text:
Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown

Bridgeport-Chinatown is the South Side at its most dynamic, as the old South Side Irish neighborhood of the Daleys increasingly blends with the old Chinese immigrant community to the north. Enormous cathedrals now stand next to Buddhist temples, and Old Style washes down lo mein. If you are a visitor, though, you only need to keep in mind two things: Chinese food and baseball.

Understand
Chicago's Chinatown is pleasantly authentic. At the many restaurants in the area, local Chinese customers are joined by Chicagoans from all over the city "going Chinese" for the night. Chicago's Chinatown is the third largest in the United States, the Midwestern business center for Chinese-Americans, and home to large populations of Cantonese and Taiwanese. The main street, Wentworth Ave, is a great place for dining out and rummaging through eccentric stores, looking for gifts. Guaranteed Rate Field, better known as Comiskey Park, is several blocks south of Chinatown and is home to the South Side's favorite baseball team, the Chicago White Sox.

Bridgeport is a large Irish-American enclave that has produced some of Chicago's most famous South Side Irish, such as Finley Peter Dunne and the two mayors Daley. Being the birthplace of the city's power brokers has been good to Bridgeport. The first Daley remembered playing in the streets as a child, dodging fetid puddles filled with carcasses from the local slaughterhouses. The Daleys in many ways fitted the mould of the stereotypical Chicago politician, being known for their corruption and ties to organized crime during their terms in office. Bungalows and other single-family homes are more the norm these days. Bridgeport is now seeing a large influx of Mexican immigrants, which means more good food options are springing up left and right, and has even seen a wave of North Siders priced out of hip neighborhoods like Wicker Park and Lincoln Park. Notable recent immigrants are international acclaimed painters, the Zhou brothers, Da Huang and Shan Zuo, who purchased five large buildings along Morgan Street with the hopes to encourage more art and artists in Bridgeport. Regardless of what brings you to the neighborhood, it is full of gritty character (and characters) and is quite possibly haunted — Bridgeport is always an interesting place for a walk.

By train
The main L stations are on the CTA Red Line at Cermak-Chinatown and Sox-35th for visiting Chinatown and Guaranteed Rate Field respectively. Other options include Halsted and Ashland on the Orange Line, which are on the northern and western outskirts of Bridgeport, and 35-Bronzeville-IIT on the Green Line, which is a block and a half east of the Sox-35th station.

By bus
The main routes into Bridgeport-Chinatown from the Loop are #62, which runs the length of Archer Ave from State St, and the #24, which runs from Clark St to Wentworth Ave through the center of Chinatown and next to Guaranteed Rate Field. Route #8 is also useful, as it runs north-south along Halsted St, which runs through the Near West Side and Near North neighborhoods as well as the middle of Bridgeport.

By car
Parking is always plentiful in Bridgeport, and you can usually find spaces right by your destination, though you should check to make sure you're not on a permit parking only residential street. On game days, however, watch out — though no signs go up, you can be ticketed for parking in the neighborhood. Take the L instead to avoid the bad game day traffic and pricey parking lots. Chinatown is more crowded, but you should still have little trouble finding on-street metered parking around Cermak/Archer on weekdays or on off-hours.

The Dan Ryan and Stevenson Expressway cut across the east and north of the district. From the Dan Ryan, take either of the 31st or 35th Street exits; from the Stevenson, take the Cermak Avenue/Chinatown exit for Chinatown and the Damen Avenue exit via Archer or 35th Street for Bridgeport. The main city streets are Halsted Street (north-south), and 31st St, 35th St, and Pershing Rd (east-west).

Get around
The easiest way to get around Bridgeport by public transport is on the two main east-west bus routes #35 and #39, which run along 35th St and Pershing Rd, as well as the aforementioned #8 running north-south on Halsted St. Bus routes are not terribly convenient between the two neighborhoods, but #62 Archer does run along the north of Bridgeport from the Chinatown L stop, from which you can hop on the Halsted route. Chinatown itself is very compact and easily covered on foot.

See
You can cover Chinatown's sites easily in an hour or two on foot, but if you are interested in art, set aside some real time to explore the new Bridgeport galleries that fly under the popular radar, but are quite important to the contemporary art world in Chicago.

Buy
The Chinatown shops are very fun, especially for gifts, but if you tire of knicknacks and knockoffs, Bridgeport has a handful of very eccentric and interesting offerings.

Eat
Chinatown is a wonderful and popular place for foodies, with lots of options, great authentic food, and reasonable prices. The flip side is the curt "Chinatown service," but if you've got a good attitude about it, that merely adds to the authenticity. The two most acclaimed restaurants here are Ken Kee and Lao Sze Chuan, but there are plenty of less known gems to seek out as well. For dim sum, the great rivalry is between heavyweights Shui Wah, Little Three Happiness, and The Phoenix. One big thing to watch out for are the scores of inferior dishes on those long menus. Most restaurants specialize in a limited range of dishes, and you need to know which to get a good meal—order a specialty listed below, or ask the server what the specialties are (if he directs you to the Kung Pao, insist on an authentic recommendation).

Bridgeport is far further off the beaten foodie path, but it's a quirky neighborhood with some excellent options. Ed's Potstickers and Han 202 are in particular standout destination restaurants that really warrant a trip.

Drink
As you might expect from such an Irish neighborhood, drinking is an established tradition in Bridgeport. If Chicago machine politics and general intrigue are your cup of tea, finish a tour of Bridgeport with a cold beer at the birthplace of many a corrupt scheme. In Chinatown, some of the nicer sit-down restaurants serve alcohol, and the bar at nearby Bertucci's Corner is very pleasant. If you're up for a weirder Chinatown experience, head to the nameless, haunted, union man's bar at 26th and Wentworth.

For tea, you're in luck. In addition to dedicated teahouses, every sit down restaurant in Chinatown will serve you endless, free loose-leaf oolong tea with your meal. If you care more about the tea than the meal, Mandarin Kitchen's standard oolong is the finest.

Sleep
If you want to get out of the touristy areas and get a real Chicago neighborhood experience, the three options below are excellent.

Connect
The most pleasant spots to check your email have got to be the Bridgeport Coffeehouse, and Scoops. But for those without a laptop, there is also free internet access also at the following two public libraries:

Go next

 * Chicago's Southeast Asian Strip is located in Uptown around Argyle Street, at the CTA Red Line stop of the same name. It is a better bet for Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, and other Southeast Asian regional cuisines. It is also far less touristed than Chinatown.
 * If you came here after reading Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and are feeling disappointed in the general lack of hog butchery, head due southwest to visit the few remaining monuments to the once vast Chicago meatpacking district, around the Union Stockyard gate in Chicago's Southwest Side.
 * For those in search of the perfect Irish pub in Chicago, you may have better luck in the Far Southwest Side.

title: Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown


text:
Chicago/Bronzeville

Bronzeville, the Black Metropolis, is a mecca of African-American History on Chicago's South Side, just miles south of downtown. Gwendolyn Brooks published poetry in the Chicago Defender, Andrew Rube Foster created Negro League Baseball, and Louis Armstrong kept his trumpet singing at the Sunset Cafe to keep Al Capone off his back. Long in disrepair, the neighborhood is coming back, with new residents refurbishing historic homes, and with new dining and nightlife scenes beginning to take root.

Understand

Bronzeville was the site of Chicago's version of the Harlem Renaissance, and was home to many famous African-Americans, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Coleman, Ida B Wells, Andrew Foster, and many more. The neighborhood was from the 1920s to the 1940s one of the premiere centers of African-American culture and was fairly affluent and middle class. The Great Depression hit the area hard, bankrupting black-owned businesses, but the neighborhood's worst enemy proved to be the neglectful and segregationist city government. Because black Chicagoans were restricted (unofficially) from renting and buying property outside of the "Black Belt," rents were actually higher in the district's run-down, ill-maintained buildings, owned by white absentee landlords, than in the adjacent, wealthy, white neighborhoods. In 1941, the city built the infamous and gigantic Ida B Wells housing projects in Bronzeville, which produced devastating and unintended results. Because of segregation, many low-income African-Americans were unable to find housing anywhere else and the projects quickly became overcrowded, while crime and urban blight expanded throughout the neighborhood.

Today, the neighborhood is seeing major community-driven revitalization efforts, mostly by wealthy and entrepreneurial African-Americans who value the neighborhood's historic importance. Historic clubs are reopening, and there are a handful of nice coffee shops and restaurants. More so than the present, however, the principal attraction remains the neighborhood's rich history. As a rule, the revitalization efforts have not extended below 47th Street or west of the Dan Ryan Expressway into the Washington Park and Fuller Park neighborhoods, which remain very blighted, with an extraordinary amount of vacant lots and the highest violent crime levels in the city. Unfortunately, this means that 47th Street, which has some major draws, can be a little edgy after dark. But don't worry about Washington Park the park (as opposed to the neighborhood) — it's perfectly safe during the day.

By train
The best way to reach Bronzeville by public transport is definitely the CTA Green Line, which runs along State and Indiana, with key stops at 35-Bronzeville-IIT, 43rd St, 47th St (Jackson), and Garfield (Jackson). The Red Line runs along Bronzeville's western border by the Dan Ryan Espressway — a bit further away from most Bronzeville attractions, but convenient nonetheless.

The Metra Main Line has a stop at 27th St, which is near the "Walk of Fame" and Michael Reese Hospital, but not near much else.

By bus
Many CTA bus lines travel throughout Bronzeville. A few key routes are the #4 and #3, which run north-south along Michigan Ave and Martin Luther King Jr Dr respectively and will take you to Bronzeville from the Loop. The #55 Garfield route is useful for travel between Bronzeville and Midway Airport, in the Southwest Side.

By car
Bronzeville is one of the few neighborhoods close to the Chicago center that is actually best seen by car. Free on-street parking is in ample supply pretty much everywhere throughout the neighborhood — owing to the relatively low population density of the district. There are many exits leading into Bronzeville from the Dan Ryan Expressway, although you might enjoy the ride better if you take a more northerly exit (like 35th or 31st Streets) and then explore the area from Martin Luther King Drive — some of the areas further south around the expressway are a bit run down. If coming from the Loop, the best way is probably to just head south on Martin Luther King Drive, which serves as the main drag for most of the district.

Black Metropolis landmarks
The following buildings are the city-designated, remaining landmarks from Bronzeville's golden age, from the "Black Metropolis" city within a city where blacks could find employment serving their own community.

Other sights

Do
The one activity offering in which Bronzeville excels is anything involving a big open field — If you are in the center of Washington Park tossing a football around or just lying in the grass, the big city feels miles away.

Buy
Bronzeville has been an excellent spot to shop for African-American-related books and art. There are other similar galleries and bookstores throughout the South Side, but the best are here. Most of them were lost in a fire at the 47th St Marketplace, but hopefully rebuilding will allow them to reopen.

Eat

For a long time, this area's restaurant selection has been poor, aside from a bunch of tasty fast-food take-out joints. This is changing, though.

Drink
47th St was once the blues capital of the world. That was before the 1968 riots — now aside from the promotional statues and commemorative signs, the once legendary strip is now full of shuttered buildings and looks a bit like it got hit by a tornado. Nightlife offerings remain fairly limited, but the area around 47th St has a few gems as the neighborhood is making a comeback.

Sleep
If you are visiting Chicago and have a strong interest in Bronzeville, you may want to stay here, as the accommodations are far cheaper than those you would find downtown. The cheapest options are not the nicest, but bargains are there to be had. The downside, of course, is that you may find yourself taking a lot of taxis back and forth from the city center.

Connect
The following libraries offer free public internet access:

Go next

 * Chicago's Museum Campus in the Near South is a short ride by cab or on the Red and Green Lines from Bronzeville; just beyond is the downtown Loop district.
 * Bronzeville's history is inextricably linked with the wealthier neighborhoods in and around Hyde Park to the east, which have a lot to see, including the University of Chicago, numerous mansions, great bookstores, and several great museums.
 * Bronzeville is where Chicago's African-American history was made, Chatham-South Shore is where Chicago's African-American history comes to eat. Martin Luther King's favorite diner, Jesse Owens' gravestone, Harold Washington's old house, and the Obama's wedding reception hall are all here, as are some incredible blues clubs.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Chicago/Bronzeville


text:
Chicago/Chatham-South Shore

Chatham-South Shore is a district at the heart of Chicago's South Side, home to the real Chicago blues, some mind-blowing BBQ, and the best soul food in town.

Understand
This side of Chicago does not feature in many travel plans. If you ask a hotel concierge in the Near North to make arrangements for a trip here, the reaction — whether incredulous or simply bewildered — should be a sight to behold. Don't be fooled, though; Chatham and Greater Grand could be the highlight of your trip to Chicago. The best blues clubs, the last true juke joints, are way down here.

Greater Chatham (Chatham, Avalon Park, Calumet Heights, Burnside) is a residential stronghold of middle and upper class African-American Chicagoans. No sightseeing to be done, but Chatham boasts some of the best food on the South Side (including the ultimate Harold's), as well as one of the city's best blues clubs.

Greater Grand rivals Chatham for soul food, BBQ, and blues club supremacy. It also has the Oak Woods Cemetery, which is beautifully laid out, and a resting place to some of the most famous residents of the South Side's past.

South Shore is home to a lively arts scene, largely thanks to the ETA Creative Arts Foundation and the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center. It is also home to one of the city's best and least known beaches, Rainbow Beach. Incidentally, many of Chicago's most prominent black politicians call this community home. Its main commercial strip runs alongside Metra's Electric Line on 71st St and is literally lined with kids hanging out when school's not in session.

By car
If you are traveling by car, it is very easy to get into the district — the two major highways on the South Side cut right through it. From the Chicago Skyway (I-90), heading northbound, there are exits at 73rd, Stony Island Ave, 87th, and 95th (there are no exits heading southbound from the Dan Ryan junction to 92nd St, past the tollbooth). Off the Dan Ryan (I-94), the principal exits are at 67th, 71st, 76th, 79th, and 87th. The major relevant east-west routes within the area occur every mile, at 71st, 79th, and 87th. For north-south travel within the district, the most useful routes are Cottage Grove Ave, Stony Island Ave (by far the widest route), and to a lesser extent South Chicago Ave.

Parking is widely available in each neighborhood. It is a relatively poor section of the city, and is far enough away from the city center that on-street parking should be easy to find. The only main streets lacking on street parking are in South Shore, along 71st and Exchange.

By rail
Rail is not the best way to visit this section of the city, as you will need to take bus transfers wherever you want to go.

The one relevant CTA line, the Red Line, passes through the western side of Greater Grand and Chatham, right in the center of the Dan Ryan.

The Metra Electric Main Line runs straight from Millenium Station downtown through the heart of the district and, while the trains run less regularly, can be more convenient than the CTA.

For visiting South Shore, on the other hand, Metra is the best way to go, as the Electric South Chicago Branch runs right on top of the main strip the entire way through the neighborhood, with a very convenient stop right by the South Shore Cultural Center.

By bus
Bus, while certainly less convenient than driving, is the most widely used mode of transport throughout most of the district. Route #4 runs the length of Cottage Grove Ave from Chicago State University up King Drive all the way to Michigan Ave in the Loop. Route #4 runs the length of Cottage Grove Ave from Chicago State University through Hyde Park, and all the way to Michigan Ave in the Loop. #6 runs express from downtown to 47th Street running through Kenwood/Hyde Park south to Jackson Park South Shore ending at 79th Street and South Shore Drive. This route provides front door access to the South Shore Cultural Center. #28 runs along Stony Island Ave from eastern Hyde Park all the way to 103rd St on the Far Southeast Side. #14 runs from express Downtown to 67th Street and then South along Jeffery Boulevard to all the way to 103rd St on the Far Southeast Side. #15 runs just like #14 except it is a local route running from the CTA Red Line at 47th Street then east along 51st Street/Hyde Park Boulevard and then down Lake Park Avenue/Stony Island Avenue through the Hyde Park neighborhood to Jeffrey Boulevard all the way to 103rd Street as well. For traveling east-west, the routes are simple, following the main roads: #67 along 67th St, #71 along 71st St, #75 along 75th, #79 along 79th St and #87 along 87th St.

Eat
This section of the city is spoiled for neighborhood restaurants. The city's most renowned soul food is served up here at famous locations, long serving just about every prominent African-American figure who has set foot in Chicago. Here you'll find city's best barbecue, in a unique style that remains largely undiscovered by the city's non-African-American residents. Greater Grand is home to the city's best donuts; Chatham to the city's best fried chicken.

Now, if you are looking for something that resembles healthy food, your options are limited. Soul Vegetarian is a very good option, and the various ethnic restaurants are not quite so heart attack-inducing (mostly Jamaican, but with the odd Trinidadian and Senegalese restaurant tossed in for good measure).

Drink
Don't be fooled. There are plenty of blues clubs throughout the city, but none hold a candle to the following. Blues clubs are undoubtedly a matter of taste — you could have a great or a bad experience at any one of these, but the risk is worth it.

South Side blues clubs, though, constitute a fragile ecosystem. Try not to descend en masse. The music and atmosphere will adapt to you; you won't get the real experience. Come in couples or trios instead, and immerse yourself in the culture of the real Chicago blues.

Sleep
Know what you're getting into if you are thinking of staying here. The options are pay-by-the-hour flop houses and run-down motels, with all the shady characters, dubious mattresses, and loose security that entails. And, well, cabs might be reluctant to pick you up if you give them one of these addresses. If staying here, though, know that the motels on Stony Island are the most secure.

Connect
There are four public libraries offering free wifi and public terminals. The Exchange Cafe above is another good option.

Stay safe
The South Side experiences here can potentially outshine those you could have anywhere else in Chicago. There's one hitch though, and that's violent crime. Alas, the levels of violent crime in this area, especially in the northwest neighborhood of Greater Grand Crossing, are higher than you'd find traveling in much of the world; travel here is not for everyone, and many travelers will find visiting this area of the city to be beyond their comfort level.

Nonetheless, a casual visitor is very unlikely to be the target of crime; you just are not spending enough time here, so the odds are you'll be fine. Avoid side streets, where you can run into unabashed drug trade. On main streets, you might get mildly harassed if you look lost, insecure, or unfamiliar with your surroundings — if it happens, avoid eye contact, and keep walking.

It's a hassle to deal with public transport, especially if you're not staying here, and waiting around in the wee hours of the night at a bus stop, having stumbled out of a bar, is not a great idea. If you're going to be at a club, you're going to have some booze, and you'll need a ride. Arranging a point-to-point taxi ride is a good idea if you are coming from downtown. Arrange that in advance; residents rightly complain about the difficulty of getting a cab at night.

Go next

 * The South Side's Bronzeville and Hyde Park are just to the north and have a lot to offer a visitor interested in African-American history and culture. They also have far better hotel options, so if you are interested in basing yourself South Side, it may make sense to get a room near a Metra stop near Hyde Park.
 * Chatham is often considered part of the Far Southeast Side, and there is ample reason to head further south. More soul food awaits, more blues brothers' filming locations, as well as a host of other South Side attractions like Historic Pullman.

title: Chicago/Chatham-South Shore


text:
Chicago/Far Northwest Side

The Far Northwest Side of Chicago includes the neighborhoods of Avondale and the Polish Village (Jackowo and Wacławowo), with large Polish communities; Irving Park and Old Irving, quiet areas with historic homes; and Forest Glen, Jefferson Park, Norwood Park, Edison Park, Edgebrook, Dunning, and Portage Park, residential areas which have nice parks, old theaters, and some big annual festivals.

These are the neighborhoods closest to O'Hare International Airport.

Understand
The Far Northwest Side is, for many travelers, nothing more than a blur of drab buildings seen from the expressway or the Blue Line on their way to O'Hare. And only the most fervent of true believers could make an argument that it ought to be anywhere near the top of a first-time visitor's list. None of the city's most famous landmarks are located here; nothing in the best-known history or literature about Chicago happened here. In fact, most Chicagoans would find the Far Northwest Side as unfamiliar as someone right off a plane from the coast.

What is here, though, is a group of large, residential communities and a handful of treasures they've grown accustomed to keeping for themselves, unencumbered by style or pace. Sausage shops and old-style Italian restaurants carry on as if health food and celebrity chefs never happened. If you're serious about trying a Chicago-style hot dog at the peak of the form, you'll do well here. Two classic movie palaces awaken for special events, and there is a strong contender for the city's best original theater venue — the Prop Thtr.

Plenty of tourists and locals have tried "going Chinese" for a night in Chinatown, but an even more immersive (and less-traveled) experience is "going Polish." English slides to second on the signs, the food makes sweet love to your waist, and the beer flows cheap at your choice of fab discos straight out of Eastern Europe or laid-back dives with you and the regulars. Famously, Chicago has the largest population of Polish people of any city in the world save Warsaw. If you never make it to Poland, at least you can say you've been to Avondale.

So once you're sick of the screaming brats in Lakeview and Lincoln Park, the scuzz in Uptown, the tourist traps on the Mag Mile, the crowds in the Loop, the hipsters in Wicker Park, the confusion in Rogers Park, the pretension in Hyde Park, the cranks in Bridgeport — and you're in the mood to experience Chicago all over again, for the first time — then the Far Northwest Side may have something for you.

By train
The CTA Blue Line has stops throughout the northwest side of Chicago in Avondale (Belmont, Addison), Irving Park (Irving Park, Montrose), Jefferson Park (Jefferson Park), and Norwood Park (Harlem), before passing into the orbit of O'Hare Airport (Cumberland, Rosemont, O'Hare). You may need to connect with a bus, though, as these stops are quite far west, and there is a lot of ground between them and the Brown Line to the east.

The end of the CTA Brown Line is within reach of Irving Park (Kedzie, Kimball).

The Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line has stops in Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Norwood Park, and Edison Park, while the Metra Milwaukee District North line stops at Mayfair, Forest Glen and Edgebrook. The former ends at Ogilvie/Northwestern Station and the latter at Union Station, both in the West Loop.

By bus
This is a fairly large area, covered by a ton of bus routes. Most connect to the CTA Blue Line or the Metra, and a few spread out into the suburbs.

 * 53 Pulaski runs all night through Irving Park and Avondale connecting with the Irving Park Blue Line & Metra Stations.
 * 54 Cicero runs through the eastern half of the area, although it's not an all-night route.
 * 54A North Cicero/Skokie Blvd runs between the Blue Line and Metra at Irving Park and heads up Cicero to Lincolnwood and Skokie ending at the Skokie courthouse. It also serves Old Orchard Mall in Skokie.
 * 56 Milwaukee runs from downtown through Wicker Park, Logan Square, Avondale the heart of the Polish Village and most the Far Northwest Side ending at Jefferson Park Blue Line/Metra.
 * 68 Northwest Highway runs from the Jefferson Park station to the Park Ridge Metra Station running parallel to the Metra. It also makes connections to the Gladstone, Norwood and Edison Park Metra stations.
 * 77 Belmont connects with the self-named Blue Line station and runs all night. This is handy for trips in Avondale.
 * 78 Montrose connects with the Blue Line at the Montrose station and the Mayfair Metra Station, handy for trips in Portage Park or Irving Park and the Harlem Irving Plaza.
 * 80 Irving Park is, as you might expect, ideal for Irving Park and Old Irving. Connections can be made with the Irving Park Blue Line or Brown Line stops as well as the Irving Park Metra. This route serves the Harlem Irving Plaza.
 * 81 Lawrence runs from Uptown to the Jefferson Park Blue Line/Metra Station, with a direct connection at the Kimball Brown Line stop providing service all night long.
 * 81W West Lawrence operates in between the Blue Line stations at Jefferson Park and Cumberland.
 * 82 Kimball/Homan connects with the Blue Line at Belmont and the Brown Line at Kimball, and can save you a bit of walking from the Blue Line to places like Abbey Pub.
 * 84 Peterson runs between the CTA Red Line at Bryn Mawr and the northwest side at Central/Caldwell primarily along Peterson Avenue serving the Metra at Edgebrook. It runs through the North Park, Sauganash and Edgebrook neighborhoods.
 * 85 Central runs along Central Avenue through most of the Northwest Side like Portage Park, and Jefferson Park.
 * 85A North Central runs along Central Avenue from the Jefferson Park Station up to the Metra at Edgebrook before heading north via Caldwell-Touhy-Lehigh and back. It has a few scenic sections near or through the Forest Preserve.
 * 86 Narragansett/Ridgeland runs primarily along Narragansett Avenue through of Northwest side ending at Devon and Milwaukee near Superdawg's.
 * 88 Higgins runs primarily along Higgins Avenue between the Jefferson Park and Harlem Blue Line Stations before heading up into Norwood Park and Edison Park via Harlem-Talcott-Canfield-Devon-Avondale-Harlem and back to Higgins.
 * 90 Harlem runs between the Green Line Terminal in Oak Park and the Blue Line in Norwood Park through most of the Northwest side. It provides front door access to the Harlem-Irving Plaza.
 * 91 Austin runs along Austin Avenue through most of the Northwest Side like Portage Park, and Jefferson Park.
 * 92 Foster starts at the Jefferson Park station heading east to the lakefront and the Red Line at Berwyn.
 * 152 Addison runs through the Northwest side along Addison serving the Blue line.

Pace buses cover the regions that cross over into the suburbs:
 * 209 Busse Highway operates between the Harlem Blue Line heading west on Higgins and up Canfield to Park Ridge ending at the Des Plaines Metra Station.
 * 225 Central-Howard starts at the Jefferson Park station heading north along Central Avenue connecting with the Edgebrook Metra station. It then continues up to Skokie and Niles along Howard Street through an Industrial Area ending at Oakton/Harlem.
 * 226 Oakton Street just like the 225 starts at the Jefferson Park station heading north along Central Avenue connecting with the Edgebrook Metra station. It then continues up to Skokie heading west on Oakton through Niles, Park Ridge, and Des Plaines to Mount Prospect.
 * 240 Dee Road runs from the Cumberland CTA Station up through Park Ridge to Golf Mill Mall in Niles.
 * 241 Greenwood-Talcott also runs from the Cumberland CTA Station up through Park Ridge to Golf Mill Mall in Niles.
 * 270 Milwaukee Avenue goes up Milwaukee Avenue from the Jefferson Park Station through Norwood Park and continuing into the suburbs like Niles and Glenview. Ideal for reaching Superdawg's and Golf Mill Mall.
 * 290 Touhy Avenue covers Edgebrook and Edison Park and ends at the Cumberland CTA Blue Line.
 * 326 West Irving Park runs between the Blue Line in Rosemont and the Harlem Irving-Plaza.
 * 423 Linden CTA/The Glen/Harlem Avenue starts at the Harlem Blue Line covering Norwood and Edison Park and continues up into the suburbs.

By car
I-90/94 (aka "The Kennedy") runs through the center of Chicago and then to the western parts of the city, where it joins I-190. I-90/190 go to O'Hare Airport, while I-94 splits off to reach the northern and northwest suburbs. The most useful exits are off the Kennedy at Lawrence Avenue and Ill-19/Irving Park Road.

Others
The Portage Park intersection of Cicero, Milwaukee, and Irving Park is known as Six Corners. In the 1950s, that was the commercial epicenter of the Northwest Side, and one of the busiest in the entire city. These days, it's a mix of a few chains and some intriguing, boarded-up old businesses.

Eat
As Hyde Park is to academics, as the Near North is to department stores, so Avondale is to Polish sausages. Cavernous delis line the streets here, particularly up Milwaukee and Belmont. They're a sight to see even if you're not after some czarnina (blood duck soup). A ride on the 56 Milwaukee bus makes for a pretty good off-the-beaten-path culinary tour.

Budget
Alas: the internationally renowned Hot Doug's closed in 2014, with the retirement of owner Doug Sohn. If this has caught you by surprise at lunch time, try Kuma's Corner or Honey Butter Fried Chicken, both a short walk away.

Drink
If you're looking for swinging Polish nightlife, look no further.

Sleep
The vast majority of hotels in the area are clustered around O'Hare International Airport, not the neighborhoods. Some of the Lincoln Avenue motels are within easy reach, and the Chicagoland suburb of Niles, further down Milwaukee Avenue, has a few places to stay as well.

Connect
Being heavily residential areas, the neighborhoods of the Far Northwest Side are dotted with small branch libraries that offer free public internet access.

Go next

 * The Chicago Polish community flows over these district boundaries, with more to be found on Milwaukee Avenue to the north (in Niles) and to the south (in Logan Square, and Wicker Park, and Belmont-Cragin), and also notably on the Southwest Side.
 * The Chicagoland suburb of Park Ridge, a couple of minutes down Touhy Avenue/Northwest Highway from Edison Park, has the amazing Pickwick, a giant classic movie theater that's still in regular use for second-run movies and occasional holiday revivals.

title: Chicago/Far Northwest Side


text:
Chicago/Far Southeast Side

The Far Southeast Side of Chicago is a huge section of Chicago with only one large tourist draw: the Pullman Historic District. Most travelers will literally just pass over this district on the Chicago Skyway, but look closely and something may catch your eye.

Understand
The Far Southeast side is vast, but has a much lower population density than the rest of the city and consequently less to offer a visitor in terms of amenities and attractions. As it is so big, it is easier to think of the Far Southeast Side in terms of its neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods
Greater Pullman (Pullman, Roseland, West Pullman, Riverdale) is the one dish on the menu for 99% of the Far Southeast Side's visitors. It is home to the Historic Pullman District, important to American history for its early planned industrial/railroad community and subsequent strikes and socialist activism, as well as its attractive and unique architecture.

Southeast Shore (South Chicago, South Deering, East Side, Hegewisch) is a once prosperous industrial region around the mouth of the Calumet River ("The Port of Chicago") that imploded along with Chicago's steel industry. Today it is one of the least populous areas of Chicago and ranges from industrial to failed-post-industrial in character. The East Side is the most urban section of this vast expanse and has a nice commercial center along 106th St. Hegewisch is a particularly odd neighborhood — it is cut off from the rest of the city by Calumet Lake and huge manufacturing districts. As a result, the neighborhood feels almost like an independent, small, Midwestern industrial town (and indeed, a certain mayor not long ago forgot it was part of the city). Though the area has few urban attractions, the Southeast Shore does offer outdoor opportunities around Wolf Lake and Eggers Woods. (But if you are adverse to factory-vistas on the horizon, you may choose to overlook these attractions.)

Pullman history
The history of Pullman — the first modernist planned community in the United States — is a tragic one. George Pullman, the founder, was a liberal railroad tycoon with a reputation as a "welfare capitalist." He founded the Pullman company town with the intention of creating a perfect industrial community which would avoid the vice and extreme poverty found in urban industrial communities and therefore also avoid related worker unrest. To accomplish his goal, he built a very attractive landscaped town in the countryside to the south of Chicago. The company provided wages significantly higher than national averages and state-of-the-art utilities. He met widespread acclaim for his town, including an award for the "World's Most Perfect Town", and visitors came to see Pullman (and the World's Fair Columbian Exposition) from places as far away as Europe.

A lesson in paternalism and central planning, Pullman controlled nearly every aspect of his resident workers lives. A famous quote sums up this paternalism problem nicely, "We are born in a Pullman house, fed from the Pullman shop, taught in the Pullman school, catechized in the Pullman church, and when we die we shall be buried in the Pullman cemetery and go to the Pullman Hell." The failures of the Pullman company town foreshadowed later 20th-century planned communities which had similarly good intentions, but disastrous effects (e.g., the Ida B Wells housing projects of Bronzeville).

Following the severe 1893 economic downturn, Pullman company wages decreased while housing and utility costs remained the same, prompting large-scale violence and strikes known collectively as The Pullman Strike. The strike shut down the Chicago rail system, effectively cutting off all transportation in the western half of the U.S. President Grover Cleveland ended the strike by sending in 2,000 U.S. Army troops, the result of which left 13 strikers dead and many more injured.

The Pullman Strike played a significant role in U.S. labor and civil rights history, as A. Phillip Randolph would later rise to prominence in both areas of activism by organizing the largely African-American "Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters," a union for the employees of the Pullman Company. Having attained some prominence, Randolph went on to become one of the nation's foremost advocates of civil rights for African-Americans. His achievements and the history of African-Americans in U.S. labor are celebrated today in Pullman's A. Phillip Randolph Museum.

Since the 1970s the Pullman neighborhood, especially the historic district, has gentrified and experienced a racial shift as wealthier, white Chicagoans moved into the neighborhood, attracted by the rich architecture and history. Sites and homes of historical interest are being painstakingly (and slowly) restored. The neighborhood has a very quiet, sleepy feel, so be sure to visit either on a tour or while the museum and visitor center are open, or you might leave disappointed.

By train
The CTA is not a great way to get to the Far Southeast, as there is only the 95th/Dan Ryan stop in the north of Roseland, far away from everything and anything of interest.

The Metra Electric Line is the best public transportation bet for traveling to the Far Southeast as it has numerous stops in convenient locations. The Pullman/111th St and Kensington/115th St stops on the main line are located right next to the Pullman Historic District. The Metra Electric also stops in South Chicago on a separate branch from Downtown with several stops at major street before ending at 93rd Street in South Chicago. The South Shore serves Hegewisch via the first and only stop in Illinois not shared with Metra on the way to South Bend, Indiana. It also stops at Kensington/115th St on inbound trips to Chicago from Indiana.

By bus
To an extent, buses can get you from point to point in the district, but there are no good routes coming here from the city center. If arriving by the CTA Red Line, you can take bus #111 from the 95th/Dan Ryan stop straight to the Pullman Historic District. On the southeast side bus #30 runs between South Chicago East Side and Hegewisch along South Chicago Ave, Ewing Ave and Avenue O serving both the end of the Metra at 93rd Street and the South Shore Line at Hegewisch. East-west transportation is difficult, owing to the industrial wasteland (and Lake Calumet) in the middle.

By car
Since this is the least densely populated section of Chicago, a car is the most convenient method of travel. Free on-street parking is plentiful.

The most important highway for getting around is route I-94 along the Dan Ryan Expy and further south along the Bishop Ford Fwy. Exit at 111th for Historic Pullman or to get to Michigan Ave in Roseland, otherwise 95th and 103rd (to 106th) are useful to cross over to the East Side, and 130th is the exit of choice for Hegwisch.

The Chicago Skyway is the other main highway, which cuts across the East Side on its way to Indiana. Exits 108 (Anthony Ave/92nd St) and 110 (Indianapolis Blvd/US-20/US-41) will both let you off on the East Side, from which Historic Pullman and Hegwisch are both relatively easy drives. US-41, which cuts through the northeastern section of the East Side, is the old pre-Skyway route along the lake, and is way slower, but a good deal more interesting (and toll-free). It connects up with Lake Shore Drive farther north.

103rd/106th, and 130th Streets are the main roads for traversing the industrial wastelands lying between the western and eastern neighborhoods in the south of the district.

Eat
Not a lot of four-star dining in these parts, but if you know what to look for, some of the best eating in the city is to be had in its far southeast reaches. The undisputed king of the donut is here, as is the long-reigning champion of shrimp shacks (Old Fashioned Donuts and Calumet Fisheries). Hand-Burgers has a good claim to the title of "best burger in the city." And if you like pupusas, or more generally Central American cuisine, it's time to make the trek.

Drink
If you're in Pullman and in the mood for a beer, you're in for more trouble than you would think. The famous Pullman Pub closed not too long ago under mysterious circumstances (asking a local about this is a very good way to start a conversation). If you like an early afternoon tipple, try the Frank Loyd Wright-style golf course club house off of 111th Street just before I-94 (open April through October); the Cal Harbor also has a bar, which is sometimes open, sometimes not. Otherwise head over to the better options on the East Side on 106th or in Hegewisch.

Sleep
None of the Far Southeast Side's hotels are very nice and they are far from most of what you want to see in the city, so think carefully about whether it might make sense to stay elsewhere before you book a room.

Connect
There are four public libraries in the Far Southeast Side, all offering free public internet access:

Stay safe
Avoiding high crime areas in the Far Southeast Side is very simple: basically anything west of the Bishop Ford Fwy aside from Historic Pullman is gangland territory (although, obviously, that varies widely from block to block). It is unlikely that any visitors would find themselves in the far-flung and benighted communities of Riverdale, West Pullman, and Roseland, aside from the steady stream of foodie pilgrims to Old Fashioned Donuts. But if you are there for reasons other than sightseeing, stick to main streets and avoid walking around at night and you should be fine. All areas east of the Bishop Ford, on the other hand, often look gritty, but this is because they are poor — not crime ridden. Hegewisch and East Side are some of the safest communities in the area.

Go next

 * Travelers interested in the Labor history of Chicago should also mosey on over to the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the Southwest Side, former home to the sprawling Union Stockyards made infamous by Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.
 * Pullman was not the only utopian planned industrial community in these parts. Just across the Indiana border is Marktown, a community modeled on an English village, but surrounded on all sides by three steel plants and the world's largest oil refinery.

title: Chicago/Far Southeast Side


text:
Chicago/Far Southwest Side

The Far Southwest Side of Chicago is home to a large Irish-American community, a ton of Irish pubs, and even a replica Irish castle.

Understand
Chicago's Far Southwest Side is absolutely not one of the city's main tourist attractions, but it does offer an interesting mix of South Side and Irish culture (i.e., the authentic Irish pubs are here). Until 2009, the area was a major international tourist destination on Saint Patrick's Day for its magnificent parade, the largest Saint Patrick's Day neighborhood parade in the world outside of Dublin. Today however, perhaps owing to a desire to avoid greatness and to become yet another boring, middling, mildly suburban area of little distinction, the neighborhood has decided to end the parade because it "had become something too big." There's still an Irish event or two worth seeking out, especially the Irish Film Festival, which runs five days strong in March at the Beverly Arts Center.

Beverly is the most distinctive of the Far Southwest neighborhoods and probably has the most to offer travelers. Here you will find Givens Castle, the Ridge Historical Society of Beverly and Morgan Park, and plenty of Irish pubs. You might want to visit just for a change in topography — Beverly is the only neighborhood in Chicago with hills, lending it the odd-sounding nickname Beverly Hills. Along with Morgan Park to the south, Beverly is one of Chicago's few racially integrated neighborhoods, with a sizable African-American minority living side-by-side with the neighborhood's large Irish-American community.

Mount Greenwood is a large middle class area of Chicago, home to many of the city's Irish-American firefighters and police officers and to St Xavier University. For those in search of an authentic Irish-American neighborhood, look no further. No tourists make it out here and the pubs will transport you straight back to the Emerald Isle.

By car
If you have a car at your disposal, use it. Chicago's Far Southwest Side is not well served by mass transit and parking is plentiful throughout the district. If coming from the north, take Pulaski Rd or Western Ave; both are major roads and will get you there quickly. From I-57, take either the US-1/Halsted Avenue exit south to 103rd St, or the 111th St exit. From I-294, the simplest route is to head north from the Cicero Avenue exit and then to turn right on 115th or 111th St.

By train
The Metra Rock Island line to Joliet passes through Beverly and Morgan Park. A one-way trip from downtown LaSalle Station to 103rd St will cost $3.75.

By bus
If taking the bus is an absolute necessity, then the best way to reach this area from the north is via CTA Route 49 (Western), with a transfer to Pace Route 349 (South Western) at 79th St. Route 349 will take you within walking distance of most attractions in the district. Do not take any routes running any east of Western, as they both end short of the district as well as run through some rough neighborhoods. All transit service in this area ends after midnight, so make sure you have enough money to get back via taxi (you will need to call for one) if you plan to spend the night at one of the neighborhood pubs.

Drink
A pint may be the number one reason to make the trek out to the Far Southwest Side. Chicago is a city full of fake Irish pubs, but the only ones where the clientèle and servers speak with a brogue are down here, mostly along Western Avenue.

Sleep
Chicago's Far Southwest Side is a black hole as far as travel accommodations are concerned; if you are planning to stay in the area, you should try the Hilton just across the city boundaries in Oak Lawn, one of the Midway Airport-serving hotels in Bedford Park, or one of the many hotels by the Tri-State Tollway in Alsip.

Go next

 * The Far Southwest Side has the city's largest Irish-American population, but the more famous (and politically-connected) one is in Bridgeport, home of the Daleys.

title: Chicago/Far Southwest Side


text:
Chicago/Far West Side

Chicago's Far West Side is best known (somewhat unfairly) for being impoverished and crime-ridden, but it has at least one major attraction as well as some fabulous parks, vibrant immigrant communities, and blues legends. Regardless, you're definitely off the tourist map on the Far West Side.

Understand
The Far West Side represents a very large, heterodox slice of Chicago life ranging from some of Chicago's most blighted neighborhoods to the solidly middle-class bungalow belt, with some strong immigrant communities in between. The Garfield Park Conservatory is a lovely and easy excursion from downtown for any visitor to Chicago, but beyond this one attraction, the Far West Side is untrodden by the camera-wielding tourist masses of the Loop and Near North. Pat yourself on the back if you make it this far into Chicago — you are really seeing the city.

Neighborhoods

Garfield Park is the Far West Side's most notorious neighborhood for violent crime and visitors with low tolerance for urban grit should probably keep their distance. But on the other hand, the park from which the neighborhood derives its name is one of the city's best laid out and it contains a major attraction in the form of the Garfield Park Conservatory, in addition to a gorgeous fieldhouse. Don't be afraid to visit the park itself — there is an L stop hovering right over the conservatory and the park is quite safe.

South Lawndale is the heart of Chicago's enormous Mexican community and is a great escape from Chicago's gringo downtown. Although mostly residential, the long "downtown" strip (known as Little Village, or La Villita) along 26th Street between Sacramento and Pulaski is a vibrant, smile-filled strip jam-packed with Mexican musical instruments, weekend festivals, bars, Virgin Mary towels, media-shops, and (most importantly) taquerías. As a matter of fact, La Villita feels like not just an escape from Chicago, but from the United States generally — it's certainly as close to Mexico as you can get in the Midwest.

North Lawndale bears little resemblance to South Lawndale. Unlike its very safe neighbor, North Lawndale is still recovering from very high levels of violent crime in the 1970s–1980s. During this time, the northern section of the neighborhood, known as K-Town for its countless streets beginning with the letter K, was jokingly referred to as "Kill-Town" for its violence problem. The neighborhood has some history to its name, but fairly little remains to interest a visitor by way of shopping or sights. Sears used to have its headquarters here and you might be interested in driving by Chicago's first "Sears Tower" (and other gargantuan Sears buildings) which the city is now restoring in hopes of rejuvenating the long-impoverished community around Homan Square.

Humboldt Park sits between gentrifying Logan Square and blighted Garfield Park and, somehow, here the twain do meet. The neighborhood has for some time been a cultural stronghold of Chicago's Puerto Rican community, centered around the long commercial strip on Division Street. The association between Division Street and Puerto Rican Chicagoans is pretty firmly cemented in the minds of most Chicagoans owing to the Division Street riots of 1966. The riots began during a Puerto Rican community parade, as a result of an economic downturn and high tensions between Chicago's Puerto Ricans and the police (and neighboring Polish-American communities) that came to a head after the Chicago Police shot a young Puerto Rican man in the neighborhood. Any legacy of violence, however, is long gone and visitors should feel comfortable visiting Division Street during the day to soak up the Puerto Rican vibes.

Humboldt Park's populace is diverse, but awkwardly unintegrated. Its Puerto Rican community now sits between the less affluent black community to the west and southwest, and a new, burgeoning white community seeking lower rents than in the neighborhoods to the east and north. The eponymous park is a lovely spot to observe the neighborhood's contrasts — between the three communities who flock there to enjoy the big lagoon, playgrounds, and fields, but never quite mix socially.

Austin is a fairly unique, albeit not terribly interesting section of the city. It is the largest single Chicago community area in terms of area and population, but it sits at the extreme periphery of Chicago life along the western border of the city, having only been annexed in 1899. The jewel in this neighborhood's crown is Columbus Park, considered the best work by Prairie School landscape artist Jens Jensen. The park has a nice lagoon and 9 holes of golf and is just off the Eisenhower Expressway (which was built over the southern end of the original park). The neighborhood is overwhelmingly African-American and middle class, and can't quite make up its mind whether it is urban or suburban.

Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, and Montclare have a somewhat mixed identity between the Far West Side and the Far Northwest Side, as the residents of these areas are a mix of what you would find in the overwhelmingly Polish-American neighborhoods to the north and the Puerto Rican and Mexican-American neighborhoods directly to the south. The neighborhoods are experiencing a huge influx of Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans trading up for nicer houses from Pilsen and Humboldt Park. For the most part, these are quiet, residential communities lacking significant tourist draws.

By train
The Forest Park branch of the CTA Blue Line runs from the Loop through the Near West Side and on into the Far West, with stops in South and North Lawndale.

The Pink Line runs through the Near West Side and Pilsen and heads to South Lawndale.

The Green Line runs to the Far West Side, with a stop in Garfield Park (Conservatory) and on to Oak Park across the city border. This is the oldest part of the CTA system, although the tracks and stations were renovated in the late 1990s. Looking through the window of the train gives you a picture of a different part of Chicago. On the trip from the Loop, you might also notice the gentrification spreading west from downtown — there are startlingly rapid changes from gentrified to decayed neighborhoods.

By bus
The CTA runs several bus routes through the West Side:

 * 12 Roosevelt runs through the West Side along the edge of Garfield Park and North Lawndale.
 * 18 16th/18th runs from the Near South Side through Pilsen, Little Village and North Lawndale all night long.
 * 20 Madison runs from the Loop west through the West Side, passing by the United Center all night long.
 * 21 Cermak runs from the Near South Side heading west through the Lower West Side, running parallel to the Pink Line. (Damen-54th/Cermak).
 * 38 Ogden/Taylor runs along Ogden Avenue to California.
 * 49 Western runs down Western Avenue for nearly the full length of the city, passing by Ukrainian Village and Pilsen to the east and Humboldt Park/Garfield Park to the west. It's an all-night route.
 * 52 Kedzie/California travels on Kedzie through the Far West Side making connections at the Green Blue and Pink Lines.
 * 53 Pulaski covers most of the Far West Side and runs all night.
 * 54 Cicero covers the other major north/south thoroughfare, although it's not an all-night route.
 * 57 Laramie runs up and down Laramie Avenue.
 * 60 Blue Island/26th runs from the Chicago/Loop through the Near West Side, Pilsen, Little Village and South Lawndale all night long.
 * 65 Grand runs from the Near North through West Town, Humboldt Park, and onward to Harlem.
 * 66 Chicago runs from the Near North through West Town and Ukrainian Village, passing within a short walk of Humboldt Park, and onward to Austin. It's also an all-night route.
 * 70 Division runs from the Near North through West Town and Ukrainian Village, passing within a short walk of Humboldt Park, and onward to Austin.
 * 72 North Avenue runs from the Near North through West Town and Humboldt Park, and onward to Austin.
 * 82 Kimball/Homan connects with the Blue Line at Kedzie-Homan and the Central Park Pink Line serving Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and Lawndale.
 * 85 Central connects with the Green Line heading up and down Central Ave.
 * 91 Austin Runs up and down Austin Avenue along the border between Chicago and Oak Park.
 * 94 South California Runs up and down California Avenue connecting with the Green and Pink Lines.

By car
The Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) is the major thoroughfare crossing the Far West Side, although travelers along the historic Route 66 will pass through the area as well, on Ogden Avenue, which leads from downtown. If you are going to Garfield Park or Humboldt Park, the main I-290 exits are at Pulaski, Kedzie, and Western. For Little Village, it's usually faster, though, to take the Pulaski or Kedzie Avenue exits from the Stevenson Expressway instead.

See
The Garfield Park Conservatory is the one real sightseeing draw on the Far West. The Sears Tower is quite interesting as well, but it's hard to get to without a car, and the old Sears buildings are not open to visitors.

 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.
 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.
 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.
 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.
 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.
 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.
 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.
 * National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W Division St, on the south edge of Humboldt Park. +1 773-530-2113. Changing exhibits showcasing Puerto Rican art. Free.

Buy
For the most part, if you are out shopping in the Far West Side of Chicago, you somewhere got lost. The one exception being the endless Little Village strip along 26th St, which is after the Magnificent Mile, the largest commercial strip in the city in terms of revenue. The miles of colorful, bargain knickknack shops along the Little Village strip make for very fun window shopping, and can produce kitschy souvenirs that look like you took a trip to a different country.

Eat
The Far West has virtually no high-end dining options, but if you are fine with spending less, a ton of great food experiences await. Little Village boasts some of the best authentic Mexican food in the city, Garfield Park and Austin have some fine down-home cooking, and Humboldt Park has a veritable monopoly on Chicago's Puerto Rican fare.

Drink
Most of Chicago's bar hoppers couldn't locate the Far West Side on a map, but if you are looking for something different, there are some real gems. And rest assured you will successfully evade the Lincoln Park frat-boy crowd.

Sleep
Options are few in these parts; if you are looking for cheaper accommodations away from the city center, there are better options elsewhere. If you are looking to stay on the Far West specifically, you might also consider hotels in the neighboring suburbs of Oak Park, Berwyn and Cicero.

Connect
The following libraries offer free public internet access:

Stay safe
The usual advice given by Chicagoans for staying safe on the Far West Side is to simply stay away from the Far West Side, given its notorious reputation for violent crime. Garfield Park (the neighborhood, not the park) and much of North Lawndale do their best to live up to this reputation, but the reality across the district is quite varied. The northern neighborhoods around Belmont-Cragin rank among some of the safest in the city. While certain residential areas of South Lawndale can be a little edgy at night, visitors should have no worries walking 26th St, night or day — you would be more likely to run into trouble on Navy Pier.

On the other hand, if you are visiting North Lawndale, Garfield Park, or much of Austin, usual rules for blighted urban neighborhoods apply: know where you're going, stick to well-lit main streets, arrange/plan transportation in advance, and don't leave anything visible (even trash) in a parked car. Anything you'd want to see in Garfield Park is fortunately within one block of the Conservatory L stop along main streets, although you still might want to avoid walking back to the stop after dark if you are by yourself. If you are visiting any of the sights in North Lawndale or Austin, it's best to travel by car.

The more traveled sections of Humboldt Park (i.e., east of the park) are pretty safe by big city standards any time of the day. Other areas, especially southwest of the park, however, have some rougher streets you may want to avoid.

Go next

 * If you're looking to check out one of the city's best collections of commercial Art Deco architecture by greats such as Z. Erol Smith, head north to Belmont-Central in what is one of the few intact streetcar shopping districts in Chicago and an Eastern European culinary heaven.
 * The Green Line is a good way to reach Oak Park, the Frank Lloyd Wright fiesta.
 * For authentic Mexican food a little closer to downtown, head to Pilsen.
 * There are some great small blues clubs still breathing on the Far West Side, but arguably the best are in Chatham-Greater Grand.

title: Chicago/Far West Side


text:
Chicago/Hyde Park

Hyde Park is one of Chicago's most famous neighborhoods, most certainly so on the South Side, located along the south lakefront. Having played host to the White City, the University of Chicago, President Obama, the setting for Richard Wright's Native Son, and a host of eccentric residents from Saul Bellow to Clarence Darrow to Muhammad Ali, this part of town has more than its fair share of Chicago history.

There is more than enough for a visitor to see here, and devoting a full day to exploring Hyde Park can make for a fine itinerary. Architecture buffs will have their hands occupied by the many Victorian mansions and Prairie School houses; anyone with an intellectual bent should be delighted by Hyde Park's independent bookstores, overawed by the University of Chicago's terrifying intensity, and intrigued by the Oriental Institute; and just about everyone will enjoy a trip to the stimulating Museum of Science and Industry or taking a stroll and a swim along the Point and the beach.

Neighborhoods
Kenwood developed into one of Chicago's most upscale suburbs after the Civil War, and its Kenwood Historic District between Cottage Grove & Blackstone and 47th & 51st is a treasure trove of mansions representing virtually all the fashionable architectural styles of the late 19th century (including an excellent collection of early houses by Frank Lloyd Wright). The mansion owners are of interest too — their ranks include Nation of Islam leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan, the Obama family, and the city's oldest Jewish community. Former residents range from the infamous Leopold and Loeb, Muhammad Ali, the fictional Dalton family from Native Son, and the founder of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad.

The central Hyde Park neighborhood is the biggest draw, dominated by the University of Chicago. During the 1950s, desegregation fueled extensive "white flight" from this area, transforming the racial make up of nearly the entire South Side from all white to all black. Here, however, the University of Chicago leveraged its financial power, political clout, and social engineering brainpower to muscle through the city's first "urban renewal" project. This project, unflatteringly referred to by many neighborhood residents as "urban removal," used eminent domain powers to demolish urban housing developments, to remove nightclubs and bars, and to make the neighborhood more suburban in character (and to decimate the commercial strip on 55th St west of the railroad).

The project was paternalist, classist, and evicted many if not the majority of the neighborhood's low-income residents, but the end result of the University-driven "renewal" project is that Hyde Park is to this day one of the nation's most durable mixed-income, mixed-race neighborhoods, and is home to one of the only significant white communities for miles on the South Side. Hyde Park maintains its unique characteristics in its unique isolation from the rest of the city: no convenient L service, giant Washington Park to the west, frigid-in-the-winter Midway Plaisance to the south, and persistent redevelopment projects pushing to the north through Kenwood and to the south through Woodlawn.

Today, Hyde Park is full of amazing bookstores, leafy streets, the siren song of cheap greasy food, and great museums.

Woodlawn, to the south of the Midway, south of the university, is characterized by urban blight. With high levels of violent crime (especially by the 63rd St Green Line stops), blocks worth of vacant lots, and lacking in commercial activity, Woodlawn is well off the beaten tourist path. But Jackson Park (as well as the areas of Woodlawn close to the park) is perfectly safe, and a beautiful place for a walk. 63rd St still has a few remaining businesses from its salad days, but is not a great place to hang out after dark.

By bus
You can get to Hyde Park by taking several CTA buses from downtown Chicago. Routes #6 (Hyde Park Express) and #4 (Cottage Grove) are common choices. The 55/Garfield bus is a very cheap and efficient way to travel between Midway Airport and Hyde Park. It passes by the University of Chicago and terminates at the Museum of Science and Industry. To get from place to place within the area, CTA offers several useful neighborhood routes between the University and other points in the district, the #171 between the University and the Museum of Science and Industry being the most useful.

By train
The Metra Main Electric Line is the most efficient public transport between the Loop and Hyde Park. It is a quick, comfortable 15- to 20-minute ride and costs $3 for a one way trip. Be sure to check the train schedules ahead of time, however, because it runs infrequently during off-peak times. Key stops are at Kenwood/47th St, Hyde Park 53rd St, 55th-56th-57th St, and Univ. of Chicago/59th St.

Alternatively, the CTA Red Line and Green Line link the Loop with Garfield Avenue in Washington Park. Although more convenient — they run more frequently, and operate 24 hours a day — the two stops are too far from Hyde Park to walk and are in rough neighborhoods. But the very frequent 55/Garfield bus will take you straight from either of them to anywhere along 55th St.

By car
Coming south on Lake Shore Drive, it is most convenient to take the southbound exit at 51st St/Hyde Park Blvd for a drive, or the 57th St exit for the Museum of Science and Industry and the University. Coming from the southeast on the Chicago Skyway, get off early at the Stony Island Ave exit and follow it north. From the Dan Ryan Expressway, you'll definitely want to take the 55th St/Garfield Blvd east exit, which will take you into the heart of Hyde Park through Washington Park.

A car is not a bad way to see Hyde Park, especially if you plan to cover a lot of territory. Free on-street parking is generally easy to find. The most difficult area to park is without question the area around the University of Chicago, where the street parking during the day is limited and policed with an iron fist by the University Police. Even in this area, however, it is usually possible (if a bit frustrating) to find metered parking, or to just pay at one of the big university or hospital lots. Try looking on the Midway, or on a less safe street to the south of the university. It can also be difficult to find free parking right by the Museum of Science and Industry during tourist season, but there is always room in the museum's pay lots.

By bicycle
Hyde Park is a fairly easy 7-mile ride (11 km) from the Loop using the Chicago Lakefront Path. You may cross under Lake Shore Dr at either the 51st St pedestrian bridge or the 55th or 57th St underpasses. The 57th St underpass will take you to the Museum of Science and Industry, of which the main body of the University of Chicago campus is 3 blocks west.

Hyde Park is quite accommodating to cyclists; many students and faculty at the University ride around the neighborhood, making bikes fairly visible entities.

Kenwood Historic District
These impressive structures are all privately owned and unfortunately closed to the public. The only exception is the Nation of Islam mosque, but you should be sensitive to the fact it is a place of worship and is not accustomed to tourists.

University of Chicago

Do
The University of Chicago hosts some truly world class performing arts. The U of C Presents' classical music performances are particularly excellent. If you are looking to relax, head to the huge area parks for 18 holes of golf, a sunset at Promontory Point, or ice skating on the Midway. Or if you are into film, the University's nightly Doc Films screenings and regular director visits are a treasure.

Buy
In the past, the University has had a big hand in zoning regulations designed to keep chain stores, and really any stores, out of the district. Until Akira opened up shop in the fall of 2012 in a university-owned building, Hyde Park actually lacked a single clothing store. Book lovers and collectors, on the other hand, will be thrilled with the multiple independent and used bookstores along 57th Street and the awe-inspiring Seminary Co-op. Aside from books, Hyde Park is now likely the world's number one destination for Barack Obama merchandise, who is becoming somewhat of a local hero figure. The convenience stores are full of dancing Obama dolls, t-shirts, etc., and other stores and restaurants are all touting "Obama eats here!" "Obama shops here!" Don't let the hype shape your choices though, it's a small neighborhood, and the Obamas have probably tried out all the restaurants by now.

Eat
The center of dining in the Hyde Park neighborhood is along 53rd St and Harper Ct, although there are also several popular restaurants along 57th St. There is a significant difference in atmosphere between the two dining centers, with the latter being more collegiate. Almost anyone would agree that you can have a fine meal in Hyde Park in any price category, but the neighborhood is infamous for not having any truly great, standout or "destination" restaurants, as it suffers from a captive audience — it is quite difficult to get to any other dining hot spots in the city without a car (the nearest being Chinatown or soul food and BBQ in Chatham). Despite this the Hyde Park culinary scene is slowly transforming itself with the openings of a handful of trendy, upscale spots on 53rd and in Harper Court, of which Park 52 (now closed) and the Sitdown Cafe have arguably received the highest accolades from food critics.

Budget
The odd "Thai Row" on 55th St deserves a mention. These are definitely not the best Thai restaurants in Chicago, but they serve tasty, greasy food in large portions on the cheap. No one seems to know why these Thai restaurants congregated in this one spot.

Drink
One of the University's many powerful Hyde Park legacies is the general lack of nightclubs and bars, which once covered the now desolate stretch of 55th St west of the Metra tracks. Ask any student, Jimmy's (a.k.a. Woodlawn Tap) is really the place to go for a beer. Live music in the past was just about absent in the neighborhood, but there are a couple good options nowadays. You can also catch some good smooth jazz F-Sa nights (usually) at CHANT. Or you could listen to some of the student jazz combos at Jimmy's, Su afternoon-evening.

Sleep
Considering the hordes of university-affiliated visitors Hyde Park is oddly devoid of hotels. Most visitors stay downtown; the Loop along Michigan Avenue is the best bet, since the southbound Metra stops are just outside the hotels. There are some nice quiet options, though, if you know where to look.

Connect
The following public libraries offer free public internet access:

Stay safe
Hyde Park and Kenwood are some of the safest neighborhoods in the mid-south side of Chicago, with relatively low violent crime rates. Nevertheless, the two neighborhoods are surrounded by tough neighborhoods with reputations for crime and poverty. It's not recommended to go west of Hyde Park/Woodlawn on foot into the Washington Park/Englewood neighborhoods, which is where most of the danger lies. Gang activity has decreased substantially in the early 2000s, however. Robberies and theft are more common. Criminals know that where there's a university, there's a student walking around with a fancy smartphone and an expensive laptop in their backpack. As of October 2013, the University of Chicago Police recommend that people in the area "avoid using cell phones or other electronics while on the street." The University of Chicago publishes violent crime statistics on its website.

The university has taken pains to protect the area by installing plenty of lights along the Midway and increasing its police presence. The university fields the second largest private police force in the world (the first being the Pope's), with full police powers. That means there are twice as many police in Hyde Park than any other neighborhood around.

Go next

 * The famous Museum Campus and McCormick Center are just north in Chicago's Near South.
 * Chicago's Bronzeville, the historic Black Metropolis, is just a stone's throw away from Hyde Park, and well worth a visit for its huge role in African-American history. In particular the DuSable Museum of African-American History (which is just across the street from the University of Chicago Hospital) is very easy to visit when in the University area and should not be missed.
 * Oak Woods Cemetery, outstanding Memphis-style barbecue, and some of the best blues in the city are located a few miles south on Cottage Grove in Chatham and Greater Grand.
 * If you are up for a little drive, head south to the historic planned industrial community of Pullman, on the Far Southeast Side, and afterward grab some incredible smoked shrimp at the 95th St bridge.

title: Chicago/Hyde Park


text:
Chicago/Lakeview-North Center

Lakeview has the lion's share of Chicago's nightlife, starting with Wrigleyville, home of the Chicago Cubs and major players in the city's theater and music scenes, and Boystown, one of the largest and most vibrant LGBT communities in the United States. Down the street from both is the Belmont strip, where teen punks flock to shop and show off in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot.

Further west are the neighborhoods of North Center, Roscoe Village and St. Ben's, which have fun, laid-back bars and restaurants.

Understand
For many years, Lakeview was so far away from the action that opening a saloon on Clark Street was considered a peaceful retirement for convicted ex-politicians in Chicago. With the expansion of the elevated train system, however, that changed rapidly, and with the 1914 construction of Weeghman Park, later to be known as Wrigley Field, Lakeview became the capital of the North Side. The Chicago Cubs, also known as the most dominant baseball franchise of the 19th century, took up residence at Wrigley and commenced the hundred-year lack of success that made them famous. Other teams have slumps, but the Cubs were beyond compare, tormenting their fans with a hundred years of near-misses, late collapses, and abject futility that is unrivaled in American professional sports. The curse finally came to an end, though: in 2016 they won their first championship in over a century. But win or lose, Game Day is always a joy in Wrigleyville. As the last franchise in baseball to install stadium lights for night games, the Cubs' schedule still features more early afternoon starts than any other team in the league, and the sun-soaked ivy walls of Wrigley Field are a pleasure no matter what the score. Today, it's a rare thing in America: a genuine neighborhood ballpark, surrounded by streets that amplify the Cubs fandom into frenzy on game day. As a nightlife destination, Wrigleyville also supports the Metro, one of Chicago's foremost rock venues, and other great ones like Schuba's, Martyrs', and The Vic. The storefront theater scene also thrives here.

But there's more to Lakeview than Wrigleyville. A short walk east is Boystown, home of a cheerful, lively LGBT community and a great destination for anyone who enjoys high-energy nightlife. It's also home to the massive annual Pride Parade in June. Roscoe Village is west of Wrigley, and is popular with older gay couples and young people lured in by fashionable boutiques and the promise of a sunny day at one of the many sidewalk cafes on Southport, not to mention Chicago's premier movie revival house, the Music Box. And Lakeview embraces its inner dive bar in North Center, full of converted warehouses, quality bowling alleys and cheap beer without the jocks.

By train
The CTA Red Line makes stops in Lakeview (Belmont) and Wrigleyville (Addison, Sheridan). The Brown Line, further west, connects with the Red Line at Belmont, and makes additional stops in Lakeview (Diversey, Wellington, Southport), Roscoe Village (Paulina), and North Center (Addison, Irving Park). All but Sheridan are wheelchair accessible. The Purple Line from the Loop and Evanston also stops at Belmont during weekday rush hours. The Union Pacific/North Line runs through Lakeview and its nearest stops are Clybourne and Ravenswood.

By bus

 * 8 Halsted travels through Boystown. A poll named this the worst bus route in the city. It's late when it shows up and goes nowhere fast.
 * 9 Ashland is an all-night route. Overnight service only runs between 95th and the North/Clark Red Line stop.
 * 22 Clark runs the length of the north side, but it slows to a crawl through Wrigleyville, particularly on weekends and on days of Cubs games. It runs all night long.
 * 36 Broadway comes in from Uptown and carries on to the Loop.
 * 49 Western runs all night through most of the city and hits the Belmont/Western intersection, near which is the best of the Roscoe Village nightlife.
 * 76 Diversey runs east/west on Diversey, the border between Lincoln Park and Lakeview, and continues to Logan Square.
 * 77 Belmont runs all night and connects Roscoe Village with the Belmont Red/Brown Line stop and Boystown.
 * 80 Irving Park runs most of the east/west length of the city, connecting with the Brown Line in North Center and the Sheridan Red Line.
 * 152 Addison travels east/west through the edge of Boystown, Wrigleyville, and on to North Center.

By car
Lake Shore Drive has an exit at Belmont. Beware of driving on Clark Street on weekends and during Cubs games, though. The taxis are a menace and the drunks are drawn to the middle of the street like flies to lights. You'll go nowhere fast and see Chicago at its worst in slow-motion.

Music
A few great venues are also listed under Drink as well.

Buy
There are a few shopping areas of note. The Southport Corridor (3300 N to 3800 N) has a row of independent boutiques along with a few specialty stores. Lincoln Avenue in Roscoe Village also has some worthwhile shops, particularly near the Paulina Brown Line stop. Clark Street near Diversey has a few chain retailers like Marshall's, and a number of upscale boutiques are crammed alongside resale behemoths on Belmont, near the train station.

On game days, the streets of Wrigleyville are packed with vendors selling cheap Cubs gear.

Eat
It's not until you reach the high-end that Lakeview dining becomes especially memorable, but there are plenty of quick, reliable places. Most importantly, a lot of them are open late — this is probably the best place in the city to grab a bite after midnight.

Mid-range

Boystown
The nightlife in Boystown may be the best in Chicago. It's wild, uninhibited and just plain fun, regardless of sexual orientation. Most of the action is on Halsted/Broadway between Addison and Belmont.

Wrigleyville
There is a watering hole for just about every personality type in Wrigleyville, particularly if you venture off the Clark Street drag near the ballpark. If you're here for a Cubs home game, rest assured that you'll be surrounded by thousands of merry Cubs fans and a world that desires nothing more than to put beer in your hands; on the downside, you'll be surrounded by thousands of Cubs fans and a world that desires nothing more than to spill beer on you, so get comfortable with sharing personal space with strangers. If you're drinking well into the night, choose wisely; as the evening wears on, a few of the bars on Clark turn into half-eaten piles of rancid nachos and the city's ripest gathering ground for date rape statistics.

Others
Lakeview bars may get a bad name from the roiling mess on Clark Street, but there are actually several great places to drink within range of Wrigley.

Sleep
Most visitors will feel comfortable staying here in terms of safety, and Lakeview is a better place to experience something of the real city than the retail isolation of the Near North. Given the boozy atmosphere, though, it's probably better for singles and young couples than families with kids in tow. (You can get to Wrigley from anywhere in the city via the Red or Brown Line, after all.)

There are also a handful of budget and mid-range options just south of Boystown in Lincoln Park. Hotels are usually booked solid for the Pride Parade in June, so make reservations early or be ready to check in other areas.

Go next

 * If it's a crosstown baseball series, you'll need to get on the Red Line and head south to Bridgeport for the Chicago White Sox.
 * It would take more than one curse to put the Cubs in their current condition, but the most famous of them, the Billy Goat Curse, began with the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in the Near North.
 * Follow the theater trail in the storefront comedy direction to Uptown or the big-name comedy/drama direction in Old Town.
 * Andersonville is a stylish neighborhood a short trip northwest of Boystown with several gay and lesbian-friendly bars and businesses.
 * Edgewater has the LGBT Gerber/Hart Library and the less scholarly Leather Archives and Museum. During the summer, Chicago's gay community tans at Edgewater's Hollywood Beach.
 * Dedicated to original theater that explores gender and sexual identity, the About Face Theater Company performs at major theaters like Steppenwolf in Old Town and storefronts around Boystown.

title: Chicago/Lakeview-North Center


text:
Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town

For other places with the same name, see Lincoln Park (disambiguation).

In Lincoln Park, collegians mix with freshly-minted lawyers and barrel-chested brokers. All come to seek their good fortune in beer gardens on the north side of Chicago, a short walk from miles of beautiful parks and the fabulous Lincoln Park Zoo. Just south is Old Town, a striking collision of rich and poor, and home of Chicago's two most celebrated theaters, Steppenwolf and Second City.

Understand
The flames of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 lapped at the borders of Lincoln Park, and burned no further than Fullerton Avenue. It was, then, a small community of Polish and German settlers near the northern boundaries of the city, named Lake Park for the swamplands (and cemeteries) that were drained by the lake, and renamed Lincoln Park for the slain president in 1865.

Back to that fire, though: refugees poured into the neighborhood for safety, and with their former homes in ashes, plenty of them decided to stay. Lots were sold to "worthy families," and it suddenly became a very fashionable place to live. With the arrival of the elevated train, a construction frenzy began. In fact, an estimated 60% of the buildings that stand in Lincoln Park date from the three decades after the fire. Cultural institutions emerged to match: for example, with the $10 purchase of a bear cub, the Lincoln Park Zoo opened to visitors in 1874, and DePaul University evolved from a small religious college to the center of life for the neighborhood, with strong academic and sports programs throughout much of the twentieth century. (Long-time basketball coach Ray Meyer introduced the concept of the skilled seven-footer to the sport when he recruited George Mikan in the 1940s.)

The area now known as Old Town was not so lucky in the Fire, but was spared the extensive damage of the city center. Today, its pre-fire history can be seen in the winding layout of the streets in the Old Town Triangle Historic District, and can be heard in the bells of St. Michael's Church, one of the few structures to stand in the path of the fire and survive. The neighborhood was hit hard by the urban flight of the 1950s, and many of those classic structures were converted into boarding houses that became affordable for beatniks: artists, folk musicians, actors, and others moved in and made Old Town into the counterculture capital of Chicago for the next two decades. Miles, Janis, Dylan, and Seeger played in and outside of the clubs in Old Town. It was where teens from staid neighborhoods (like Lincoln Park) came to feel the edge. Guitars! Long hair! Loitering! Old Town had it all.

Into this environment came the city's greatest comedic force, a group of ex-pats from Hyde Park who named their new theater The Second City, and reinvented American comedy. Years later, a similarly talented band of college actors arrived to establish Steppenwolf, who set the tone for the next two decades of dramatic theater.

The shocking violence of the 1968 Democratic Convention spelled the end of the hippie era in Old Town. Soon, property values were on the rise, and only the more financially successful countercultural outlets could stay in business. Today, you'll find a historic district and the new Chicago History Museum to guide you around, and you can split an amazing night at the theater with one of the trendy restaurants nearby. Old Town is divided, though: crumbling buildings sit on one side of North Avenue without ever much affecting a trip to Steppenwolf on the other side. Old Town is a neighborhood that knows the contradictions within its boundaries, and lives with them. Lincoln Park, on the other hand, is oblivious. Most of the North Side wouldn't live in Lincoln Park if you paid them to do it, and most of Lincoln Park would refuse to live anywhere else, understanding other neighborhoods only as wastelands with poorly groomed people and an unacceptable shortage of Starbucks. Thanks to the presence of DePaul, Lincoln Park has a distinctly collegiate atmosphere, created not only by students but also by young professionals with fond memories of having been students within the last two decades. The weekend club scene in Lincoln Park will either offer an exhilarating trip back to your college years or a vision of hell on earth. That aside, Lincoln Park also has a row of shopping boutiques that is the envy of much of the rest of the city, and the taxes that churn through the local economy go to the well-maintained expanses of the eponymous park, the lakefront bike and jogging trails, and North Avenue Beach.

Also, to its credit, the Lincoln Park Zoo didn't rest on its laurels after it got that bear.

By train
The CTA Red Line runs along Sheffield Avenue and stops at Fullerton in Lincoln Park and North/Clybourn at the edge of Old Town. The Brown Line, further west, connects with the Red Line at Fullerton, but also makes stops in Lincoln Park at Armitage and Diversey, and in Old Town at Sedgwick.

The Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line and Union Pacific North Line stop at the Clybourn station just across the Chicago River on Armitage just west of Ashland, from which you can catch the 73 Armitage bus into Lincoln Park. The Clybourn Metra station, despite its name, is not on Clybourn Avenue.

By bus

 * 8 Halsted runs past Steppenwolf's front door in Old Town.
 * 22 Clark runs all night north/south down Clark Street, from the Near North and through both Old Town and Lincoln Park, before heading on to Lakeview.
 * 37 Sedgwick runs north/south on Sedwick from Fullerton, into Old Town, River North and the Loop.
 * 72 North runs on North Avenue, into the heart of Old Town, and on to Bucktown.
 * 73 Armitage serves the Armitage shopping corridor.
 * 74 Fullerton runs east/west on Fullerton, the major artery in Lincoln Park.
 * 76 Diversey runs east/west on Diversey, the border between Lincoln Park and Lakeview, and continues to Logan Square.
 * 151 Sheridan and 156 LaSalle both reach the Lincoln Park Zoo and the lakefront from the Near North. The 151 runs all night.

By car
Lake Shore Drive has exits at Fullerton for Lincoln Park and North Avenue for Old Town. From the Kennedy Expressway, take any of the eastbound exits at Division, North, Fullerton, and Diversey.

Traffic is not swift on the streets of Lincoln Park and Old Town, but it's generally manageable. Beware of parking on side streets that require residential permits. (If you're not parking at a meter, take a quick walk up and down the block to make sure that a permit isn't required to park there.)

There are parking garages in close proximity to the theaters (notably Piper's Alley in Old Town) and on the grounds of the Lincoln Park Zoo ($14, 1-3 hours).

See

The Lincoln Park Zoo and the lakefront are the biggest highlights for a day here, especially with kids, but a few sights, particularly the Biograph Theater and the historic districts, are at their most powerful by night.

Historic districts
These areas have some of the most impressive homes in Chicago, and can be covered easily on foot. For guided walking tours, check with the Chicago History Museum (above).

Events & festivals
Summers in Lincoln Park are full of festivals, with one for every major street and parish. Expect beer, non-descript food and a few jam bands. Old Town has one that's definitely worth singling out, though.

Buy
Trendy boutique shopping can be found at the shops on Armitage between Halsted and Sheffield in Lincoln Park.

Eat
The Lincoln Park Zoo may be free, but the food court and the concessions are a bit steep. If you need to eat at the zoo, take some solace in remembering how much you paid to get in!

Budget
The DePaul area has a lot of fast food targeted at students, mostly sandwich and noodle shops.

Mid-range
Lincoln Park is crammed with mid-range Italian restaurants. Sushi places aren't rare, either.

Drink
If there's a college sports game that you can't miss while you're in town, make tracks to Lincoln Park. Most of the alumni associations (especially for Big Ten schools) have a bar staked out for themselves.

Go next

 * If you are in the mood for exploration, and would like to evade the sports bar scene in Lincoln Park, consider heading west across the river to Wicker Park or Bucktown for some more colorful nightlife and shopping.

title: Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town


text:
Chicago/Logan-Bucktown

Logan Square is an expansive neighborhood with sweeping boulevards on Chicago's West Side. It shares a wealth of dive bars and cheap rock venues with Bucktown, which becomes a high-fashion destination when close to Wicker Park.

Understand
The area now known as Logan Square was born in the boomtown days of the 1830s, when schoolteacher Martin Kimbell rejected a plot in the obviously going-nowhere Loop in favor of good, solid farmland about five miles northwest. The area remained independent from the city until temptations like water and fire departments became too much to resist, and in 1889, Chicago took over. (The streets were upgraded, but they were also renamed — most cruelly, "Kimbell" became "Kimball".)

And if you were a goat farmer in the city around that time, Bucktown was the place to be. You knew that you were in a place that understood the importance of goats, and that any goats you owned would be in good company. As home to farms, factories, and immigrants who were employed by them, Bucktown never developed any major tourist attractions, but it did support plenty of bars for discussions of issues both goat-related and non-goat-related, and that preponderance of cheap bars is still intact.

Logan Square, on the other hand, was named for the Civil War hero Gen. John A. Logan, and its tree-lined boulevards — one of which bears his name — are what really set the neighborhood apart from its neighbors, offering wide-open spaces for leisurely trawls by cars, bikes, and pedestrians alike. (Fittingly, Ignaz Schwinn, founder of the Schwinn bicycle company, settled in Logan Square.) The neighborhood became a destination for immigrants who'd struck it rich in Chicago, and they helped build the beautiful housing stock that survives, even after the business district collapsed in the 1950s.

It's those magnificent graystones and richly detailed brick classics that draw waves of new residents to Logan Square. It's the best of both worlds: murals and community gardens decorate the streets, and new residents kick portions of their salaries to businesses run by older ones, enjoying authentic taquerias on wide, sunny boulevards that are (mostly) rich with gritty, urban character and (generally) safe.

Despite the critical shortage of goats today, the chameleon-like Bucktown prospers from proximity to Wicker Park, with retail and restaurants that take their cues from the hipster paradise to its south, rough-and-tumble spots that resemble Logan on the other side, and new condos not dissimilar to Lincoln Park to the east. Bucktown is less notable than Logan Square in terms of looks, with a lot of same-y new construction hurried up to meet housing demand, but it also has some great bars and essential music venues with nightly bills of jazz, scuzz and genius.

By train
The O'Hare branch of the CTA Blue Line has stops in Bucktown (Damen, Western) and Logan Square (California, Logan Square). It runs all night.

By bus

 * 49 Western runs through Bucktown all night, connecting with the Blue Line at Western and Armitage.
 * 52 Kedzie/California travels on California through both neighborhoods, connecting with the Blue Line at the California station, and on to the Far West Side.
 * 56 Milwaukee is the key route, running from Wicker Park, through Bucktown and Logan Square, and on to the Far Northwest Side. It connects near the Blue Line at Damen, again at California, and again at the Logan Square stop.
 * 82 Kimball runs through Logan Square till midnight, connecting with the Blue Line at the Logan Square stop (Spaulding entrance).

Three buses connect Bucktown with Lincoln Park, Old Town, and the lakefront, not to mention the Red, Purple, and Brown Lines:

 * 72 North runs a quick route between the Brown/Purple (Sedgwick) and Red (North/Clybourn) Lines and the Blue Line (Damen) at the center of the Wicker Park/Bucktown shopping district.
 * 73 Armitage connects with the Blue Line at Western.
 * 74 Fullerton connects with the Blue Line at California.
 * 76 Diversey connects with the Blue Line at Logan Square.

By car
I-90/94, also known as the Kennedy Expressway, runs close to Logan Square and Bucktown. Diversey Avenue is the main exit for the neighborhood. Street parking is usually not a problem in Logan Square, but check for permit-only parking on side streets — the posted hours are a bit weird, and cops go on ticket binges every once in a while. Logan Boulevard itself usually offers plentiful open parking, though.

See
One of Logan Square's most celebrated features is Logan Boulevard itself, which is lined with century-old, show-of-wealth mansions. For an easy walking tour, start west of the I-90/94 underpass, and walk west to the Illinois Centenary Memorial Column, veering off to walk south on Kedzie for a few more blocks of the same. They're enjoyable by sight alone on a sunny day, but community groups like Logan Square Preservation hold occasional guided tours and garden walks.

Do
The best reason to visit Bucktown and Logan Square is the music scene, which includes several bars — see also the below.

Bucktown
There are two main shopping areas in Bucktown. The first is near the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenue, right at the border of Wicker Park, where you’ll find small, independent stores and boutiques. However, for the big-box experience, drive up to Damen and Elston, where a couple of strip malls offer major retailers and plenty of parking.

Logan Square
The six corners of Diversey, Milwaukee, and Kimball mark the center of the old retail district in Logan Square. It's an odd sight to see national chains like The Gap shoehorned into old art deco facades.

Eat
Logan Square covers a lot of culinary ground — stray off the beaten path and you'll find places serving Argentinean, Colombian, Cuban, Ecuadorian, El Salvadorian, and regional Mexican specialties.

Bars with music
Not far away, although a little difficult to find, The Hideout (just east of Wicker Park) is definitely worth seeking out for live music.

Sleep
If you're only here for a show and the options in Wicker Park are too steep, you could commute from the hotel cluster by O'Hare Airport on the Blue Line.

Connect
The following libraries provide free internet access:

Stay safe
Both neighborhoods are reasonably safe, with standard precautions taken for an urban environment. Stay close to the bright lights after dark, and if you’ve had a lot to drink, use the money you saved on cheap beer for a taxi back to your hotel.

Go next

 * As fashion follows the path of Polish migration, Avondale is often mentioned as the next place to receive the “hot neighborhood” treatment after Logan Square.
 * Humboldt Park on the Far West Side has a major Puerto Rican community and a few cultural institutions that share an audience with Logan Square residents.

title: Chicago/Logan-Bucktown