Mindfulness Walks in Uptown
As a therapist practicing in Lakeview and serving the Uptown community, I’ve spent countless hours walking these streets between sessions, during lunch breaks, and on my commute home. Over the years, I’ve discovered something powerful: the same neighborhood energy that can feel overwhelming to my clients struggling with urban anxiety can also become a source of grounding and healing.
Uptown has a reputation. It’s loud, diverse, constantly changing, and unapologetically itself. For many of my clients living in the 60640 zip code, this intensity is exactly what brought them to therapy. The Red Line screeching past Wilson Station, the sensory overload of Argyle Street’s markets, the contrast between historic architecture and modern development—it can all feel like too much when you’re already carrying anxiety, depression, or the weight of a major life transition.
But here’s what I’ve learned, both personally and professionally: mindfulness isn’t about escaping to a silent meditation retreat. It’s about finding presence exactly where you are. And Uptown, with all its complexity, offers some of the most meaningful opportunities for grounded, embodied awareness I’ve found anywhere in Chicago.
Today, I want to share five of my favorite mindfulness walks through Uptown. These aren’t just pretty routes (though they are beautiful). They’re therapeutic practices I’ve recommended to clients for years, each designed to help you regulate your nervous system, connect with your surroundings, and find moments of peace in the midst of city life.
Walk 1: The Lakefront Path – Grounding Through Water and Horizon
Route: Montrose Harbor to Foster Beach (approximately 1.5 miles one way)
Best for: Anxiety, racing thoughts, feeling overwhelmed
Time needed: 30-45 minutes
I recommend this walk to nearly every client struggling with anxiety. There’s something about Lake Michigan that immediately shifts our perspective—literally and emotionally.
Start at Montrose Harbor, where the lakefront opens up dramatically. Before you begin walking, pause at the beach area. Take three deep breaths, feeling your feet on the ground. Notice the horizon line where water meets sky. This is your anchor point.
As you walk north on the path, practice what I call “horizon gazing.” Let your eyes rest on that distant line between water and sky. Don’t force any particular thought or feeling—just look. This simple practice activates your parasympathetic nervous system, the part responsible for calm and rest. It’s one reason humans have always found water soothing.
Notice the rhythm of waves, the quality of light on the water, the sound of birds at the bird sanctuary. When your mind wanders to your worries (and it will—that’s normal), gently bring your attention back to a sensory detail: the smell of the lake, the temperature of the breeze, the feeling of your legs moving.
By the time you reach Foster Beach, you’ve given your nervous system 30-45 minutes to downregulate. Many clients tell me this walk helps them access a calm they can’t find anywhere else in the city.
Mindfulness tip: Try the “5-4-3-2-1” technique while walking. Notice 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel physically, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste (even if it’s just your own breath).
Walk 2: Historic Uptown Architecture – A Walk Through Time
Route: Loop from Lawrence to Argyle along Broadway and Sheridan
Best for: Feeling ungrounded, disconnected from place, quarter-life crisis
Time needed: 45-60 minutes
So many of my younger clients, especially those in their twenties and thirties, describe feeling like they’re floating through life without roots. Uptown’s history offers a powerful antidote to that feeling of rootlessness. As an aside, the construct of “roots” is something that comes up often in a form of counseling called relational therapy.
But I digress.
Begin at the Lawrence Red Line stop. As you walk north on Broadway, slow down—much slower than your typical city pace. You’re not trying to get anywhere. You’re bearing witness.
Look up. Really look. The Uptown Theatre’s terracotta facade, the gorgeous details on century-old apartment buildings, the art deco flourishes that survived decades of change. These buildings have stood here through the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, waves of immigration, urban renewal, and everything since.
This practice is about perspective. Your current struggle—the breakup, the job loss, the uncertainty about your future—is real and valid. But you’re also part of a much longer story. Thousands of people have walked these same streets carrying their own griefs and hopes.
As you continue to the Argyle Red Line station, notice how the neighborhood shifts. Vietnamese and East Asian businesses, the aromas of pho and bánh mì, different languages on storefronts. This is living history—a neighborhood that continues to evolve and welcome newcomers.
Mindfulness tip: When you see a building that catches your eye, pause. Imagine who might have looked out those same windows 50 years ago, 100 years ago. What were their lives like? This perspective-taking can be surprisingly soothing when you’re caught in the tunnel vision of your own stress.
Walk 3: The Argyle Street Sensory Walk – Embracing Aliveness
Route: Argyle Street from Broadway to Sheridan and back
Best for: Depression, numbness, disconnection, feeling stuck
Time needed: 20-30 minutes
This might seem counterintuitive. When you’re depressed, the last thing you might want is sensory stimulation. But I’ve seen this short walk work wonders for clients who describe feeling numb or disconnected from life.
Depression often manifests as a flattening of experience—food loses flavor, colors seem dull, nothing feels interesting. The vibrant intensity of Argyle Street offers gentle exposure to aliveness without requiring anything from you except presence.
Start at the Argyle Red Line station. Walk slowly west. Let yourself notice without judgment: the smell of lemongrass and fish sauce from restaurants, the bright reds and golds of storefronts, the sound of different languages mixing together, the visual abundance of produce markets.
You’re not trying to feel happy or excited. You’re just practicing noticing that life is happening all around you. Sometimes when we’re depressed, we need evidence that the world is still spinning, still full of texture and detail, even when we can’t feel it yet.
Stop at one of the bakeries and buy a bánh—something simple. Sit on a bench and eat it slowly, paying attention to temperature, texture, sweetness. This is embodied mindfulness, reminding your system that pleasure and sensation still exist.
Mindfulness tip: If you’re feeling overwhelmed rather than numb, you can modify this walk. Bring headphones and play calming music while you walk, creating a buffer while still exposing yourself to the visual richness of the neighborhood.
Walk 4: The Green Spaces Circuit – Nature in the Urban
Route: Margate Park to Graceland Cemetery (using side streets)
Best for: Grief, life transitions, need for sanctuary
Time needed: 60-90 minutes
When clients are processing grief or navigating major life transitions, they often need spaces that feel separate from the everyday hustle. This longer walk creates a sanctuary circuit through some of Uptown’s most peaceful green spaces.
Start at Margate Park on Marine Drive. This small lakefront park often gets overlooked, which makes it perfect for quiet reflection. Find a bench facing the water. Spend 10-15 minutes here just breathing and watching the lake.
Then walk west and north through the residential streets of Buena Park. Notice how the neighborhood quiets. Tree-lined streets, vintage apartments, a different pace. This transition is intentional—you’re creating space between your everyday stress and a deeper reflection.
Your destination is Graceland Cemetery at Irving Park and Clark. Now, I know what you might be thinking: a cemetery for a mindfulness walk? But hear me out. Graceland is a National Historic Landmark, a beautiful Victorian garden cemetery with winding paths, old trees, and profound quiet in the middle of the city.
Walking through Graceland isn’t morbid—it’s perspective-giving. The monuments to Chicago’s history, the seasonal changes in the landscape, the stillness. When we’re grieving or in transition, we need spaces that acknowledge the weight of human experience. Graceland holds that space.
Mindfulness tip: Bring a journal. Find a bench in Graceland and write down one thing you’re letting go of and one thing you’re carrying forward. You don’t have to do anything with what you write—the act of externalizing is the practice.
Walk 5: The Early Morning Wilson Walk – Meeting Yourself
Route: Wilson Red Line station to Montrose Harbor
Best for: Anxiety, insomnia, need for reset
Time needed: 30-40 minutes
This walk has a specific prescription: do it before 7am, ideally around sunrise.
I recommend this to clients struggling with anxiety and sleep issues, particularly those caught in cycles of rumination. There’s something about early morning that shifts our relationship with the city and with ourselves.
Start at Wilson Station when it’s just beginning to get light. The neighborhood is different now—quieter, softer, belonging more to the people who live here than to the energy of commerce and transit.
Walk east toward the lake. Notice how few people are out. Notice the quality of light. Early morning light is gentler, less harsh than midday sun. Let this softness extend to how you’re treating yourself in this moment.
As you walk, practice what I call “compassionate observation.” Instead of judging your anxious thoughts or your 5am wakeup, just notice: “I’m awake early. I’m walking. I’m breathing.” No story about what this means about you, your life, your problems. Just what is.
By the time you reach Montrose Harbor, the sun is likely rising over the lake. This is your reward for showing up—for yourself, for this practice, for the possibility that you can meet your anxiety with movement and presence rather than struggle.
Mindfulness tip: If you make this a regular practice (even once a week), you’ll start to notice seasonal changes, weather patterns, how the same route offers different experiences. This builds “beginner’s mind”—the ability to meet familiar situations with fresh awareness.
Bringing These Walks Into Your Life
As a therapist, I know that reading about mindfulness practices is easy. Actually doing them is harder. So here’s my realistic advice:
Start with one walk. Pick the one that resonates most with what you’re experiencing right now. Don’t try to do all five this week.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t need the right outfit, the right weather, or the right mood. Just start walking.
Notice, don’t judge. If your mind wanders the entire time, that’s fine. If you feel bored or distracted or uncomfortable, that’s information, not failure.
Let it be enough. A mindfulness walk doesn’t have to fix your anxiety or depression. It just has to be 20-40 minutes where you showed up for yourself.
When Walking Isn’t Enough
I also want to be honest: mindfulness walks are powerful tools, but they’re not therapy. If you’re struggling with persistent anxiety, depression, grief, or life transitions that feel unmanageable, these walks can complement professional support, but they can’t replace it.
At 2nd Story Counseling, we specialize in helping Uptown residents navigate exactly these challenges. Our culturally responsive approach means we understand the specific stressors of urban life in this diverse, dynamic neighborhood. We know what it’s like to live here, work here, and try to build a life here.
Whether you’re dealing with urban anxiety, processing a major transition, or just need support from someone who gets what it’s like to navigate this city, we’re here. And yes, I might even recommend one of these walks as part of your therapeutic work.
Your Turn
I’d love to hear from you. Have you discovered your own mindfulness walks through Uptown or other Chicago neighborhoods? What helps you find calm in the city? Drop a comment below or reach out—I’m always learning from the resilience and creativity of this community.
Until then, I hope I’ll see you out there on the lakefront path, or wandering slowly down Argyle Street, or finding your own moment of peace in this beautiful, complicated neighborhood we call home.
If you’re interested in therapy services in Uptown, Chicago, visit our Uptown therapy page to learn more about our approach and schedule a consultation.
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Photo Credit Attribution: J. Crocker [Wiki-Commons]
