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 | Chicago Neighborhoods-other Reviews | Tips 31 - 40 of 48 |  |
 | |  |  | Neighborhoods-other: Ukrainian Village | |  |  | |  |
First, let me say that other than a few churches, there is very little Ukrainian left in this neighborhood. It's mostly Mexican immigrants and hipsters. The main business district runs along Chicago Avenue between Ashland (1600 west) and Western (2400 west). The blue line (O'Hare branch) stops at the intersection of Chicago (800 north), Ogden (approx 1200 west) and Milwaukee. Depending on how much of a walker you are, you can walk west on Chicago or take the Chicago Avenue bus. Flo is a great restaurant at 1434 W Chicago. Rotofugi is a "designer toy store" at 1953 W Chicago, and Permanent Records buys, sells, and trades used records at 1914 W Chicago. I love to walk the residential streets of Ukrainian Village, especially the quadrant bounded by Chicago (800 north), Damen (2000 west), Leavitt (2200 west), and Division (1200 north). I usually combine this walk with a visit to Wicker Park, the neighborhood immediately north of Ukrainian Village. (see Wicker Park tip)
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| | | | Neighborhoods-other: Wicker Park | | | | | |
If you're coming from Ukrainian Village (see Ukrainian Village tip), walk north along Leavitt to Division. Head east on Division. There are lots of restaurants and boutiques along this street. For restaurant recommendations, check out the Chicago Reader's restaurant rater (www.chicagoreader.com, click on "restaurants"). You can enter neighborhood, cuisine, and price range, among other criteria. I've had nice meals at Enoteca Roma and Letizia's Natural Bakery (2144/2146 W Division). My favorite gelateria is Caffe Gelato at 2034 West Division. Crust, a pizza place at 2056 W Division, is Chicago's first certified organic restaurant. Mirai Sushi at 2020 W Division is popular. The closer you get to Ashland, the scruffier the neighborhood gets: more old-man bars, more plastic bags clinging to tree branches, fewer boutiques. Once you get to Division, Ashland, and Milwaukee, you can take the blue line back downtown. If you'd like to head up to Bucktown, you have 2 options. You can take the blue line toward O'Hare and get off at the next stop. Or, if you are interested in observing the evolution of a neighborhood from scruffy to swanky, walk northwest along Milwaukee from Division. You many notice one or two nice restaurants or hipster stores, but they are outnumbered by fast-food joints, dollar stores, boarded-up buildings, etc. As you walk further north, the balance shifts until you get to the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North. This is the heart of Wicker Park. The Bongo Room, at 1470 N Milwaukee, is popular for breakfast and lunch. Myopic Books at 1564 N Milwaukee is one of my favorite used bookstores. The Flat Iron Arts Building at 1579 N Milwaukee is filled with artists' studios. The Double Door is a live music venue at 1572 N Milwaukee. If you head north on Damen, you'll enter Bucktown and see the transformation to swanky begin. Lots of precious boutiques and restaurants line this street all the way from North (1600 north) to Armitage (2000 north) and beyond.
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| | | | Neighborhoods-other: Logan Square | | | | | |
Logan Square is another gem of a neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago. Take the blue line to the Logan Square stop, and you'll be at the intersection of Logan Blvd, Kedzie, and Milwaukee. The square itself is not very inviting. It can feel particularly chaotic when there's a lot of traffic. However, Logan Blvd to the east of the square and Kedzie Ave to the south of the square are wide boulevards lined with glorious late 19th/early 20th century mansions and grand apartment homes. The tree-lined side streets are also worth exploring. If you have the opportunity to take a walking tour of the neighborhood, I strongly recommend it. The Chicago Architecture Foundation (www.architecture.org) offers a tour a couple of times a year, and the Logan Square Boulevards District House, Church & Garden Walk happens once a year. As with most Chicago neighborhoods, there is some wonderful history behind the development, decline, and rebirth of this great neighborhood. There's a lovely tapas restaurant called Azucar directly across the street from the blue line subway stop at 2647 N Kedzie. Great food and lovely outdoor dining. We ate outside on a Friday evening at around 8pm, and I was pleasantly surprised by how tranquil it felt, even though we were on a main street. There's another popular restaurant on the south side of the square called Lula Cafe at 2537 N Kedzie. Website: http://www.logansquarepreservation.org/
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| | | | Neighborhoods-other: Little Italy | | | | | |
Take the blue line toward Forest Park and get off at Racine (1200 west). Walk south toward Harrison. The area where I like to walk runs from Harrison (600 south) to Taylor (1000 south), and from Morgan (1000 west) to Ashland (1600 west). Some of my favorite streets include the 1200-1400 blocks of Lexington (about 800 south). The north side of Lexington is lined with 19th century row houses, and Arrigo Park (or Peanut Park as the locals call it) is on the south side. I also love Bishop Street (around 1450 west) between Polk and Taylor. Taylor Street is the business district, and has many Italian restaurants. If you want restaurant recommendations, I encourage you to check out the Chicago Reader's restaurant rater (www.chicagoreader.com, then click on "restaurants"). It's very user friendly, allowing you to enter neighborhood, cuisine, and price range, among other criteria. I do, however, have two recommendations. If you're there at breakfast time, I recommend Sweet Maple, at 1339 W. Taylor. Be prepared to go early or wait in line. The atmosphere is homey and the food is great. If you're in the neighborhood on a hot summer day, or, better yet, a hot summer evening, nothing beats standing in a line that spills onto the street with 20 or more sweaty Chicagoans at Mario's Italian Lemonade stand (1068 W Taylor). It's a beautiful thing.
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Chicago
on August 26, 2002
on October 24, 2006
on July 22, 2007
on September 2, 2007
on August 1, 2003
on June 6, 2005
