Wouldn't catch me dead in that muck

"It's one of life's greatest pleasures, playing in the sand and the water," the 36-year-old said. Lake Michigan, she explained, "is why you live in Chicago. It's what makes Chicago Chicago."

It may be the same lake, but it is a different story 90 miles north in Milwaukee, where a combination of stinking algae outbreaks, headlines over occasional sewer overflows and dwindling public funding for things such as clean bathrooms and lifeguards have left area beaches largely to the birds. Gulls, specifically.

The once-popular swimming spot at Bradford Beach on the east side still draws droves of strollers, sunbathers and volleyball players on some weekends, but this summer, despite the zero sewer overflows until this week and daily water testing that revealed the water was more often than not certified "good" - perfectly safe for swimming - on many days scarcely a soul dared to wade into the water.

It is not surprising. A big difference between many Wisconsin and Illinois beaches is the stench and the muck that so often plague the Wisconsin shoreline in late summer, and not just in Milwaukee.

So, Phil, I take it you do some laps downtown occassionally? Derek, you probably do some snorkelling? Wind-Surfing for Campbell?

Me? Hmm. I might be just a little dissuaded by the dumping of untreated, raw sewage into any continuous body of water to dive-in for some splashing fun. Others, they may be more comfortable swimming in feces.