in Chicago? Yeah, that’s right, Chicago.

“I stayed in Chicago last year,” Emma Dejong, a sophomore finance student, said. “I took the week off work and laid on the beach for seven days.”

With accuweather.com predicting temperatures in the 40s, and possibly into the 50s, during DePaul’s week-long spring break, beach bums like Dejong won’t get the chance to lay out on the shores of Lake Michigan this year.

But Chicago and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer students looking for a much needed getaway. Whatever you decide to do this spring break, keeping it local is all about relaxing and appreciating what is already around you, which is what Michelle Hurtado, a Latin American studies student, plans to do.

“Honestly, I’m just spending time with my family,” Hurtado said. “Going back to the old neighborhood.”

So be a tourist in your own city, go back to the old neighborhood, make a visit to the museum you’ve always thought of checking out and relax this spring break. There’s no need to hop on a plane and visit a tropical destination. There’s plenty to do right in Chicago’s own backyard.

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