A friend and I have decided to be tourists for a day, either the 29th or 30th. We’re starting in Hyde Park about 1pm and then maybe Chinatown, Pilsen, and maybe branching over to the Blue for a couple neighborhoods over there. (I want to visit Bucket O’Blood Books and Records, but if not that day, then another so it’s not a focus.
We’re thinking of just doing a kind of coffee and tea shop tour of sorts. So we have a goal of shlepping through a few neighborhoods, taking our time, stopping for a lovely cuppa whatever at a not-chain store, and just soaking in the streets of wherever we land.
Local stuff for locals, we’re taking the El or buses so must be near transit, and on the cheap. We’re go with the flow types, so we’re playing it slow and loose. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s got a favorite coffee or tea shop we should visit, or just stuff along the route we should take a gander at.
She used to be a South Looper, so we’re avoiding downtown as I used to work there, too, and both of us are otherwise pretty hardcore northsiders, so while we’ve been all over for dinner or drinks at specific places, we haven’t really explored anywhere south or west of the Loop or much west of Western Ave. We’ll see how far this one day takes us, and we may turn it into a regular thing.
When we’ve got tourists coming in, most of what we do is in the Loop. But I’m a little confused, you’re northsiders but starting in Hyde Park?
Anyhow, there’s a fair amount in Hyde Park – Museum of Sci & Industry, U of Chicago, the Robie House (Frank Lloyd Wright house), Rockefeller Chapel come to mind. And Oriental Institute already mentioned.
West is Garfield Conservatory, which is very nice botanicable stuff.
Do China Town for brunch or lunch (dim sum), I recommend a place called Triple Crown, just south of the big torii arch. If it’s open, there’s a very strange shop in China Town called Hoi Polloi, with bizarre (and 'spensive) stuff. Worth a walk through.
We’re Northsiders, so we know our own neighborhoods pretty well. We’re going to neighborhoods we haven’t explored before, maybe just passed through at some point. And we don’t want the usual big tourist stuff, because, well, we’ve already been there and done that. So we’re thinking coffee-and-tea-shop level, spots the locals hang out in and aren’t tourist destinations. Interesting stores, offbeat architecture or small museum stops maybe, but since we’re on the cheap, we’re thinking CTA fares and cups of coffee and tea with neighborhood quirks are our speed and budget.
Looks like Feida is still there, will add it to the list, and Hoi Polloi sounds interesting!
Wow! I was living in China Town when Hoi Polloi opened and yes, the do have bizarre stuff, two of which I still own. I believe they are right across the street from Feida Bakery (2228 S. Wentworth Ave.) which I mentioned above.
Head for the northwest corner of Indian Boundary Park (Estes & Rockwell; 7100N/2600W) to visit the newly-opened “Nature Play Center” built in the former Zoo area:
You could also drop by the fieldhouse, restored since the 2012 fire:
As a former Chicagoan (I left the city in 1986), I would dearly like to tag along with you! PLEASE continue your OP with ALL the details of your adventures … Thanks!
Ha, wow, yeah we’ve both seen “Too Much Light” though it was back in the 90’s! Plus, that’s smack in a neighborhood we already know well. Kopi’s is a favorite meetup spot and the kind of cafe we’re hoping to spot in the other hoods.
We’ve settled on Logan Square, Pilsen, and Chinatown. I downloaded the TripAdvisor Chicago app and we’re gonna pretty much wing it with several coffee/cafe stops. Probably Pilsen last, there are a couple of shops that look cute and are open late. We won’t get started until after noon. I’m a 2nd shifter and even that will include me getting up earlier than usual!