Ideal Bite

Wanna get a glimpse of the high life? Ride on up to the top floor of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s supercool (and cooling) 17,000-square-foot green roof in Lincoln Park. Stroll the visitor path for a good look at 80 species of native plants, plus the dahling Mallards, Wood Ducks, and Red Wing Blackbirds that call the roof home. (It’s quite a view from up there – endless park, lake, and tony apartments…) These energy-efficient digs are five-star all the way, including a fancy irrigation system, a solar-powered water recirculating pump, and wetlands. The benefits are top drawer too: In addition to out-glam-ing neighbors, green roofs outlast cement wannabes, absorb CO2, combat urban heat islands, and reduce roof temps by up to 10 degrees and water waste by 50%–80%. Grand.