It's really not fair sometimes, is it? It's the perfect day with the perfect temperature and perfect humidity with a lovely breeze, and we had to go to work when we longed to be somewhere else.
Chicagoans we spoke to listed many places they'd rather be than work - the golf course, a Greek island and the beach.
"On the lake boating, getting a suntan, being with my family most of all," said one person.
Why not quit? "No, you've got to work. Work is good for you," said one pedestrian.
That may be true in January, but on a day like this -- ouch.
Then there are those people who were not working Wednesday, and they were doing exactly what they wanted to be doing - basically nothing. One schoolteacher off for the summer listed the best three reasons for being a teacher - June, July and August.
"Spending a Wednesday afternoon on the beach in Chicago; it can't get much better than that," said one beachgoer.
There was summer reading in the sunshine, plenty of bikes along the lakefront and dreamboats that sail you far away from the work world.
