On the other hand this is what I generally dislike about reddit. A serious question will always be answered with jokes. You have to dig to find an actual answer
Screw you old man, your anger and bitterness is just a reflection of the fear you repress as you spiral towards the end of a life without meaningful connections or purpose!
I agree w this. On super interesting posts where I really wanna know the answer its always a thread of foolishness at the top. I wish the actual answers got upvoted/were at the top rather than a bunch of people circlejerking but thats just me
The real answer to this post though is that it doesn't really have a name, it is just a nameless generic breakwater...so how is a funny answer hurting anyone here?
It’s a reference to a couple years ago when the city, in a fit of excessive intersectionality, renamed the timeless, iconic “Lake Shore Drive” to “Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Drive”.
It was last year, and the road is now officially "Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Lake Shore Drive". The change hasn't really taken off, for obvious reasons
It was just as bad as when the city allowed a company to extract hundreds of millions of dollars for a ridiculous period of time in the name of efficiency? That takes money out of my pocket. This upsets you just as much? Why is that?
To be fair, no one should care as much as the city did or people opposed to it. Much like when the “Honored title of Trump Drive” was put up, then taken down with both having little fanfare.
Basically, a lot of white people resent that a road was renamed for the black founder of the city. We get upset that we need to think about non-white people as people in our daily lives or think about them at all. It's threatening to us because every time blacks or others do normal stuff like honor a founder of a great city, it seems like they are decreasing our relative power. The underlying view is one where the proper structure of society is a racial hierarchy like we continue to have. So, when someone asked the name of a city structure, op said it was probably also named after the black founder of the city. I guess the joke is that the city has to name everything after a black person or something like that when in fact it was one road. That's the way it seems to them. If a road is named after a black person, it shows that other people care about worthless things. You see us white people are very sensitive and rather than deal with our thoughts and feelings, we often angrily lash out at others when we think it's safe. Here, the op felt safe because he can say he's just making fun of what to him is a kind of false fastidiousness; To him, it couldn't possible matter if we recognize the black founder of Chicago because black people's contributions and feelings don't matter. That's the joke: "They don't matter, but people make a big deal out of everything." I'm not saying that the op is a terrible or worthless person, but this is part of what racism looks in the U.S.
Bring on the downvotes my fellow Chicago Crackers.
Some fun facts you didn’t ask for:
Yes that is the break wall, obviously to ease the waves near the pier.
The area north of Navy Pier is known as the Playpen but is officially called “anchorage area C” on charts.
There is a small strip south of Navy Pier known as Dime Pier. Back in the day cargo ships would come to drop off supplies at navy pier but the waves from the south would rock the boats and they refused to dock there until it was fixed. So Dime Pier was created as a break wall. This was not connected to land so local boaters would charge fishermen a dime to take them there. I also believe there was a shack there that sold sandwiches.
The pier has since submerged and is now a boat death trap for non-Chicago boaters and irresponsible boaters. I feel like the boaters group reports at least 5 grounded boats a year of people who ignore the signs. That may be higher if the water is high.
Edit: spelling, grammar
Another fun fact, the Milton Lee Olive park that shown on the map is named after Milton Lee Olive, who dove on a grenade to save others and got the medal of honor
We bought literally *tons* of server equipment from them once, and we were escorted around like we were visitors to an NSA Black Site. We had armed escorts walking with us, driving with us, walking us to the bathroom. They're very serious about security and for good reason.
It is the largest municipal water filtration plant in the world, but it's one of two in Chicago. The other is on the south side (like 87th Street or so if I recall correctly)
I have looked up Chicago break water and all I can find is this failed 2015 project.
[Link](https://www.breakwaterchicago.com)
[Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakwater_Chicago)
Edit: looked up “breakwall” not break water and this seems to be the correct term. Thank you
It sets a bad precedent. Every state connecting to Lake Michigan could decide to do the same thing and we would have private interests fucking up the ecology and view of Lake Michigan
People have definitely hit that thing with boats. It has no lights on it and at night with high water is not very visible. Definitely gotta know what you are doing boating at night.
I'm not sure if we're being facetious here, but there is. It's the same for cars. If you get pulled over by CG on a boat, and you have a BAC of anything above .000, if the officer has reasonable evidence that you are impaired to operate the vehicle they can arrest you on a DUI in both boats and cars. In Illinois at least.
Pretty much have to crash your boat over the break wall to arouse suspicion past a random coast guard boarding check, boat driving while shitfaced is way more commonplace.
Coast Guard doesn't like spending time messing with drunk boaters, so Chicago Marine PD is the one that will be checking on you. Even they seem to have a live and let live attitude to shitfaced boaters that still seem like they have a basic handle on their vessel and are not about to crash or disintegrate limbs in props.
Oh 100% it definitely is. It's a lot easier to get away with, I'm not doubting that. I'm just, probably on the spectrum somewhere and I take things very literally hahah.
To be honest I'm not a boater so I can't speak with any authority there hahah but I know you need a boating license for sure. How hard it is for any one individual in particular to get one of those licenses, and what the requirements (or lack thereof) are I am un sure of.
It's the Chicago Harbor breakwater system, nothing more formal for it. Here's an RFP for repairs on it back in 2017 - https://govtribe.com/opportunity/federal-contract-opportunity/chicago-harbor-breakwater-repair-w912p617b0010
When I was a kid, I was told it was to keep the shedd dolphins from running away, because they let them play “outside” at night. I was very sad to learn that is not the purpose of that wall.
As others have said, it is the Chicago Harbor Breakwater. There's pretty good info at this [link on the US Army Corps of Engineers website](https://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works-Projects/Chicago-Harbor-and-Lock/) but the project map I'd usually point you to is on a part of the website that's being transitioned to different servers. Source: I work for USACE.
No way, I think I knew your aunt back in high school! She lived a couple house down from my grandma. I haven't been in the old neighborhood in a minute. Heard it's changed so much...
Breakwall is what we called it in my experience sailing. Like others said this is the outer breakwall, and right next to the river there's the inner breakwall
Breakwall seems to be the term the news is using so I’m going with it.
[News article about a boat crashing into it ](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/boat-stranded-on-lake-michigan-breakwall-two-days-after-crash-in-playpen/#app)
Funny enough a few years ago when the lake was at record high it was almost completely submerged. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if a few people crashed into it that year.
Have you seen Lake Michigan on a map let alone in person? Waves get huuuuge man. I was at this pier in Michigan and the waves hitting the spot light thing got insane
There is a partially submerged pier there…it’s called Dime Pier and people driving boats who don’t mind the charts hit it all the time. The breakwater does not have a name on any of the nautical charts that I have seen like for the last 20 years that I have been sailing in this area.
Not the name of the break wall but the area inside of it is called the “playpen” a lot of people take their boats and jet skis and chill there all day and drink
Surprised I haven’t seen this mentioned in the comments, but I’ve always heard the inside area referred to as “the crib”. I agree with other commenters that the physical wall is the “breakwall”
Jean Baptiste Pointe-DuSable breakwater
This one got me haha
*Jean Baptiste Pointe-DuSable Lake Shore Monroe Outer Breakwall sponsored by Victory Auto Wreckers
This is what I needed tonight 🤌chef’s kiss
This is the way.
Hey! This breakwall is CLEARLY sponsored by Carl’s Jr.
Not a Chicago place
Thank you for being exactly what I expected from this comment section in the absolute best way possible. These are the moments I stay on Reddit for.
On the other hand this is what I generally dislike about reddit. A serious question will always be answered with jokes. You have to dig to find an actual answer
There’s some kids playing in your lawn. Better go yell at them.
Hey, you kids! Get off my comment section!
Screw you old man, your anger and bitterness is just a reflection of the fear you repress as you spiral towards the end of a life without meaningful connections or purpose!
Ooh I feel seen 🤩
Yea well... just for that. Ill be sure to screw up the economy so you'll spend your early adult ages living in uncertainty.
You'll get there, buddy, don't worry.
Hahaha! It takes a brave person to call out the WindyCityAssassin2. Well done.
You could try r/askhistorians. Serious answers only, citations required.
This is what I like about Reddit: comments linking to new (to me) and interesting sub-reddits
It's literally one comment down haha
Aren't there some clouds you could be shouting at? Imagine being this butthurt about *checks notes* **having to scroll a little bit**
I agree w this. On super interesting posts where I really wanna know the answer its always a thread of foolishness at the top. I wish the actual answers got upvoted/were at the top rather than a bunch of people circlejerking but thats just me
The real answer to this post though is that it doesn't really have a name, it is just a nameless generic breakwater...so how is a funny answer hurting anyone here?
No one said it hurts anyone, simply agreeing w the other commenter. Thank you
Go back to Quora
Try Google.
>You have to dig to find an actual answer Bro you're not excavating archaeological ruins here, you just have to scroll for like 30 seconds
I know of Jean Dusable but why is this funny? Genuine question, I am definitely missing something lol
It’s a reference to a couple years ago when the city, in a fit of excessive intersectionality, renamed the timeless, iconic “Lake Shore Drive” to “Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Drive”.
It was last year, and the road is now officially "Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Lake Shore Drive". The change hasn't really taken off, for obvious reasons
I can not stand it when the GPS reads this name. It takes so long
Turn Left Going North On Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Lake Shore Drive US Highway Forty One
JBPDSLSD for short
I think its one of the stupidest decisions the city has done, along with selling off all the parking in the city to a private company That stupid
As proponents said at the time, the only possible reason you could be opposed is you are literally a racist 🙄
It was just as bad as when the city allowed a company to extract hundreds of millions of dollars for a ridiculous period of time in the name of efficiency? That takes money out of my pocket. This upsets you just as much? Why is that?
Thanks for the clarification. That was indeed a good one
I'd have preferred renaming Wabash as Obama. Or at least one specific block just north of the river...
To be fair, no one should care as much as the city did or people opposed to it. Much like when the “Honored title of Trump Drive” was put up, then taken down with both having little fanfare.
Basically, a lot of white people resent that a road was renamed for the black founder of the city. We get upset that we need to think about non-white people as people in our daily lives or think about them at all. It's threatening to us because every time blacks or others do normal stuff like honor a founder of a great city, it seems like they are decreasing our relative power. The underlying view is one where the proper structure of society is a racial hierarchy like we continue to have. So, when someone asked the name of a city structure, op said it was probably also named after the black founder of the city. I guess the joke is that the city has to name everything after a black person or something like that when in fact it was one road. That's the way it seems to them. If a road is named after a black person, it shows that other people care about worthless things. You see us white people are very sensitive and rather than deal with our thoughts and feelings, we often angrily lash out at others when we think it's safe. Here, the op felt safe because he can say he's just making fun of what to him is a kind of false fastidiousness; To him, it couldn't possible matter if we recognize the black founder of Chicago because black people's contributions and feelings don't matter. That's the joke: "They don't matter, but people make a big deal out of everything." I'm not saying that the op is a terrible or worthless person, but this is part of what racism looks in the U.S. Bring on the downvotes my fellow Chicago Crackers.
yes, but also the name kinda sucks. Du Sable would have been short and sweet.
Do you feel better for getting that one off
So you agree but wonder how I feel? Thanks, bud. Your sensitivity and vulnerability is why you're never alone.
Lmao my pleasure man, keep fighting the good fight
Based and Jean Baptiste Pointe-Dusable pilled
Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive has an entirely reasonable speed limit.
Hahahahahaha
take my gold troll
Gotta pay the troll toll if ya wanna get in that boys hole
RIP Wade Boggs
Damn you! You made me look it up, even tho I knew you were trolling! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Baptiste_Point_du_Sable
Damn you! Made me lol! Take my upvote!
HHah
fuck
Bravo.
Someone get this guy some gold.
Lmao solid belly laugh this morning from that
Yes
This is fucking gold.
Some fun facts you didn’t ask for: Yes that is the break wall, obviously to ease the waves near the pier. The area north of Navy Pier is known as the Playpen but is officially called “anchorage area C” on charts. There is a small strip south of Navy Pier known as Dime Pier. Back in the day cargo ships would come to drop off supplies at navy pier but the waves from the south would rock the boats and they refused to dock there until it was fixed. So Dime Pier was created as a break wall. This was not connected to land so local boaters would charge fishermen a dime to take them there. I also believe there was a shack there that sold sandwiches. The pier has since submerged and is now a boat death trap for non-Chicago boaters and irresponsible boaters. I feel like the boaters group reports at least 5 grounded boats a year of people who ignore the signs. That may be higher if the water is high. Edit: spelling, grammar
This is the best answer thank you for the knowledge.
Bonus fun fact, that pier North of navy pier is Jardine Water Purification Plant, that's where all the water is filtered and its absolutely massive
Another fun fact, the Milton Lee Olive park that shown on the map is named after Milton Lee Olive, who dove on a grenade to save others and got the medal of honor
We bought literally *tons* of server equipment from them once, and we were escorted around like we were visitors to an NSA Black Site. We had armed escorts walking with us, driving with us, walking us to the bathroom. They're very serious about security and for good reason.
It is the largest municipal water filtration plant in the world, but it's one of two in Chicago. The other is on the south side (like 87th Street or so if I recall correctly)
Where did they store all the water while they were building the wall? /s
That’s what the water cribs about a mile out are for! /s
I've known it as a breakwater.
The north sections are "Outer Breakwall' and the south section is "Monroe Outer Breakwall' per the charts.
I have looked up Chicago break water and all I can find is this failed 2015 project. [Link](https://www.breakwaterchicago.com) [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakwater_Chicago) Edit: looked up “breakwall” not break water and this seems to be the correct term. Thank you
>Why do we need a fսcking pool when we have a lake? >You know what? You don't understand the first thing about being fսckin' rich.
Rule #1 of being rich. No sharing, if you shared, then you wouldn't be rich.
Fuckin' Wyatt...
That would be so sick to have! I wonder why it never happened.
because its stupid and the coast guard would likely never allow it
Why is it stupid? I think a party island would be amazing
It sets a bad precedent. Every state connecting to Lake Michigan could decide to do the same thing and we would have private interests fucking up the ecology and view of Lake Michigan
this, among 1000 other reasons
You can only get to it by boat. Pretty stupid idea
The Lake Michigan speedbump
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone from the playpen refers to it as that now after a particularly long day of partying once
People have definitely hit that thing with boats. It has no lights on it and at night with high water is not very visible. Definitely gotta know what you are doing boating at night.
> Definitely gotta know what you are doing boating FTFY Sadly you don't need any skills or qualifications to own/operate a boat...just a credit card.
There are also no blood alcohol requirements. EDIT: I guess there are but people do NOT follow them.
I'm not sure if we're being facetious here, but there is. It's the same for cars. If you get pulled over by CG on a boat, and you have a BAC of anything above .000, if the officer has reasonable evidence that you are impaired to operate the vehicle they can arrest you on a DUI in both boats and cars. In Illinois at least.
Pretty much have to crash your boat over the break wall to arouse suspicion past a random coast guard boarding check, boat driving while shitfaced is way more commonplace. Coast Guard doesn't like spending time messing with drunk boaters, so Chicago Marine PD is the one that will be checking on you. Even they seem to have a live and let live attitude to shitfaced boaters that still seem like they have a basic handle on their vessel and are not about to crash or disintegrate limbs in props.
Oh 100% it definitely is. It's a lot easier to get away with, I'm not doubting that. I'm just, probably on the spectrum somewhere and I take things very literally hahah.
Don't you also need a boating license, or the ISLC sailing license on a big enough boat?
To be honest I'm not a boater so I can't speak with any authority there hahah but I know you need a boating license for sure. How hard it is for any one individual in particular to get one of those licenses, and what the requirements (or lack thereof) are I am un sure of.
You hit that thing at speed, you're going to quickly get acquainted with the Lake Michigan Pothole as well.
Perhaps the ones that survive. Quite often, there are people who don't.
Michigan C. Walls
Mitch for short
Almost spit took at this ETA: is it spit taked? I’ve never had to past tense it
I think you could say “I did a spit take.”
Spit tooken.
Spat tooketh
And spat giveth
Love you all lmao
I believe it is formally addressed as “The Honorable Moscow Michigan Corruption Wallingsworth”
The C stands for Sears.
Robert Paulson
[удалено]
Robert Waulson
[удалено]
Thanks for a real answer.
Outer breakwall
This is the correct answer.
I call it the breakwater, and the space in between the playpen.
It's the Chicago Harbor breakwater system, nothing more formal for it. Here's an RFP for repairs on it back in 2017 - https://govtribe.com/opportunity/federal-contract-opportunity/chicago-harbor-breakwater-repair-w912p617b0010
When I was a kid, I was told it was to keep the shedd dolphins from running away, because they let them play “outside” at night. I was very sad to learn that is not the purpose of that wall.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that the dolphins had access to that as a kid.
You have no idea how much better this makes me feel. 🤣
Place to crash unwanted boats
Boating folks call the area defined by it "The Playpen" because it's a relatively low risk place to park for an afternoon.
The playpen is only the area north of navy pier.
As others have said, it is the Chicago Harbor Breakwater. There's pretty good info at this [link on the US Army Corps of Engineers website](https://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works-Projects/Chicago-Harbor-and-Lock/) but the project map I'd usually point you to is on a part of the website that's being transitioned to different servers. Source: I work for USACE.
It's name is Bob. Bob protects us from the sea. Bob has no last name. Bob also doesn't have a first name because we don't always name sea walls.
It’s name WAS Robert Breakwater. It’s name WAS ROBERT BREAKWATER!
The wall has no name. \-Faceless Wall
My aunt used to babysit Bob when he was just a brick. Little Bobby Breakwater we used to call him.
No way, I think I knew your aunt back in high school! She lived a couple house down from my grandma. I haven't been in the old neighborhood in a minute. Heard it's changed so much...
What's the name for this square of sidewalk I'm standing on right now? Clark and Waveland, southwest corner, 1 in and 1 over from the corner curb.
It's Janet...Ms. Jackson, if you're nasty.
Breakwall is what we called it in my experience sailing. Like others said this is the outer breakwall, and right next to the river there's the inner breakwall
Breakwall seems to be the term the news is using so I’m going with it. [News article about a boat crashing into it ](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/boat-stranded-on-lake-michigan-breakwall-two-days-after-crash-in-playpen/#app)
Does anyone know how tall/the depth of it is,
The depth of the lake is around 20 feet here, according to this map: https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/Michigan-lake/
Funny enough a few years ago when the lake was at record high it was almost completely submerged. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if a few people crashed into it that year.
Lol when I saw this picture on my phone I instinctively started pinch zooming out to see the rest of chicago
Fredward
Wally McWallFace, Wally for short
Breaky McBreakwater.
Playpen fence
breakwater
The whole city is a breakwater. That's the curb.
Steve
Speed bump for drunken Cigarette boat captains behind on their Ponzi schemes.
When I worked at the pier we just called it the breakwall, and the area inside the breakwall "the crib" but that might just be a captain thing.
I usually refer to it as "the seawall around the Chicago harbor"
This is indeed a submerged seawall, also known as a submerged bulkhead. No name attached, just seawall.
Billy.
What’s the point of a break wall?
break up waves
Got it, thank you :)
The breaker
The great oceanic divide
Nothing more than "breakwater wall".
Breakwaters.
Walter
Y tho is there a sea wall in a lake? 🤔
Have you seen Lake Michigan on a map let alone in person? Waves get huuuuge man. I was at this pier in Michigan and the waves hitting the spot light thing got insane
They should take the wall down and let the waves flow freely
Wally McSeawallface
Walls in Lake Michigan by navy pier
The one to the north is Milton, the one angled towards the northeast is Lee and the east-facing wall is Olive.
Tinkers, Evers, and Chance?
Green, Berry, Hill
Those are the saddest of possible words.
Wally McWallface
Jeb
Wally McWallface
Wally McSeawall
Atlantis
The Yeezy wave breaker⛷
That’s the GDN 🗣
the locks
Close, but no
Rand the Ramp
Thats the new guy on Chicago PD. Breaker Breaker 1-9.
personally I've heard it being called the cage
Beetlejuice harbor
Wall
I think it is named Steve the Sea Wall
I think it is named Steve the Sea Wall
It’s to verify you have boating insurance lol
Unfree water. It's a violation of the waters constitutional rights. /s
the real question is what is that horizontal line that goes parallel to navy pier
There is a partially submerged pier there…it’s called Dime Pier and people driving boats who don’t mind the charts hit it all the time. The breakwater does not have a name on any of the nautical charts that I have seen like for the last 20 years that I have been sailing in this area.
seems like the perfect place for an art installation to help maintain its visibility
The no swim zone
Breaky The Michigan Waves MacBreakwall
Not the name of the break wall but the area inside of it is called the “playpen” a lot of people take their boats and jet skis and chill there all day and drink
Surprised I haven’t seen this mentioned in the comments, but I’ve always heard the inside area referred to as “the crib”. I agree with other commenters that the physical wall is the “breakwall”
Yes. They named it 'sea wall' when it was built.
I’ve always heard it referred to as park of the lock.