Chicagoans, visitors' brave cold for holiday festivities
Saturday's bitterly cold temperatures did not keep people from holiday shopping or taking in the city's festivities.
As dangerous wind chills below zero continue in the Chicago area through Saturday night, some choose to embrace the freeze by getting into it.
Jennifer Villamil and her husband, Christian, were some of the participants at the Wit Hotel who came for a pilates event and stayed for a cold plunge after.
"I don't even like cold showers, but I like pushing myself out of my comfort zone," Jennifer said.
"We have some long socks on, some jeans, a few other layers, just to make sure that we are warm," said Diane Neal.
Neal and her daughter, Jaedyn, came prepared from Madison, Wisconsin, to shop along the Magnificent Mile. That's also where Cleveland Browns fan, Ray Kasper, was found.
"I have my base layers ready to go, I have a pair of lined hiking pants which I already tried while walking the dog," Kasper said.
He said he and his sons are heading to the Bears and Browns game at Soldier Field on Sunday. He said they bought the tickets months ago and plan to tailgate beforehand.
"Just standing around is going to be interesting," Kasper said.
As temperatures continued to dip throughout the day, people still flooded the Maggie Daley Ice Skating Ribbon and the Daley Center Christkindlmarket.
All season, there has been a line outside the Christkindlmarket due to capacity limits. Even on a day when the wind chill was at -3, there was still a slow, but moving line.
A half hour is how long Joey, visiting from Wisconsin, said it took to get through the entrance line.
With only a few weekends before Christmas, the market was still packed with people eager to get festive food and drinks, including Joey, who came dressed for his annual baguette with raclette.
"I just bought these gloves yesterday just to come here and get this sandwich," he said.
Even in the dangerous cold, it can't freeze the holiday spirit or that true Chicago winter grit.