The joys of outdoor dining are great. And the lengths Chicago will go to eat outdoors are even greater.

For every gorgeous, landscaped urban oasis in town — at Piccolo Sogno, for example, or the courtyard at Athena — there are three or four spots so unappealing you wonder who on Earth thought putting tables and chairs there would be a good idea.

But here's where they're smart, and I'm dumb. Those unfortunate locations are full of people.

We Chicagoans will endure anything if it involves dining outdoors. Direct views of a trash bin? Not a problem. Cheap molded-plastic chairs sized with an anorexic preteen in mind? Bring 'em on. Downwind from a sewage-treatment facility? Hey, it brings out the oak in the wood-grilled salmon.

Volare is a restaurant a block north of Tribune Tower. Cute place. But for an 18-month stretch a couple of years back, the building across from Volare's sidewalk cafe was leveled, cleared and slowly rebuilt, and for most of that time, the street was dustier than Capone's vault.

Death for Volare's outdoor business? Not a chance. The sidewalk seats were packed every day, even at lunch, when the jackhammers were happily blasting bricks to smithereens.