Swimming Social #4 and #5: Ping Tom and Harrison Park pools share Chicago immigrant stories

Bilingual signs at Harrison and Ping Tom Parks point to the communities’ immigrant past and present. (Photos by Teresa Albano)

It seemed like Ronna and I had visited these two park pools, Harrison’s and Ping Tom’s, within days of each other. But my notes have the visits three weeks apart.

Ronna and I take our traditional selfie at Harrison Park Pool, April 30, 2019.

We visited Harrison Park pool on a rainy Tuesday, April 30, and then I visited Ping Tom Memorial Park with a group from the Newberry Library four days later. That’s when I saw Ping Tom’s pool and texted Ronna: “I found our next pool to visit.”

Ronna and I went to Ping Tom on a sunny Thursday, May 23. We visit Chicago Park District pools, one per month. Then I blog about the experience and add some social history and context, hence the name of the blog: Swimming Social.

Off the Dan Ryan at 18th St.

That’s a roundabout introduction as to why I am linking these two pools into one blog. Memory shrinks time and the two visits seemed back to back. Geography assisted too. Harrison Park is in Pilsen, just off of 18th Street.

Ping Tom is in Chinatown, just off of 18th St., too. The pool is in the park’s Leonard M. Louie Fieldhouse at 17th St. The park entrance is tucked…