Heated Sidewalks, the New Status Symbol

Friday, 21 January 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Is the world of the future one with heated sidewalks? According to Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmidt, they are the latest status symbols in the Windy (and snowy) City. You’d think everyone would jump at the chance to get out of shoveling duty but Schmidt says heated sidewalks are expensive. Oh heated sidewalks waste a ton of energy. And then there’s the sense of pride, I guess, in one’s ability to navigate a treacherous stretch and live to tell the tale. Schmidt says, despite fleeting moments of envy while gazing at her neighbors’ ice-less paths, she isn’t quite ready to give up on a “real Chicago sidewalk’s gritty soul.”