Chicago Girls Who Walk forge community in city strolls; Saturday’s trek celebrated Mother’s Day
An overcast sky and the possibility of rain were not enough to dampen palpable excitement as a group of 30 women gathered Saturday morning at a mostly quiet intersection in Humboldt Park.
Micaila Marcinko, 25, took the lead, asking whether it was anyone’s first stroll with Chicago Girls Who Walk. Most attendees raised their hand sheepishly.
“I literally just started this to help people make friends and make friends myself,” Marcinko told the Tribune. “We’re just taking it day by day, because I didn’t expect any of this to go as far as it has.”
Every spring and summer weekend for the last year, Marcinko gets together dozens of young women to take a walk somewhere in the city — the Riverwalk, Millennium Park, Belmont Harbor, Wrigley Field, Humboldt Park and more. They will trek The 606 trail Monday.
Though they try to avoid rainy days, the weather is no discouragement for these young women: their first walk of 2023 was during below-freezing temperatures in March.
Ahead of Mother’s Day Sunday, organizers encouraged participants to bring their mothers and grandmothers to the Humboldt Park walk. And so Saturday’s group was also a testament to the fact that Chicago Girls Who Walk is not just for girls — it’s open to women of all ages who are seeking community, eager to explore the city and itching to spend time outside.
“It kind of shows that people want to get together, want to get some exercise, and it’s nice because you see different parts of the city,” said Marcinko’s mother Patti Marcinko, who drove about an hour from Oswego for the Mother’s Day walk.
The group’s popularity grew from social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, where a few videos have gone viral. On a regular walk, about 30 to 50 women show up, by Marcinko’s estimates. On a good day, the number can grow to almost 100.
It could be overwhelming to organize, given that Marcinko has a full-time day job. But as the group has grown, she has grown her team as well, with walk leaders and event coordinators. The latter plan social events outside of walks, such as fitness classes, outings for drinks and even a Cubs game recently.
But Marcinko pointed out that she also studied hospitality and tourism at Roosevelt University, and took some classes on event planning. “So it’s like my shtick,” she said with a laugh.
While it might be intimidating to join the group at first, Marcinko said, everyone is welcoming and most participants come on their own, looking to make friends. Her own core group of friends has grown out of these walks, for example.
The group chooses locations based on recommendations from walk leaders and requests from participants. “We’re just trying to get around everywhere,” Marcinko said. “I’m always trying to switch it up ... so more people have a chance to go, so it’s easier to commute.”
The Humboldt Park neighborhood had recently been highly requested as a walk destination. And so the Saturday group made their way through the winding paths of its namesake park. They passed the Little Cubs Baseball Field, some ponds, a playground and a basketball court. Many dandelions — too many to count — sprinkled the grass along the path.
“Oh, girl, I love your sweater,” a woman told another who was wearing a Harry Potter hoodie. They started talking about the “Harry Potter: Magic at Play” experience at Water Tower Place, then they discussed wizarding-themed Wicker Park bar The Cauldron. Then, of course, came an exciting exchange of bar recommendations across the city.
Gloria Garcia, a Brighton Park resident who has been a bartender for seven years, said she’d been following the group since its inception but was never able to join the walks due to scheduling conflicts with her job.
But it worked out this Saturday, so Garcia decided to bring her mother and sister along to celebrate Mother’s Day, given that she has to bartend Sunday.
“I was a little nervous,” Garcia said. “But everyone’s been so friendly. It was just a very welcoming experience.”
Garcia’s mother Antonia Alvarez emigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, to the United States in the 1960s. She’s a McKinley Park resident.
“I was so surprised when she told me, ‘Come on over.’ I said, ‘All the way over there?’” Alvarez said, laughing. “I enjoyed walking with all these wonderful people.”
As the group kept walking — some leisurely, straggling behind, and some purposefully, leading from a distance — they passed two men playing pickleball. A pair of bird-watchers held up their binoculars, pointing at a tree. The park was full of geese, ducks and red-winged blackbirds.
“I love everything you’re doing!” one of the young women yelled at someone from afar — it was newly elected Ald. Jessi Fuentes, who represents the 26th Ward, where Humboldt Park is located.
Patti Marcinko said she was a bit worried when her daughter first told her about her plans to form Chicago Girls Who Walk.
“I was kind of nervous, because here she is, in the city, and as a mom, I kind of worried about, ‘Who’s she gonna meet? Are people gonna want to do this?’ And the safety factor always comes to mind,” she said.
“I’m very proud of her,” she added, tearing up. “To put this all together and see her in action — it’s pretty cool.”
