Out of the Loop in Chicago
Sure, visit the Sears Tower. But to really appreciate the city, check out its neighborhoods.

By Gary Lee
Sunday, September 10, 2000

I kicked off my night in Chicago's Wicker Park by spilling half my guts in a poetry slam at the Mad Bar, a Damen Avenue hot spot. Six hours later, I let go the other half in a spirited bossa nova session at a "supreme funk parlor" called the Empty Bottle. In between came soothing Asian stew and spring rolls at a trendy noodle joint called Hi Ricky and a shake of the leg at Big Wig, a zany lounge decorated with beauty-parlor chairs and hairpieces.

You won't find that kind of atmosphere on Michigan Avenue.

Not to snub the Magnificent Mile--or any other of the world-renowned cultural and architectural attractions of the Windy City. But I found that to really get to know Chicago, it pays to venture beyond the shadow of the Sears Tower and into the hangouts favored by locals.

Wicker Park, for all its neon pizazz, is just one of many Chicago-area neighborhoods with their own enthralling character. There's Mexican-flavored Pilsen, where by day I gazed at brightly colored murals splashed on brick walls everywhere, and at night happened into a high-energy mariachi party. Oak Park, where a concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright homes and Hemingway pilgrimage sites took me on an absorbing sojourn into Americana. African American Bronzeville, strongly reminiscent of New York's Harlem. In the end, I focused on six neighborhoods, including gay Boystown and the evocative 32-square-block Ukrainian Village. At every stop, amiable Chicagoans made this traveler feel as at home as Joe from down the street who wanders by every morning for coffee.

My reports--which include recommended lodgings, restaurants and night spots in the neighborhoods, as well as insider's tips--are below.

Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright's wife called him Mr. Wright. He so loathed the plain house next door that he built special blinds in his own home to block the view. He went out of his way to honor natural habitats so much that he allowed a tree to grow right through his hallway.

After a day in the storybook suburb of Oak Park, I learned bits of trivia--and a lot more--about America's best-known architect.

Slow-moving Oak Park, a half-hour ride on the elevated train from the Loop, is a world apart from the imposing skyscrapers downtown. Land of a wonderfully preserved collection of houses styled in the Queen Anne, Prarie and classical revival traditions, it could not have been a more fitting backdrop for a sojourn to the roots of two American icons. (Ernest Hemingway is the other native son).

At the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, where the architect lived and worked for two decades, what struck me most was his canny use of light, enclosed spaces within rooms, and delightful nooks and crannies everywhere. Later, I wandered about the neighborhood where he designed more than two dozen homes. I picnicked in the park named in his honor and ended the day at a chamber music concert at the Unity Temple, another Wright creation.

There is a cottage industry of Wright-related attractions, including tours of the Moore-Dugal home and the Unity Temple, which architectural critics rank among his most attractive buildings. I passed on the organized ventures in favor of a self-guided stroll, with the help of a map from the Oak Park Visitors Center, down Forest Avenue, along Chicago Avenue and around the surrounding blocks. Fourteen Wright creations are concentrated here, mainly residential homes that blend well into their manicured settings.

Were Oak Park not also the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway, it would have been an all-Wright day. But fond memories of "The Sun Also Rises" and other Hemingway works led me to the Victorian house where the writer was born and to the nearby Hemingway Museum, which displays his childhood diary and other memorabilia.

GETTING THERE: Oak Park is nine miles west of the Loop. It's about a $20 cab ride from downtown, or take the CTA Lake Street El train or Metra West Line train.

NEIGHBORHOOD LODGING: The Cheney House Bed & Breakfast (520 North East Ave., 708-524-2067), designed by who else, is completely furnished with pieces created by him, too. It's walking distance to other Wright and Hemingway venues. There are three suites for $155 a night, including breakfast.

HOT RESTAURANT: Petersen's Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor (1100 Chicago Ave.) has a 1950s suburban ambiance. A burger, Coke and slice of apple pie will set you back about $8.

NIGHT SPOT: La Majada (226 W. Harrison) serves great margaritas and Mexican food and features strolling guitarists playing old favorites and requests.

INSIDER'S TIP: The Unity Temple, which Wright described as his "little jewel," holds an annual concert series that's worth a trip to the neighborhood. Call 708-445-8955 for details.

FOR MORE INFO: Oak Park Visitors Center, 158 N. Forest Ave., 888-OAK-PARK, www.visitoakpark .com.

Wicker Park

Soft candlelight and background rap music set the mood at the Mad Bar when emcee Crystal shook back her blond locks and bellowed out a spirited verse, launching the regular Monday poetry slam. A dozen or so others followed--blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos, dudes and chicks in their twenties and thirties, holding forth about dating, pets, hangovers, racism and other assorted adventures in the Windy City.

Afterward, a few fellow poets and I strolled around the corner to Hi Ricky, where everybody in these parts seems to dine at least once a week, and where I wolfed down a steaming bowl of Malaysian laksa soup and a fresh, crispy green salad. Then it was on to Big Wig, a club with a hair salon theme furnished with barber and beauty chairs, and the Empty Bottle, a most supreme of funk parlors, where a Brazilian band was winding down its third set. By the time I crawled down the block to my bed-and-breakfast, I had no doubt as to why Rolling Stone magazine nominated Wicker Park as one of the country's hippest residential districts.

Unlike most areas known for nightlife, Wicker Park--an architecturally eclectic collection of Victorian homes and modern low-rise buildings--also gleams by day. Locals who are up in time for breakfast or lunch usually flock to the Bongo Room (it doesn't serve dinner), favored for its lighthearted setting and health-conscious menu. Even at Tuesday noon a crowd was clamoring at the door, but a smiling waiter quickly found me a seat and a friendly waitress soon brought over a delicious burrito and Caesar salad.

Shopping is hot. At Una Mae's Freak Boutique and Recycle, two trendy Milwaukee Avenue retailers, the racks were filled with the kind of retro fashions everybody in the 'hood but me seemed to be sporting. If you feel like gliding down sidewalks, check out Uprise, another Milwaukee shoppe specializing in skateboards.

GETTING THERE: Wicker Park, about four miles northwest of downtown, is bounded by Western and Ashland avenues and Division Street and Armitage. Milwaukee Avenue, between Ashland and North, is the main drag. It's about a $7 cab ride from downtown, or a 10-minute trip on the El train. (Division is the best exit.)

NEIGHBORHOOD LODGING: The House of Two Urns B&B (1239 N. Greenview Ave., 800-835-9303, www.twourns.com) captures the funky Wicker Park spirit. Doubles range from $79 to $129, including a full breakfast. Innkeeper Kapra Fleming can fill you in on where to while away the day or night.

HOT RESTAURANT: At Cafe Absinthe (1954 W. North Ave.), exposed brick enhances a cool urban look. A trendy crowd gathers here nightly and dines on such gourmet fare as scallops in fennel bouillon. Dinner for two will set you back $80.

NIGHT SPOT: At Red Dog (1958 W. North Ave.), the lights are always low and the music, mostly funk and house, is just right for dancing. Of the many after-dinner places to choose from, it's my pick for the best.

INSIDER'S TIP: The eponymous Wicker Park, a five-acre covered park bound by Damen Avenue and Schiller Street, is a comfortable place to laze away an afternoon over a book.

FOR MORE INFO: Check out the Chicago Reader (www.chicagoreader.com or at newsstands), an alternative paper that keeps score of happenings in Wicker Park and elsewhere in the city. Also try Circa, the Wicker Park newsletter, at 773-342-1966, www.owpc.org.

Bronzeville

Behind the oak door, I found myself in a scene that could have been snatched from the pages of a Toni Morrison novel. A group of Muslim women were chattering with Baptist churchgoers; the scent of collard greens and fried catfish wafted from the kitchen; the sonorous ballads of Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane blared through the hallways. Pamela Johnson, a former model turned B&B owner, hosted with the aplomb of Oprah Winfrey.

At once folksy and spirited, the mood in Bronzeville's 1st Bed & Breakfast re-created the heyday of Bronzeville, a largely African American neighborhood reminiscent of New York's Harlem. "This was once one of the liveliest parts of Chicago," said Johnson, the owner. "I'm doing my part to help revive that spirit."

Bronzeville sprang up in the early years of the century when the Chicago Defender, a black newspaper distributed by pullmen in the South, extolled the advantages of life in the Windy City. Readers heeded the call by the tens of thousands, eventually settling in this area. Now it's an intriguing mix of faded grandeur and urban decay, of statuesque gray-stones and corner chicken joints.

I walked along Martin Luther King Drive to 39th Street, noting the sidewalk plaques dedicated to famous African Americans who lived in Chicago, from poet Langston Hughes to jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong. The neighborhood is full of reminders of the lively black culture that once thrived here. Among the highlights:

* The Pilgrim Baptist Church, at 33rd and Indiana, where Aretha Franklin's father once trained. Inside, bright wooden ceilings jut upward, surrounded by spacious balconies. Stars of David inlaid in the woodwork are a reminder that the building was once a synagogue. The church was designed in 1891 by renowned architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler.

* At 3763 S. Wabash, the YMCA where historian Carter Woodson founded the Association for Afro-American Life and History in 1915. Abandoned for years, it recently reopened as a neighborhood recreation center.

* At 3533 S. Giles, the Eighth Regiment Armory building where Marcus Garvey organized his "Back to Africa" movement in the 1920s. Now restored, it houses the Bronzeville Military Academy.

* At 26th and King Drive, a metal statue of a young black man lugging a suitcase bound with string. Constructed in 1996, this 15-foot tribute to the Great Migration marks the official entrance to Bronzeville.

GETTING THERE: Bronzeville extends from State Street to Lake Michigan and S. 26th to 51st streets. Most of the action is along Martin Luther King Drive and 39th Street. About two miles south of downtown, it's an $8 taxi ride or 15 minutes on the green line of the CTA elevated. (There's a Bronzeville stop.)

NEIGHBORHOOD LODGING: Bronzeville's 1st Bed & Breakfast (3911 S. Martin Luther King Dr., 773-373-8081) has four fabulously decorated guest rooms, complete with Jacuzzis, at $165 to $210 a night, including three meals a day. The first floor, adorned with snazzy paintings and sculptures by Chicago black artists, is open to the public for breakfast and brunch on weekends.

HOT RESTAURANT: At Pearl's Place (in the Amber Inn, 3901 S. Michigan), the decor is basic, but the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and other Southern specialties will keep you happy (and full) all night and even through breakfast the next day. At about $12 per person for dinner, the price is right, too.

NIGHT SPOT: The Checkerboard Lounge (423 E. 43rd, 773-624-3240) offers some of the best blues acts in town in an authentically smoky, slightly run-down atmosphere. The beer is cheap, and the audience a mix of races and ages.

INSIDER'S TIP: The First Church of Deliverance at 43rd and Wabash puts on one of the most inspiring services in town.

FOR MORE INFO: Black Metropolis Convention and Tourism Council, 773-548-2579, www.bronzevilleonline.com. Tour Black Chicago (312-332-2323) offers guided neighborhood tours.

Pilsen

When developers recently threatened to gentrify parts of Pilsen, a group of local artists protested the best way they knew how: They painted a mural. Spread across a building on Bishop Street, just off 18th, it's a kaleidoscope of bright colors, complete with a portrait of labor organizer Cesar Chavez and an activist carrying a poster charging the developers with "ethnic cleansing."

Some two dozen such pictures, painted over the past few years on storefront walls across Pilsen, have infused this southside 'hood with south of the border spirit. Spanish is commonly heard along the sidewalks and in the shops. But what gives this settlement of low-rise houses and busy corner shops a down-home feel is the common heritage of its residents--brothers, sisters, cousins or close friends transplanted from the same Mexican neighborhoods and towns.

Pilsen, once a gateway for Czechs and other ethnic immigrants in earlier eras, has been a stronghold for Mexicans since the early 1960s. It is the oldest of the half-dozen or so Mexican enclaves scattered across Chicago, where one in six residents, or about a half-million people, trace their roots to Mexico.

The murals offer visitors a good toehold in the neighborhood. As soon as I stepped off the El train, scenes of Latino street life painted in bright blues, greens and yellows along the station walls grabbed my attention. As I walked around, one mural after another my eye. One, along Hubbard Street between Ogden and Halsted, consisted of images of a rain forest and other eco-minded themes. Another, painted along the railway embankment along Western Avenue, was of demonstrators protesting the threat of World War III.

The painters imported their penchant for mural art from their native land. "Murals are our way of talking to the people," said Carlos Cortez, a Chicago resident and Mexican American artist. "You can reach more people with them than you can on a canvas, which will probably end up in someone's private collection."

The Mexican Fine Arts Center displays other works by artists from Chicago and elsewhere. Undergoing a major expansion, it serves as an exhibition space for art and a place for community gatherings. When I visited, there was a show by Luis Jimenez, a Texas painter who specializes in larger-than-life fiberglass images of Mexicans at work and play. A gift shop sells arts and crafts imported from Mexico.

GETTING THERE: Pilsen is bordered by South Halsted, Damen, 18th and 26th streets. The two main thoroughfares are 18th and 26th. Four miles southwest of downtown, it's 15 minutes by cab or a 20 minute ride on the blue line (exit at 18th Street).

NEIGHBORHOOD LODGING: There is no special lodging in Pilsen, but it's an easy ride from downtown, where there are lots of hotels.

HOT RESTAURANT: At Restaurante Nuevo Leon (1515 W. 18th St.), the contemporary art decorating the walls and the Mexican music from the jukebox make for a festive mood. The tortilla soup and chicken mole are especially tasty. Food is plentiful, and at about $18 for dinner for two, it's a great deal.

NIGHT SPOT: El Concordia Restaurant and Nightclub (3801 W. 26th St.) has a dance floor not much bigger than a postage stamp, but the mariachi bands on weekends will take you halfway and back to Gaudalajara.

INSIDER'S TIP: The Jumping Bean (1439 W. 18th St.) is a friendly cafe where you're likely to run into Cortez or one of the other neighborhood artists.

FOR MORE INFO: Mexican Fine Arts Center, 1852 W. 19th St., 312-738-1503.

Boystown

One big draw is bartender (and co-owner) Art Johnson, known for his chatty manner and occasional offer of drinks on the house. Another are the pop music videos, featuring every top-of-the-chart artist from Britney Spears to Cher, flashed across a dazzling array of overhead screens. But what really makes Sidetrack the hottest hangout in Boystown, Chicago's biggest gay neighborhood, is the clientele. It's a gym-and-tonic crowd, buffed and primed for partying.

Frisky nightlife is the name of the game. North Halsted, the main drag, has 16 spots to imbibe and people-watch. They range from Roscoe's, whose dance floor draws a young mixed-race crowd, to Gentry, a piano bar that attracts an older set.

But in scouting around Boystown, I found a lot more than just partying. Many gay men and lesbians have bought condos or houses along the tree-lined streets. Same-sex couples can often be seen walking hand-in-hand. "It's a pretty safe area with a strong gay identity," said Sukie de la Croix, who runs occasional tours of gay Chicago. "There was a homophobic hamburger place down the block, but we ran them out of business."

Two North Halsted shops, Gay Mart (at 3457) and Batteries Not Included (3420), offer shoppers the latest in gay paraphernalia, from Ken dolls to rainbow-bedecked T-shirts. The Gerber/Hart Library, farther uptown at 1127 W. Granville Ave., has one of the country's most extensive collections of gay literature.

The development of Boystown has been supported by Chicago's city government, which recently paid for the installation of rainbow-colored pylons along Halsted. Two good occasions to visit are the annual gay and lesbian pride weekend, held at the end of June, and North Halsted Market Days, organized every year at the beginning of August.

GETTING THERE: Boystown, bordered by Diversey Parkway, Irving Park Road, the Lakefront and Halsted, is about three miles north of downtown. It's a $10 cab ride or an easy trip on the El train. (Belmont is the best stop.)

NEIGHBORHOOD LODGING: The Villa Toscana (3447 N. Halstad, 773-404-2643) is a gay-friendly, eight-room Victorian smack in the middle of Boystown. For $119 you get a small but cute room for two with a private bath and continental breakfast.

HOT RESTAURANT: Ann Sather is best known for its wonderfully fluffy cinnamon rolls, but this gay-owned Swedish diner-style restaurant also serves excellent meatballs, potato sausages and other Scandinavian specialties. There are five branches, but fans say the one at 929 W. Belmont, in the center of Boystown, has the best vibes. Dinner for two will run about $40.

NIGHT SPOT: Sidetrack (3349 N. Halsted) is the hottest gay hangout in Boystown. Lesbians prefer Girlbar (2625 N. Halsted).

INSIDER'S TIP: About Face Theatre (3212 N. Broadway, 773-549-7943) stages three or four gay-themed plays a year.

FOR MORE INFO: For a free copy of a 32-page guide for gay tourists or details about area tours, contact the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, 3713 N. Halsted, 888-452-4262, www.glchamber.org.

Ukrainian Village

I was ambling west on Chicago Avenue, past a small Latino enclave, when I spotted the gilded onion-shaped domes rising majestically above. It was St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, modeled after the Basilica of St. Sophia in Kiev, and among the most elegant places of worship I have ever visited.

The sight was a fitting entree into one of Chicago's most original ethnic enclaves. With 10,000 Ukrainians living in this neighborhood, the 32-square-block area northwest of downtown is so authentic it could be somewhere in Eastern Europe. Here storefronts are adorned with Ukrainian signs; bakeries stock pierogi, dumplings and other specialties from the motherland; and radio shows broadcast programs in Ukrainian. "If you wanted to live totally in Ukrainian here, you could," a waitress told me. "Lots of people do."

A whirlwind tour of the area took me back to Kiev, which I visited a half-dozen times as a Moscow-based reporter in the late 1980s. Highlights were visits to Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church, with its magnificent two-story mural on the facade, and St. Nick's, recognizable by its gleaming Byzantine domes. In both cases, the interiors, with their elaborately decorated walks and ceilings, were as impressive as the facades.

Another high point was the Ukrainian National Museum. It's well-stocked with artifacts from the mother country, including intricately painted Easter eggs, wood carvings and colorfully embroidered blouses. But an exhibition on the lingering devastation in Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 explosion at a nuclear power plant, touched me most.

GETTING THERE: Ukrainian Village, bordered by Huron, Division, Mozart and Damen streets, is about three miles northwest of downtown. It's an $8 cab ride from the Loop or an easy trip on the blue line (exit at Chicago and Division).

NEIGHBORHOOD LODGING: There are no recommended hotels in Ukrainian Village, but the House of Two Urns (details in the Wicker Park section, above) is a 20-minute walk away.

HOT RESTAURANT: I arrived at Sak's Ukrainian Village Restaurant (2301 W. Chicago) too late to persuade the chef to make chicken Kiev, but she did whip up some succulent stuffed peppers and potato pancakes. The atmosphere is cozy and homey. Dinner for two, with beer and dessert, runs about $30.

NIGHT SPOT: Sak's, which has a small but warm-hearted bar, is your best bet.

INSIDER'S TIP: If you visit in March, you can join the annual Taras Shevchenko celebration, a month-long festival of readings, art exhibitions and other shindigs honoring Ukraine's greatest poet. The Ukrainian National Museum can give details.

FOR MORE INFO: Ukrainian National Museum, 721 N. Oakley Blvd, 312-421-8020.

DETAILS

Chicago Neighborhoods

Chicago Neighborhood Tours, an organization with government and private funding, makes it easy for visitors to delve into the enclaves we featured--plus many others--with a series of well-organized, half-day excursions. Information: 312-742-1190, www.chgocitytours.com.

For visitors planning to travel a lot within the city, a five-day CTA pass for El trains and buses is a good deal at $18. You can buy them at rail station outlets or at most currency exchange offices, or order in advance at 888-YOUR-CTA, www.transitchicago.com.